Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen that explores the lives of the Dashwoods, mainly Elinor and Marianne. In their former home, Norland Park, Elinor is seen to be fond of Edward Ferrars, but after moving to Barton Park, the two don't see each other much anymore. At their new home, the sisters meet Sir John Middleton, Lady Middleton, Mrs Jennings, and Colonel Brandon. Soon, Marriane, meets a handsome gentleman, John Willoughby, and they fall in deep love. However, Willoughby soon leaves, to Marianne's despair, for business. One day, Edwards gives Elinor a visit, but he is seen to look unhappy. Later, it is revealed that he has a secret, loveless engagement to Lucy Steele. Willoughby is then seen in a new relationship with Miss Grey, a lady with a large fortune; it is also revealed that he had seduced and abandoned Eliza Williams. Soon, after finding out about his engagement with Lucy, Mrs. Ferras makes Edward break the engagement immediately. In the end, Elinor marries Edward, and Marianne, who realizes she never would've lived well with Willoughby, marries Colonel Brandon.
Wealth is seen as a significant factor, especially in Sense and Sensibility, where most characters are overcome with greed. Among them, Mr. John Dashwood and Mrs. Fanny Dashwood are shown to be snobbish, selfish, and haughty. When Henry Dashwood died, Fanny immediately moved in and became mistress of Norland Park without any notice or agreement from the family. Her selfishness and narrow-mindedness climb to a level when she finds out that her husband intends to take his promise to his father. She didn’t approve of his plans to give his sisters a thousand pounds each and disguised her dissatisfaction with her concern for their future son, but in reality, she only wanted the money for herself. She told her husband that his father probably only meant for them to give his sisters occasional neighborly acts of kindness, instead of money as gifts. John Dashwood, although less manipulative than his wife, is cold-hearted and greedy. Thinking that it could be an excuse for not giving his sisters an actual gift, he follows Fanny’s opinions and decides to simply offer them a hand when they need help. However, when the sisters started packing to move to Barton Park, which was a great opportunity for neighborly acts of kindness, Fanny again manipulates her husband, saying that letting them live in Norland Park for such a long time was already kind enough. When Mrs. Dashwood packs her things, Fanny gloats about how rich she would be now. The Dashwood couple is greatly overcome with greed, selfishness, and vanity, and only care about their own wealth and financial condition.
In most cases, family members and relatives are the closest people and should be put in one’s top priority. However, the snobbish Dashwood couple is wiped out of any affection for Mrs. Dashwood and John’s three step-sisters. In the novel, when a friend of Fanny’s invited her, John Dashwood, and the two eldest Dashwood sisters to an event, thinking that they lived together, Fanny emphasized her great dissatisfaction at paying her sisters-in-law any attention. Fanny only enjoys talking to people who can help her advance socially and financially, such as the Steele sisters. When they come back from the party, John Dashwood wants to let his sisters stay at Norland Park for a while, but Fanny immediately rejects it, saying that she just invited the Steele sisters and that they could invite them another time. The Steele sisters are immediately invited to stay at the Dashwoods’ London house after only a brief acquaintance. While Lucy Steele takes it as a compliment, Mrs. Dashwood and the Dashwood sisters are a bit hurt that although they were family members, they were never invited to stay at Norland Park and Fanny even gloated when they left for Barton. Moreover, Fanny is also shown to be extremely pleased to be able to persuade and manipulate her husband so easily.
In the Regency era, a couple in the same social class who share similar personalities and opinions, whether good or bad, were seen to be a match. The Dashwood couple is shown as a good match in behavior, personality, and social status. Henry Dashwood’s fortune was inherited from his wealthy uncle, which was then passed on to John Dashwood. Meanwhile, the Ferrars family is also at the top of the social structure, where Mrs. Ferrars holds most of the fortune and properties. Moreover, the two possess similar characters: they are both snobbish, greedy, unaffectionate, cold-hearted, and selfish. The Dashwood couple is much like Lydia and Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, where they are shown to be greedy, naive, haughty, and arrogant. Lydia is seen to be ungrateful for her family’s work to keep her happy and instead mocks her sisters for marrying later than her. Wickham disguises himself in front of Mr. Darcy’s father, earning his favor and a large part of the inheritance, but in reality, is only a greedy and unsensible person who spends his money on partying and drinking. Wickham also takes advantage of Lydia and her family’s good financial situation to clear his debts and earn money by marrying her; in the same way, Fanny manipulates and persuades John Dashwood to keep the three thousand he was supposed to give his three sisters. The Dashwood couple, although seen to be greedy, arrogant, and unaffectionate for family members, is a suitable match.
Sense and Sensibility explores the Dashwood sisters’ lives as they navigate through the hardships of love, heartbreak, and social expectations. The Dashwood couple, Fanny and John Dashwood, are seen to be especially greedy, haughty, snobbish, and selfish towards money and wealth. Moreover, the couple only cares about people who can help advance them socially and financially. Fanny shows great dislike towards her sisters-in-law, and the two don't put family as their top priority, not showing much affection. Neverthless, the Dashwood couple makes a good match in personality, opinion, and social status.
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