There is something off and I know exactly what it is. The story of Persuasion is not pleasing— it does not illuminate love. Persuasion does not quench my desire for the walls of this stale 19th century society to break down. In fact, the walls stand high and mighty. As hard as I push for them to crumble, they remain steady. Although I am distraught by the fact that Anne cannot rise above the words of her elders, I am pleasantly challenged by my disagreement with this novel.
I am so accustomed to reading novel such as Romeo and Juliet and Love in the Time of Cholera where, deep down, I know they have the power and the will to defy their disapproving company, but in Persuasion, deep down, I feel that Anne does not have that same rebellious spirit. She is trapped by the walls of society. I find it fitting, but curious that the word persuasion is so often used. Before Wentworth went to the navy, Anne was persuaded by her father that she did not love him and Anne actually obeyed him. This is where I first knew that there was something seriously off with this novel. Where is the powerful woman that is typically at the center of the novel that will stumble for no obstacles as she forges her own path seeking to fulfill her hearts desires? Basically, why is Anne so meek? I do not think that Anne was persuaded to conveniently fall out of love with Wentworth, instead, I believe she was brainwashed. Anne’s family is truly trapped by the static cold walls they have built around themselves. They have neither the drive nor the passion to step outside society’s expectations, at the cost of marring their image, to stand up for what is right. What is the most frustrating to me is that Anne does not have the courage to do so either. Anne is sound with being persuaded and does not fell she has been cheated out of a great love.
With that said, I do not think that this novel is meant to be a classic romantic story. Thus far, I think that the underlying message in Persuasion is the power of persuasion. I think that Austen intends the reader to be angered by the decisions and the mildness of her characters. This leaves the reader to decide if the power of persuasion is fundamentally good or bad. (456)
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Dear Abby--After Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Eliot is a different kind of woman, much more aware of the duties and obligations imposed upon her by her family and social class. Perhaps that's the difference in reading the two novels. Elizabeth feels much more like a modern woman, whereas Anne is perhaps more a woman of her time.
But for me the key to Anne's character is that deep down she knows that even if she did the "right" thing eight years ago, she violated her own heart in doing so, and therefore she lives with the permanent sadness of believing that she lost her only chance for happiness and love. For that reason I've always found her the most admirable of Austen's heroines.
Good start--keep reading, and hit JStor for research.
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