13 Feb. 1997
The topic of this paper is to distinguish the differences between sense and
sensibility. Represented in Jane Austin's novel by two sisters,
Elinor and Marianne,
the disposition
of the two girls can be seen quite vividly.
The two girls are
accompanied by a
mother, and many other well developed characters. One
character
questionable to the theme of the story is the youngest sister Margaret. Her
personality if
described would be more like that of her sister Marianne.
The novel begins with a dying father telling
his son that he must leave his
estate to him and
his wife. This means that the three
girls and their mother will be
left without a
place to stay and the girls without dowry's.
As lethal a blow as this
may seem, it is
coupled by the fact the their brothers new wife is less than
sympathetic to
the three girls needs. This is when we are first introduced to Elinor
and her younger
sister Marianne. As usual, Marianne is
being her impulsive self
and Elinor is
trying to take care of her families well-being.
A brief synopsis of Elinor and Marianne's personalities leads to
the
following: Elinor is quiet, soft spoken, full of good
manners, and well brought up.
Marianne is
impulsive, outspoken, full of a vibrant love of life and playful. To fully
understand the
girls, it is important to see how other character viewed them.
1.
Edward Ferrars, the object of Elinor's
affection (though she would never
show it) is quoted as saying Miss Dashwoods friendship
the most important of his
life. This is a considerable compliment (even if it
isn't what Elinor wants to hear at
the time) coming
from a man as highly esteemed as Mr. Ferrars .
Elinor is viewed
by her mother and
her two sisters as a saving grace, someone to depend on. To a
certain extent
this is true, but Elinor also has problems and she doesn't quite know
how to let people
know about them. Even when Lucy Steele
confides in Elinor that
she has been
secretly engaged to Edward for four
years, she tells no one, and bears
the burden of a
broken heart on her own.
The same would not, and did not happen with
Marianne. She made sure that
everyone knew how
she felt about a young man named Mr.
Willoughby. Rescued
in a rather
dramatic fashion by the gentleman after spraining her ankle, Marianne
falls head over
heels in love. Rather than keep her
feelings a secret like Elinor, she
parades around
town and flaunts her affections for Willoughby
shamelessly. This
of course is
looked down upon by Elinor, the staple of sensibility. She has a very
hard time
accepting how Marianne acts purely upon her senses.
A real contrast can be seen between the two
women when Marianne comes to
see Elinor in her
bedroom one night. It is the same
evening in which Edward
has
read to the
family upon Marianne's incistant urging. Edward lacks the emotion that
Marianne thrives
on while reading to the women and she has no qualms about
sharing this with
him.
2.
When talking to her sister, Marianne states
that she finds Edward to be an
"amiable"
man, but lacking a certain spark. When
Elinor says that his disposition
suits her just
fine, Marianne is appalled. Her
immediate reaction is one of question.
Would Elinor
rather love a dull, amiable man or the
kind of man she would choose?
Marianne would
settle for no less than a prince on a white stallion, ready to rescue
her from the
confines of her little cottage. Her man
must possess "spirit, wit, and
feeling."
The fact that the girls have no dowry is now
beginning to weigh on them. It
is becoming an
increasingly important theme in the novel that the two want to be
married. Elinor to Edward and Marianne to her prince,
Mr. Willoughby. It is here
where the lines
between the eighteenth and twentieth century can truly be drawn.
These women
waited their entire lives to be proposed to by a man who accepted
their dowries and
in some cases, even loved them. A sort
of desperation can be
seen in Elinor
and Marianne as they wonder when they will be proposed to. Elinor
has all but given
up having heard the news of Ms. Steele,
but Marianne remains
hopeful that she
will be reunited with Willoughby after being separated and he
transferred to
London.
This is
where in the novel, the true difference
between sense and sensibility
can be seen. At a party in London, Marianne looks and
finds Willoughby, only to
see that he is
there in the company of another woman, one he is engaged to.
3.
Not knowing quite
what to do, she retreats to her abode in
London and falls into a
state of
depression. Of course what else could
you expect from the queen of drama
herself, one who
feel that no death could ever be nobler that death in the name of
love. Remaining in her state of illness for
some time causes a sudden change in
Elinor.
For the first time since the beginning of the
novel, Elinor actually breaks
down. In a moment of pure feeling, she finally
cries and lets the burdens of a
broken heart and
the near loss of her sister take over.
When Marianne begins to recover, a change can
be seen in both sisters
attitudes. Word comes that Mr. Ferrars has been marries and it is Elinor who
displays emotion
rather than her sister. Although this
is a subtle happening, to
anyone who
follows Elinor's emotions closely, it is easy to see she is showing much
more now than in the beginning of the novel.
It is at this time that Edward pays a visit to
the Dashwoods and clears up the
rumor that it is
he who is married to Ms. Steele. It is in fact his brother, who has
taken over Lucy's
affections. It is obvious to the reader
the delight that is bestowed
upon Elinor at
this time. For she now for the second
time truly shows how she feels
with an impromptu
bought of crying at the news.
Her sister, is once again rescued from the
depths of despair only this time by
a much older Cn.
Brandon whom she once pushed aside for Willoughby.
4.
Both sisters, despite their lack of sufficient
dowries, do eventually find love
and
marriage. It is in the process, however,
that we see the true difference between
sense and
sensibility. Marianne's "impulsive
sweetness" is what saves her and
leads her to
follow her senses, whereas Elinor's mild mannered disposition gains her
the title of the
sensible sister. In the end, both girls
flourish, and sense as well as
sensibility
triumph.
Sense and Sensibility
Lindsay White
English/ Prof. Johnson
Due: 19 Feb.
1997
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