Chimney Prayers

“Say your prayers, Miss Eyre, when you are by yourself; for if you don’t repent, something bad might be permitted to come down the chimney and fetch you away” (8).

During the 19th century and previous, it was believed that evil spirits would enter a house through the chimney to bother and sometimes harm the residents of the house. Several countering methods were devised to deal with these intrusions, and one of those methods was prayer. By praying and repenting for one’s sins, evil spirits were not allowed to harm the occupants of the house. Brontë incorporates the supernatural to give the novel an added layer of meaning and to make later use of the supernatural more believable.