Summary Of Katie Hammil's Sense And Sensibility

Thesis: Throughout the text of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen challenges gender and social norms in the Georgian Era through the development of Elizabeth Bennet as she interacts with characters in the novel.

Like Marianne, Mrs. Dashwood is romantic and whimsical, more prone to act on feelings than reason. Also similar to her youngest daughter, she often misjudges both the characters and situations of individuals. When Elinor tells Marianne of the difficulties Mrs. Ferrars presents in marrying Edward, "Marianne was astonished to find how much the imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth" (18). Furthermore, Mrs. Dashwood's reaction to Willoughby is just as naïve as Marianne's. "In Mrs. Dashwood's opinion, he was as faultless as in Marianne's" (43). It is only Elinor, acting with the maternal caution her mother does not possess, who has reservations about Marianne's suitor.

From the very first part of the novel readers are presented with the general atmosphere in England during the late eighteenth century. Women are discriminated and men come to inherit property belonging to their tutors. Men were typically provided with inheritances coming from their mothers and fathers alike. Conditions involving Elinor and Marianne were even more critical, as even though their brother inherited a significant fortune from his mother and his wife was expecting an inheritance from her mother, the two sisters depended on Norland Park. The moment when their father died was particularly problematic for them, as they became unwanted guests in the place that they previously considered home. The two sisters are practically influenced in taking

The awkwardness that transpires as both Elinor and Edward attempt to write letters in the same room shows both Elinor’s and Edward’s reluctance to show their feelings because of society’s judgements and develops their individual characters. Elinor is aware of the impact that her lack of wealth has on her marriage prospects, so she does not admit her feelings for Edward explicitly to him nor her family despite their existence. She is sensible and does not allow her love for a man make her vulnerable. Edward also has difficulty expressing his emotions. His feelings are complicated by his family’s desires and his engagement to Lucy Steele (Sarah Elizabeth Keyes). Despite his feelings for Elinor, he is characterized by his loyalty to his prior commitments. His loyalty, while admirable, is also the hamartia that nearly keeps him away from Elinor forever. Marianne Dashwood’s passion and spontaneity is evident through her actions; she cuts off a lock of her hair for her suitor, John Willoughby, without an engagement and weeps openly when he leaves town. Her excessive sensibility is a critique of women’s dependence on men for happiness. Willoughby is characterized as the perfect man, yet develops into a very problematic and unfaithful character. He draws Marianne in only to break her heart and it is eventually revealed that she is not the only girl

Jane Austen's groundbreaking novel Sense and Sensibility is a relationship-driven account of female protagonists. Sense and Sensibility shares much in common with other novels by and about women. Themes like autonomy versus independence and the role of women in a patriarchal society are explored in Sense and Sensibility. Using two sisters to symbolize the different directions the female spirit can be pulled, Austen shows the variable ways women respond to political, social, and economic oppression. The women of Sense and Sensibility are both trapped by, and breaking free from, the conventions of marriage and motherhood. Marriage and motherhood are portrayed ironically as the natural course of women's lives, but also as the chain that prevents their self-fulfillment. The social norm of patrilineal inheritance leaves Elinore and Marianne Dashwood, and their mother, penniless and dependent on distant male family members. Marriage and motherhood are restrictive roles for women, and yet Austen never provides a satisfactory alternative for Marianne. Marianne seems willing to break free from patriarchal social norms, but she ends up being a slave to heterosexual romance. The message in Sense and Sensibility ends up being rather bleak: women remain socially, economically, and politically oppressed because they cannot envision or enact suitable independent alternatives.

Generous, willing, and proficient—are all qualities of Elinor Dashwood. Creators regularly utilize attributes of characters to depict them as basic bits of the plot. In Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Elinor is appeared as a vital character through her sympathy towards others and her eagerness to help her family through troublesome circumstances.

