Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, Eleanor and Marianne are sisters. Since the inheritance of the father of the two sisters was passed on to their son John, who was born to his ex-wife, they and their mother were not only in financial difficulties but also had to get rid of dependence. They eventually settled down in a country villa in Devon. Eleanor fell in love with Fanny's brother, and Marianne met and fell in love with Willoughby in the countryside. As the plot unfolds, both romantic relationships have gone through twists and turns. When Eleanor heard that Edward had been engaged to Lucy for four years, she suppressed her emotions and hid the heartbreaking pain in her heart. When Marianne was ultimately rejected by Willoughby, her spirit was greatly stimulated. Lucy faced opposition from Edward's mother and wealthy widow Mrs. Ferris, who insisted that her son marry Sir Morton's only daughter. Edward was unwilling, but his mother stripped him of his inheritance. At this time, Eleanor was still open-minded and entrusted to notify Edward that he could obtain the position of pastor and have the conditions to marry Lucy. Surprisingly, Lucy turned to pursue the lucky Robert and married him. In this way, Eleanor and Edward can finally get married. The novel revolves around the couple selection activities of the two female protagonists, focusing on revealing the evil habit of using marriage as a means of seeking economic security and improving economic status in British society at that time, and the ugly fashion of valuing family status and disregarding women's emotions and rights in life.
Rather than saying that reason and emotion are opposing, it is more to say that they are complementary. A person's behavior can always be explained by their inner personality, their own reason and emotion, and other characteristics. Being able to express one's emotions is desirable, while restraint, in fact, everything related to rational control, is considered artificial. The title of Sense and Sensibility provides an important way to understand a person's personality, based on their spectrum between feelings and emotions. Eleanor stands on the side of reason, while Marianne can be classified as someone who values emotions more. This means that Eleanor is a rational thinker who values rationality and restraint. Even when she learned about Lucy and Edward's engagement, she didn't allow herself to be carried away by emotions. In contrast, Marianne is a person with extreme emotions. As the narrator said, "Marian's love will never give up halfway." She was completely immersed in feelings of love, happiness, or despair. It shows Marian's overly sensitive and foolish behavior. This plunged her into dangerous extremes of emotions and hysteria. At the same time, Eleanor was widely admired for her keen judgment. However, in the end, each sister needs a bit of reason and sensibility to achieve happiness.
Marriage is not about love but about benefits, it is a tool for maintaining the operation of upper-class society at that time. It determines who will inherit family wealth and property, which is particularly important for women. Their future almost entirely depends on the prospects of the married man. The story begins with Eleanor and Marianne as unmarried but eligible young women, and it does not end until they both enter the palace of marriage. Engagement, possible matches, and marriage are the main issues that most characters in the novel focus on, and are also the themes of most of their conversations. Therefore, love is also the core of the novel, as Marianne and Eleanor fall in love and attempt to marry the man they love. However, it is more about wealth, uniting families, and gaining social status. In addition, it is usually the family and parents, like any husband or wife, who attempt to decide on engagement matters. For example, Mrs. Ferris only cares about her son marrying wealthy upper-class women. She didn't care if Edward loved Lucy, but when she learned about their engagement, she cut off all contact with Edward. For her, the decision to marry her son is the same as theirs, because their marriage is more about the entire family than their own personal desires. The novel also showcases the importance of love through consideration of family. The bond between Eleanor, Marian, Margaret, and their mother was strong in all the difficulties they endured, and at the end of the novel, they maintained a happy and intimate relationship. Therefore, although marriage may be more of an economic issue than a love issue, the examples of Marianne and Eleanor indicate that marriage does not necessarily have to be like this. Moreover, as long as marriage unites the family and creates new family units, it can establish strong and lasting family love bonds.
In a patriarchal society, the future and destiny of women almost entirely depend on their marriage. They have no inheritance rights or careers, and their roles and opportunities in society are limited. However, some women are still able to find ways to exercise certain forms of power and influence. They are expected to become responsible and upright women in society. However, the whole novel portrayed her female characters as thoughtful, ambitious, and sometimes scheming women. Even in a male-dominated world, characters like Lucy, Fanny, and Mrs. Ferraris can still exert some power and agency roles. Lucy persistently pursued what she wanted, and even talked about the so-called conquest of men. At the same time, Fanny actually controlled her husband and persuaded him at the beginning of the novel not to give any money to his half-sisters or invite them to live with them in London. Mrs. Ferris holds power and decides whether her sons inherit their family property. Although these are not the most admirable characters in the novel, they do illustrate how women find some power and agency in a gender-discriminatory society that confines women to limited gender roles. But despite these examples, women in novels are often constrained by the male dominated society they live in. Eliza and her daughter who was abandoned by Willoughby are an example. Without husbands, they fell into a desperate situation. Eleanor and Marian often face the threat of this fate if they cannot find a husband. Eleanor told Marianne that she should be grateful that her time with Willoughby did not leave her as Eliza did. Only by marrying a man who meets the conditions, can the sisters be guaranteed a stable and comfortable life.
To sum up, Austin conducted a highly realistic exploration of women's issues at the time. She examined the female protagonists in her works in the patriarchal society of that time. In that society, human value is based on property ownership. Due to generations of property being acquired by male heirs, they are at a disadvantage from the beginning and can only be subordinate to men. In such a harsh, demanding, and often hostile world, how can the female protagonist achieve personal happiness through marriage? Austin's warning is to use reason to control emotions. In the process of making a boyfriend, one should be cautious and not easily emotional or capricious. She believes that emotions are often dangerous guides to female behavior. If a man who has superior conditions but is not dedicated to pursuing him, he will commit himself, and the consequences are often catastrophic. The male partner either chooses a better partner due to personal preference for the new and the old, or due to parental opposition. In this situation, if the woman becomes emotional, she will suffer great mental trauma and find it difficult to extricate herself.
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