Jane Austen uses satirical elements
in Persuasion, as well in her other
novels, to ridicule the upper class in the era that she lived in. Both the plot
and the characters in Persuasion are
shaped around the satirical elements involving social status and marriage.
Like many other Jane Austen novels,
Persuasion begins with not having a
male heir to inherit the family land; in this case it is Kellynch Hall. Cousin
William Elliot is supposed to inherit the land, and that somewhat obligates him
to marry one of Sir Walter’s daughters to keep the land in the immediate
family. Anne, a foil to her pretentious and self-absorbed father, disagrees
with the general view of marriage and social rank in her society. She feels
that marriage should be primarily decided upon “domestic values”, and also
thinks that she should not have to hang out with people just because they are
of high status.
The relationship between Anne and
her father are quite opposite, which is probably why she wasn’t Sir Walter’s
favorite! From the beginning of the novel, the readers know that Sir Walter
thinks very highly of himself and places a lot of importance on social class.
For example, he has mirrors all around his room because he thinks he is so good
looking. Jane Austen directly characterizes (and makes fun of) Sir Walter and
uses the comparison “Few women could think more of their personal appearance than
he did nor could the valet of any new made lord be more delighted the place he
held in society” (Austen 4.). Even though Sir Walter really isn’t in the best
economic situation and doesn’t have the same looks as he did when he was
younger, he still cannot get enough of himself! Similarly, his favorite book is
one of the family ancestries; he can see the social ranks he and his family
were born into. So basically when he is not looking at himself in his mirrors,
he is reading about himself. These characteristics contrast with Anne’s because
she has friendships with people like Mrs. Smith, who has no money and is ill,
but still enjoys her company any way. Although her father enjoys concerts and
dinner parties with people like the rich Darymples, Anne finds them extremely
boring. Anne symbolizes the views of Jane Austen, and her father Sir Walter is
both a contrasting and satirical character, representing the majority of people
in her time.
I liked the comparisons you drew between Anne and Sir Walter, because I think the foil between those two characters was one of the most important aspects of the satirical nature of Persuasion. I also absolutely agree with your observation that Anne's views mirror Jane Austen's views. Austen's exaggeration of Sir Walter's negative personality traits was probably meant to apply to the ridiculous upper class people that she encountered in her life, and she definitely did an excellent job of satirizing the socialites of England.
ReplyDeleteAnne absolutely contrasts her father, but I believe Admiral Croft may be an even better foil than Anne! Admiral Croft is a hard working man who served his country in the first Napoleonic war, while Sir Walter is a man of high birth, who lavishly spends money he inherited. In the scene you mentioned with the mirrors in Sir Walter's room, Admiral Croft actually takes down several of the mirrors, showing that he is not a narcissistic man like Sir Walter. Austen uses the mirrors to symbolize the vanity of the men like Sir Walter during this era, and the fact that Admiral Croft removes the mirrors shows how Austen is skeptical of the high birth during this time period. Sir Walter is certainly a satirical character, meant to poke fun at the belief of birth as a determining factor for one's rank, while Anne and Admiral Croft are used as foils, and represent Austen's views.
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