What nationality is Mrs. Reed? She is described as looking so strange oleh Jane. Jane describes her as having "dark opaque skin and "flaxen" (very blonde) hair.

Mrs. Reed is very much the same nationality and race as most everyone else in the novel, white and English. It's typical to think of the English as very pale, so when Mrs. Reed is described as having "dark opaque skin" it is only referring to the fact that she is not fair-skinned, something that tends to stand out in that country. There is an interesting artikel though, that explains: "Mrs Reed, Jane’s foil, presents masculine characteristics contrasting with Jane’s frailty. Her “dark and opaque skin” contrasting with “flaxen hair” and “light eyebrows” puts her in further contrast with the stereotype of feminine beauty. Although Jane does not meet the requirements either, the narrator nevertheless insists on presenting Mrs Reed as her perfect opposite."