Updated:

The Novel “Persuasion” by Jane Austen Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

“Persuasion” is a novel written by Jane Austen in 1816. This novel tells the story of a girl named Anne Elliot. She comes from a noble family where she lives with her older sister and father. Her younger sister got married and lived with her husband. The Elliot family is on the verge of bankruptcy and is trying to strengthen their financial condition in every way. The main character is Anne Elliot, and the novel describes her love story. Seven years ago, she was engaged to a sailor named Frederick Wentworth, who had no money and acquaintances at that time. In other words, she was a simple sailor who did not suit Anne’s social status. For this reason, Anne’s deceased mother’s friend forces her to break off the engagement (Austen). However, Anne could not forget her lover during this time, who had built a career for himself over these seven years. In addition, the novel is also comedic and ridicules high society and their aspirations for life. The novel, with its satire, condemns the moral values of high society and their willingness to sacrifice what is dear for the sake of their reputation by satirizing the material values of such a social institution as family.

Anne’s father, Walter Elliot, is a very hypocritical character of the novel, who values money over everything. Therefore, the man values his appearance the most and material things that show the belonging to the higher class of society. Austen points out that “Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character; vanity of person and of situation” (Austen 3). He, being from a noble family, appreciates what is visible through a person’s eyes and not what lies inside the body. An excellent example of the father’s behavior is that he flaunts his appearance every morning. Moreover, he writes a book about himself and his family. The author satirizes Sir Walter’s hypocrisy when he does not include the description of his middle daughter Anne in this book because Walter considered her unattractive but entered her name as a fact. It can be assumed that he preferred to put his family in the best light, missing family members who may not correspond to his desired reputation. Moreover, Anne’s father, Walter, openly declares that he did this because she is unremarkable (Austen). In such behavior lies the author’s mockery of people of high society. In other words, Walter is the most typical prototype of all other high society people who measure their love and sympathy on appearance.

Furthermore, Walter’s family shows their respect and sympathy solely because of the status of a person. That is, the mind and human dignity did not bother the family since this or that person’s situation and position in society were much more critical. Then, when the family wanted to get to know their distant relatives whom no one knew, the meanness of the family manifested itself. During the acquaintance, the main character tells a ridiculous joke, and for this, the girl’s family feels ashamed in front of other people (Austen). However, when the others laughed and started joking, Walter also laughed to please the women of the highest status in society. It is hilarious when a person can transcend his inner desires to please others and simultaneously be sad.

Austen also satirized the material value of Walter’s family is a meeting with Mr. William Elliot, a distant relative and the heir to Mr. Walter’s fortune. Through the two men did not maintain a relationship for a long time, and Anne’s father had a dislike for William. It was because the young men did not suit this standards, however, the situation changes when William is nearing wealth. Walter magically changes his attitude toward William as if there is no discord between them. It speaks to the hypocrisy of the Anne family and once again confirms that the family has no moral relations with each other and with people in general.

Against the background of Walter’s family, the author of the novel Austen shows the values possessed by high society. Unfortunately, they are not related to morality and ethics. Everyone is looking for benefits from each other, while material benefits satisfy their needs in the best possible way and maintain their status in society. The author conveys the meaning of value through satire by ridiculing funny situations. Walter’s family can step over their loved ones through their dignity and pride for material well-being and a place in society. If the high society supported moral and ethical values and sought to achieve them, they would consolidate their status in society as noble people, not just people from high society. Although people belong to the most elevated position and have considerable wealth, they should receive a moral education to comply with their status fully.

In conclusion, Lane Austen’s work “Persuasion” is a representation of the fact that many people of that time valued material things more than family and relationships with loved ones. Moreover, it presents a distortion of the morality of these individuals, such as the father of the main character Anne. In addition, the author conveys how family member is able to disrespect each other because of their appearance even if it is a relation between father and daughter. Therefore, they value other people not because of their humanity but high status in society.

Work Cited

Austen, Jane, and Deidre Lynch. Persuasion. Oxford University Press, 2008.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, May 7). The Novel "Persuasion" by Jane Austen. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-novel-persuasion-by-jane-austen/

Work Cited

"The Novel "Persuasion" by Jane Austen." IvyPanda, 7 May 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-novel-persuasion-by-jane-austen/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'The Novel "Persuasion" by Jane Austen'. 7 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "The Novel "Persuasion" by Jane Austen." May 7, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-novel-persuasion-by-jane-austen/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Novel "Persuasion" by Jane Austen." May 7, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-novel-persuasion-by-jane-austen/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Novel "Persuasion" by Jane Austen." May 7, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-novel-persuasion-by-jane-austen/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1