Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibilty

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 12th grade October 2001

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Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen has painted a literary masterpiece through the use of Contradiction. Many of the themes covered in this novel expressing Austen's message are done through the use of contradiction. One can look at the title alone after reading the novel and know that "Sense" relates to Marianne and "Sensibility" relates to Elinor. Elinor, practical and more conventional, must learn to rely on her sensible side, which at the commence of the novel is rather undeveloped. The same for Marianne, except she is the contradiction, or opposite of Elinor's personality, she must use her sense more because she is always feeling too much sentiment and emotion. Through the use if contradiction, Marianne and Elinor mix their sense and sensibility together in dealing with money and love to find true personal happiness for each other respectively. (DGANNALO..UCONN) Marianne is not in touch with her feelings at all points in the book when she is supposed to be.

"She would not want to wound the feelings of her sister on any account, and yet to say what she did not believe was impossible." (16) Marianne doesn't tell Elinor all her true feelings about Edwards's taste. This contradictory for Marianne because she is supposed to be too sentimental and too in touch with her emotions. This also illustrates at an early point in the book that Marianne expresses the use of control to protect her sister's feelings, but Elinor would already know that Marianne would be saying that with the implicit goal of protecting her feelings. The point of protecting each other's feelings in order to prevent remorse is a recurring theme. This is often done not for the right reasons though. (DGANNALO>>UCONN) Elinor tries to protect Marianne by advising against the journey of Willoughby and Marianne by deeming it...