Sense and Sensibility was first published in 1811, by Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility represents the neoclassical, dualistic moral world where values and exclusion values will ultimately be successful in a painful, romantic feeling. Not only that, he was making serious cynicisms of society's eighteenth centuries in which the aristocrats were praised and indirectly influencing young people's minds, not the love of love but to betray it just for Wealth. In the novel, Lucy and Willoughby symbolize this kind of people of society

In the context of the play, rather then ignoring the problematic elements, Anne Barton (1997)

Elinor is able to be mature for her age and able to be consoling to other characters in the book. A major event takes place where another character named Lucy is affiliated with Elinor’s

Throughout sense and sensibility, Elinor is shown to be fair and just in her personal judgements. Elinor is also distinguished for her ability to self govern her feelings. The neo classics disprove of one indulging in feelings and believe one should instead conceal them, suffering silently. An example of this can be seen when Edward breaks Elinor's heart, thus Austin places Elinor and Marianne in parallel situations. Marianne, the romantic, focuses solely on her own feelings and disregards the feelings of others. However, Elinor follows Neo Classic ethics by remaining a pillar of support for those who depend on her. She does not withdraw away and contemplate her life but instead carries on with the duties she undertook since the beginning of the novel. She continually self sacrifices her desire to the needs and benefit of those around her, showing a magnanimous concern to others while silencing her own feelings; dealing with issues with an unbiased outlook:

She must cope with the deal of her father which causes her to inadvertently become the head of her family. Elinor spends the aftermath of her father’s death searching for a new home for her mother and two sisters. Although no one could see how she was internally grieving the death of her father, Elinor was comforted by the company of Edward Ferris. When this relationship was taken from her upon discovering Edward’s commitments, Elinor kept her suffering to herself since Lucy, Edward’s fiancée, asked her not to speak of the engagement. Elinor allowed her loyalty to others to be put above her personal happiness.

Elinor's high expectations of Edward are dashed as the novel progresses and she says "Edward seemed a second Willoughby." Edward gave Elinor false impressions as Willoughbydid to Marianne. Edward is redeemed as he behaves honourably to Lucy Steele whereas Willoughby deserts both Marianne and Colonel Brandon's ward, Eliza Williams, to marry for money. Willoughby ends up unhappy and to his relief less of a villain in the Dashwood's minds after his visit to Cleveland.

The older Bennett sisters have a loyalty for each other that is apparent when Charlotte is engaged to Mr. Collins. Elizabeth is mortified and has no problem expressing that to her sister. “of whose rectitude and delicacy she was sure her opinion could never be shaken.” They are loyal to one another when it truly matters most. They value the others point of view and opinion, and were able to teach each other a few things along the way. The scene where their bond is most present is when Elizabeth runs to Netherfield when she hears Jane is ill. Elizabeth insists on seeing her sister and walks through wet fields only to show up disheveled and muddy. Jane’s other sisters did not insist on seeing her, only Elizabeth did which shows how important their relationship is to each other.

Elinor would not contend, and only replied, "Whoever may have been so detestably your enemy, let them be cheated of their malignant triumph, my dear sister, by seeing how nobly the consciousness of your own innocence and good intentions supports your spirits. It is a reasonable and laudable pride which resists such malevolence."’ (Austen 140)

She feels inclined to do this, as “she [has a] knowledge which her mother had yet to learn, and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught”(Austen, 6). When her father died, both her mother and Marianne went into a state of hysteria and spells of dramatic depression, and Elinor had to be the voice of reason in the household. Even though she too was affected by his passing, she took the responsibility of caring for her mourning family by entertaining guests and handling the legal fundamentals with her brother. By staying calm and collected, Elinor proves that her rationality guides her through a life of responsible actions and care for those that she loves. Elinor also steps up as the responsible family member by covering up for their mistakes, particularly her sister’s. Marianne is oblivious to the offenses and conflict that she is creating through her carelessness, as well as the fact that Elinor is covering them up. While the sisters are living in London, Marianne’s strange love-struck behavior does not go unnoticed by their company, and Elinor incessantly interjected excuses for her sister’s imprudent behavior, claiming her to be ill, anxious or tired. She voluntarily takes the responsibility of keeping her family in line, assuring that their lack of rationality will not cause any troubles for them in the future.