Written by the renowned author Jane Austen, "Sense and Sensibility" illustrates the relationships between the Dashwood family and their social circle, highlighting the importance of class and wealth in the Regency Era and the essence of love and marriage. The novel revolves around the love story of two main characters, Elinor Dashwood and Marianne Dashwood, who navigate through the challenges of societal expectations and love affairs. Through the contrasting personalities of the two sisters, Jane Austen explores the balance of sense and sensibility and how it affects one’s decisions and relationships. In “Sense and Sensibility”, the author depicts the Dashwood family at the beginning of the novel, with John Dashwood and Fanny Dashwood attempting to take advantage of their inheritance and limit the rightful fortune her half-blooded sisters can inherit. As females in the Regency Era, Marianne, Elinor, and Margaret can not inherit the fortune left by their grand uncle and father Henry Dashwood, yet, before Henry passed away, he requested John Dashwood, his son, to take care and support his daughters. However, drawn by their greed, John Dashwood and his wife, Fanny Dashwood, are not willing to assist the sisters, depicting their selfish and snobbish characteristics.
Made by Henry Dashwood’s uncle, the fortune of the Dashwood family can only pass to his sons and grandsons, so Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters can’t inherit any property and fortune left by Henry Dashwood. As Henry Dashwood requested his son before he passed away, he has to support and assist his daughters and wife. In the beginning, John Dashwood decides to aid her sisters by giving them one thousand pounds each, which is a total of three thousand pounds. However, Fanny Dashwood convinces John to reduce the amount of money given to the sisters, arguing that giving three thousand pounds is too generous and would lead his sisters financially dependent on him. Despite John’s initial intentions, he is persuaded by his wife and limits the fortune to five hundred pounds each, deceiving himself that his son Harry would not be happy that so much money was given away. Fanny, portrayed as a selfish and materialistic figure throughout the novel, continues to manipulate John to give less money to his sisters, saying that John is too generous as a brother and should only consider how much money he can afford to give. Yet, even though the fortune is already reduced to half of the initial amount, Fanny still seems unsatisfactory, convincing John to give his sisters only one hundred pounds in sum each year, then reduced to only some furniture, which is barely nothing considering their inheritance. Fanny’s relentless greed and John’s seemingly generous yet avaricious character are revealed throughout the novel, highlighting the selfish couple and their complete disregard for others’ needs.
As Jane Austen introduces in the novel, Mrs. Dashwood is a selfish and egoistic woman who desires her son to inherit the fortune of the grand uncle, wishing to provide the best for her child. She persuades her husband to break the promise made to Henry Dashwood and instead prioritize her own son’s inheritance. Her selfishness is exemplified through her relentless pursuit of wealth and social status as she manipulates her husband to break the promise made by his father by offering persuasive arguments to reduce the sum of money. First, she made his husband think of their poor son, saying that once John gives the money away, it will never be returned, saying "It could be restored to our poor little boy.” Afterward, she convinces her husband that the girls do not need that much money as their social life would be limited and their lives are already secure. When John believes that he should provide them some furniture, she continues to manipulate him and say that the china plates and the linen left by his father should decorate their new quarters and finally persuades his husband that they owe the half-blooded sisters and the widow nothing at all. As she says in the novel, Henry Dashwood “thought only of THEM. And I must say this: that you owe no particular gratitude to him, nor attention to his wishes; for we very well know that if he could, he would have left almost everything in the world to THEM.” Fanny Dashwood’s actions showcase her greed and selfishness, portraying herself as a self-centered character who would stop at nothing to ensure her own wealth.
Jane Austen’s ironic writing is exemplified in the novel when John Dashwood is persuaded to not help his relatives despite the promise made with his father Henry Dashwood. He says that he wishes his sisters well, that “the promise, therefore, was given, and must be performed.” Yet, although he says he does not want to do anything mean, he still ends up giving his relatives barely anything. Throughout the conversation with his wife, John is depicted as a husband who is easily manipulated and bossed by his wife, yet in reality, he only needs an excuse to reduce the money given to his half-blooded sisters. John Dashwood is a greedy and egocentric person who prioritizes his own wealth and is a sham who pretends to be generous and caring. Despite the needs of her sisters, he ignores their real concerns and difficulties and chooses to listen to his wife’s inducement. This portrayal of his character highlights his lack of empathy for his sisters and reveals his self-centered personality as he prioritizes his personal wealth and comfort.
In “Sense and Sensibility”, John Dashwood and Fanny Dashwood’s action to reduce the financial support for their sisters reveal their selfish and snobbish characteristics. This snobbish family, disregarding others’ needs and prioritizing their own wealth not only showcases their self-centered personalities but also reveals the facade of their supposed generosity and care. From the initial three thousand pounds in total to barely anything except some worthless gifts, their so-called genuine care for their sisters is exposed as a pretense to hide their actual greed and uppity. Jane Austen exposes the cold-hearted and narrow-minded characteristics of Fanny and John Dashwood, highlighting their lack of empathy for their relatives and emphasizing their self-centeredness. The author’s portrayal of these characters exposes and critiques the coldness of many people who prioritize self-interests, wealth, and status over building good relationships with others.
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