"Sense and Sensibility" is a very interesting story by Jane Austen. The novel talked about the Dashwood family and how the family wants the daughters to marry rich men with high social status and this made the future of their daughters make the parents judge people only by their materialistic advantages. Although, at the time, money was the main thing, it is still not more valuable than a suitable husband to live for a lifetime with. Marriages can the the only way to climb the social ladder in the situations most people are in during the time of the novel. Marrying daughters to richer guys can both give their daughter a careless life, but also money and status for themselves. The novel showed how people deal with pressure to fit in the higher levels of the community and marry based on wealth and materialistic gains. Although happiness actually comes from finding someone with a good heart, money is the more realistic choice because of how society was in the past. Maybe some people didn’t choose the money that will give them the true love everyone deserves, but is hidden by the complicated world.
Someone’s wealth can be a big factor to the way others see you and judge you. Although it is not right to be making decisions by using the physical features like wealth and looks, most people still do it. A first impression can be very important if you want someone to be nice to you and put their trust into you. If you are poor, it can show other people how you are not working hard to earn money and it is not reliable to give you important jobs. Wealth is one of the biggest things people see when you are trying to start a relationship. The parents of your partner can be unhappy if they think your financial situation is not enough to keep their child safe and comfortable. In the story, Mrs. Dashwoods didn’t like Edward, who is not rich, which she doesn't like. Although her daughter, Marianne, liked him she was worried about her daughter’s future comfort. Edward later married Elinor, the other daughter of the Dashwoods. They were in true love. This showed how having a lack of money can make you lose lots of opportunities. It is important to focus on making money because that can help a lot in all situations. Money can keep you above the others and protect you. Money shouldn’t be used as a tool and factor when judging someone, but it is still important to work hard to get money both to impress others and to recover fast from mistakes.
Another way the Dashwoods in the novel are judging men is their family histories. The wealth people are wanting and trying to get from marrying are not only the money the person earned, but also the money that their family and parents have. When people pass away, their money goes to their family and children. If someone’s parents have lots of money, there will be a higher chance for a partner’s parents to approve a marriage. People can not change their family history which can make it unfair for people to judge based on it, but if you do have a wealthy family background, it just makes it better. In the novel, the Dashwood family looked down on Colonel Brandon because he wasn't born into a wealthy family, even though he's a good person. People at the time preferred people with a wealthy history and fancy backgrounds. Family history can’t be changed, but yourself can be changed. You can work harder for more money and develop a welcoming personality. It is important to not be affected by the negative past and look forward to the bright future. Anything can be changed with hard work. Family history can bring lots of benefits to future husbands or wives because the social status and personality can all depend on it. A big amount of money can also be gained through the bad way of them passing away. Family history of a partner can greatly affect a person’s future comfort so parents would look very carefully into someone before making decisions even if the information can be unfair.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Dashwood can get some advantages from being snobbish, there are also consequences. Being snobbery means how people value money and material things over others. They prioritize wealth and social status before genuine love. Love is always the most important part of a marriage. A marriage won’t be peaceful and lasting very long if the couple don’t like each other. Mr. and Mrs. Dashwood did make a good decision of trying to give their daughters a better future but sometimes love can be more important than money and social status. Using the ways that are not very good to give advantages can lead to some consequences. In the story, Mr. and Mrs. Dashwood tried hard to find good husbands for their daughters but their snobbery personality made them lose some very good men. What they did hurt their daughters by changing their views on people and having internal conflicts because of how the parents think the man is not good. Parents shouldn’t be so controlling and should let their children make decisions by themselves. The most parents should do is just to make some suggestions and not to make the decision for them. The parents did not see love as part of a marriage but it can affect the couple a lot. No one can be happy to live with someone you don’t like even if you get lots of money. Money and social status can be all important and be prioritized but love is the center for a comfortable life.
In conclusion, being snobbish can be both good and bad depending on how forceful you are. If you are not snobbish often, it can be good because it can give you more money and social status. It can also help you pick the right husband both for you and your children. But if you are being too controlling and forceful, instead of succeeding in giving or getting a better future, you can lose some of the opportunity for some of the best husbands. Some help and snobbery can be helpful for others, but making choices and rejecting potential partners for others can be very annoying and ruin some of the best futures.
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