Do you consider Elinor and Marianne Dashwood convincing examples of girls of nineteen and seventeen?

AS and A Level English

Daniela Germano

Year 12- English Lit.

04/03/03

Do you consider Elinor and Marianne Dashwood convincing examples of girls of nineteen and seventeen?

The two characters from Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility, Elinor and Marianne are believable girls of their age. Marianne being almost seventeen is very spontaneous, naïve and full of romantic idealisms. These are characteristics that can be found in most girls that are of the same age as Marianne, but at the same time, it is obvious that she does take them into extremes.

Elinor, who is the character in the novel that represents sense, is much more rational and level-headed than the other women in her family. She is composed but affectionate, she is mature and Austen demonstrated this in the way that Elinor always takes the initiative with her sister and mother and the way she looks after and supports her younger sister. She has a very intellectual mind, which makes her feel out of place when she is with the Middletons and is the reason why she admires Colonel Brandon so much, because he is at an intellectually equal with her. Whether it is believable if Elinor is a convincing example of a typical nineteen year old girl is debatable; it is possible for a nineteen year old to be this mature, but at the same time, the reader should be aware that Elinor is the heroine of the novel and Austen might have exaggerated a bit on her qualities because of that.

Marianne and her mother are very much alike in their sensibilities and Mrs. Dashwood can never see the dangers which Marianne could encounter through her naiveness and impropriety and Elinor, being the heroine of the novel, becomes very concerned with this. As an older sister rather than a mother, she had a more objective point of view. Not saying that Mrs. Dashwood is a bad mother, but she often also gets very carried away with Marianne. All Mrs. Dashwood wants is her daughters to be happy. For example, Marianne’s situation with Willoughby; their relationship is very open and yet not a thing has been mentioned about an engagement.

Elinor saw with concern, the excess of her sister’s sensibility; but by Mrs. Dashwood it was valued and cherished.

Marianne’s and her mother’s personalities are so alike that in a sense they feed off each other’s sensibilities.

Austen describes Elinor as having strength of understanding and a coolness of judgment, as well as the ability to control her feelings. She has a mature and reserved attitude towards love; she often says she greatly esteems Edward Ferrars, even though it is glaringly obvious that there is more to their relationship than what is said by them. In a sense Elinor is ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Elinor saw with concern, the excess of her sister’s sensibility; but by Mrs. Dashwood it was valued and cherished.

Marianne’s and her mother’s personalities are so alike that in a sense they feed off each other’s sensibilities.

Austen describes Elinor as having strength of understanding and a coolness of judgment, as well as the ability to control her feelings. She has a mature and reserved attitude towards love; she often says she greatly esteems Edward Ferrars, even though it is glaringly obvious that there is more to their relationship than what is said by them. In a sense Elinor is afraid of letting go, so that she can preserve her reputation and saves herself from getting very hurt. These qualities of Elinor are very different than those of Marianne. Austen creates such a contrast between them and emphasizes each other’s tendencies in regards to love, because they are both very different from each other. Marianne doesn’t see any reason in holding back her emotions of love and passion for Willoughby as she truly believes that one day they will be married. She has reason to believe this, because Willoughby has led her to believe this through acting like a beau, but yet not saying anything that could be evidence of him leading her on. Also, he never makes any real direct plans with her regarding their future. Through falling so violently in love with a person like Willoughby, this indicates how naïve she is and therefore is proof that Marianne is a very convincing seventeen year old. On the contrary, Elinor prefers to keep her and Edward’s relationship quiet and also the way she feels towards him. This deeply frustrates Marianne and this is also an example of how much Marianne and Elinor contrast.

Marianne has a very youthful and energetic character and this is shown when she spends time with her younger sister Margaret. Also, when they leave Norland, she and Mrs. Dashwood are very dramatic as they say their final goodbyes. Marianne wonders the estate saying:

Dear, dear Norland…Oh! Happy house…And you, ye well known trees!

Elinor, however, experiences a far more subdued depression, even though she is leaving behind not just her home, but also a man she has grown to deeply admire, Edward Ferrars. It is interesting to notice the contrast between these two characters in this situation. Marianne is totally depressed from leaving her home, which is totally justifiable, and she acts so dramatically. On the other hand, Elinor is leaving both her home and a loved one and her actions to this situation is a lot more conservative than Marianne’s actions of not nearly going through as much as Elinor. Elinor is much more subdued and calm whereas Marianne seems to enjoy expressing the passion of her emotions no matter what the repercussions may be. Elinor has in a way been thrown into the role of the sensible one, because Marianna and her mother are so much alike.

Marianne can sometimes seem closer to Margaret’s age than her own, because of her very youthful and optimistic spirit which is shown in the way she enjoys running down the hill when she twists her ankle. Margaret and herself are also quite similar, Marianne and her mother share their sensibilities and Marianne and Margaret share their youthfulness.

The gaily ascended the downs, rejoicing in their own penetration at every glimpse of blue sky…they pitied the fears that has prevented their mother and Elinor from enjoying such a delight.

Austen also demonstrates Marianne’s youth in the way she ridicules Colonel Brandon, not so much because she is willing to, but so that she can show off to Willoughby, she follows his actions so that he can be impressed by her and feel like they fit each other and get along. This is a very good example of what girls do at Marianne’s age. Once again there is a contrast with Marianne and Elinor in the way they feel about Brandon. While Marianne and Willoughby are mocking him, Elinor stands up for him, because she respects him and has established a friendship with him. On the other hand, Marianne is too infatuated with Willoughby to pay any attention or respect to the kind character of Colonel Brandon. Once again, this is a reflection of Marianne’s age and Elinor’s maturity. This infatuation that Marianne has with Willoughby could seem as just a young girl’s crush, because of the way she throws herself into this situation and not foreseeing any consequences and doesn’t even stop to consider that he isn’t as genuinely in love and wanting to marry, as she is.

Marianne is often in her own world and is very sensitive, but Elinor could seem even more sensitive as she doesn’t seem to deal with her emotions and holds them all in. She doesn’t express things as openly as Marianne does and Marianne has the tendency of flaunting her relationship with Willoughby and this results in her being quite rude and improper in the eyes of society. Through these actions, Jane Austen portrays very well the life and measures of a seventeen year old. On the other hand, the way Elinor acts and views love is completely against Marianne’s idealistic view of romance, passion and true love. For the way Elinor, acts in this situation of Edward, is in a way not a very convincing way a nineteen year old would act. In no doubt a convincing nineteen year old would not act as extreme as Marianne, but Elinor in a way acts a little too mature for a nineteen year old, but Austen’s perception of this age group is not entirely wrong. But Austen probably made Elinor’s character is this way, so that it can emphasize her being the heroine in the novel.