Topic > Austen's Phoenix: The Transformation of Anne Elliot in Persuasion

Jane Austen's Persuasion is a satirical romp through the cold and arrogant lives of the aristocracy seen through the eyes of a self-sufficient, free-thinking woman, who must realize the false values ​​in his life and learn enough to reconcile what he has lost. The plot is presented through Anne Elliot's point of view, while those she associates with embody false values: they are used by Austen to caricature an already dissolute lifestyle. Anne seems to be cursed with her simplicity, but ultimately, through her perseverance, she is blessed with the fulfillment of her dreams. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first vision presented is that of excessive aristocracy, seen in the first two chapters, with Sir Walter Elliot in debt due to his illness -Financial Judgment. Now he must sell the family estate, Kellynch-Hall, to cut costs on his huge debt. Sir Walter's character is revealed through the way he handles the story; he is a proud man and would be ashamed if he had to sell the family manor, so he decides to rent it to a prominent person, so as not to lose face among his peers. Mr Shepherd, a friend of Sir Walter, suggests renting it to sailors, which only sends shivers down Sir Walter's spine, because sailors "are people of dark origins", therefore not worthy of such a standard of influence high. However, Mr. Shepherd knows an admiral with a conservative wife and no children. The fact that Sir Walter is renting to an admiral would be much more distinctive than renting to mere Mr. and Mrs. So-and-so without credentials. With Sir Walter's gradual consent, everything falls into place according to Mr. Shepherd's suggestion. At this point, Austen has given the reader only a glimpse of the pompous judgments found in the minds of the aristocracy. Thus, by Sir Elliot's excessive lifestyle, Anne Elliot's first flaw in her past is revealed, a Frederick Wentworth, who is the brother of Admiral Croft's wife (who rented Kellynch Hall). Captain Wentworth was engaged to Anne, but due to her father's judgmental influence, he had to call off the marriage due to his lack of wealth or highly esteemed future. This was seven years ago, and yet Anne still hasn't loved anyone like she loved Frederick. Anne's grief became evident when she learned that Captain Wentworth had gained rank, command of his ship, and, no doubt, a lot of money with it. Anne is tormented by her past decision not to marry Captain Wentworth and learns the falseness of judging by class level, which is a flaw of the Elliots that Anne must learn to overcome. We see Anne's maturity, however, when the Elliots move to Bath, and Mrs. Russell (a stepmother of sorts) wishes that Anne could watch over Sir Walter and Mrs. Clay (the housekeeper) even though the eldest, Elizabeth, must stay with them all the time. However, Anne remains with her younger sister Mary and Mary's husband, Charles Musgrove, to whose smaller manor Anne must adapt: ​​she is still used to the extravagance of Kellynch-Hall. This is the beginning of Anne's awakening and experience with others who are not so well off. Through that experience, they will see how fulfilling their life can be. We also see that the spoiled Mary is still clinging to her ancestral authority and refuses to give up her past, which only makes her and those around her even more bitter. After Anne and Mary's visit to the Musgroves at the Great House, Anne observes the kind-hearted andthe light fun that most ordinary people have: their worries are fewer and life is freer. Anne is envious, but still thinks she would never trade her education for the Musgroves' freestyle life. Here Anne's humility is revealed through her awareness of what is happening around her, and she is not afraid to become part of the new lifestyle, something her sisters or father never had the courage to humble themselves to do. Anna's maturity, through her acts of charity, sends her through the refiner's fire, because she takes on the responsibility of caring for Mary's son, who has dislocated his collarbone and sends Mary and Charles to visit Captain Wentworth. Anne is still anguished over her past decision and longs for her first love, who is only half a mile away. Because she does not wish to face Frederick, she immerses herself in simple acts that inevitably alter her outlook on life and society. Jane Austen does a very thorough job of telling how foolish people behave while in love, for the next day, Captain Wentworth has a date to go hunting with Charles. However, the Captain arrives late because he is reluctant to have breakfast with Anne. When Frederick shows up, however, there is only a brief introduction of a formal bow and bow between the old lovers. This worries Anne, because she wants to know Frederick's true feelings: then she would know whether or not to let go of her past feelings. This is what makes the relationship so interesting: the fact that lovers spend days wondering what the other is thinking, without ever acting on those true feelings. Instead, they only act under the assumption that the other is just humoring them, which makes each more cautious of the other, in turn creating negative signals of interest. The only thing that keeps the two together is the fantasy that their relationship will work, which it does as time passes, and both manage to overcome the other's doubts. This is the same principle that occurs between Anne and Captain Wentworth. Not knowing the other's true feelings, they both eagerly pursue other love interests, not wanting to miss the opportunity for love if the other backs out. First, Captain Wentworth is pursued by Anne's two sisters-in-law, Henrietta and Louisa, which through Henrietta's engagement to Charles Hayter, the older cousin of the two sisters, causes Frederick to focus all his attention on Louisa. Therefore, with Frederick's attentions placed on Louisa, everyone suspects him of marrying her, which only throws Anne into fits of remorse and anguish. However, there are still small acts of kindness that Captain Wentworth reserves only for Anne. For example, when it rains and Admiral Croft offers one of the women a ride back to his home, they all refuse except Mary, who only complains that she was never invited directly, but Captain Wentworth steps in for Anne and tells his sister Anne's tiredness. . He then lovingly helps her into the carriage, which once again leads Anne to question Frederick's true intentions. The sure attraction between Anne and Frederick is set in motion when they take a group trip to Lyme, so Frederick can visit his friend, Captain Harville, and give the women an opportunity to see the coast. Anne is very happy with Frederick's friends and can't help but think that they could have been his friends. For the first time, Anne experiences true happiness in such a common setting and feels truly at ease with Captain Wentworth. Furthermore, when Anne's gentleman cousin notices her on the street, Frederick sees the old beauty in Anne and knows, with certainty, that he still loves her. Neverthelessit may be too late to win her back. The turning point and moment of truth in Anne's life comes with the injury of Louisa after her foolish leap from the bank's cliff. She is taken to the Harvilles for treatment; they all suggest that Anne stay and take care of her while the others return with the sad news, so as not to be in the way. Mary becomes angry at such a suggestion, and rants and raves that she must stay in Anne's place because she is Louisa's sister-in-law. (This is interesting because Mary didn't pay much attention to Louisa before, but now, in order to seem important, she wants to take care of Louisa.) So, Frederick and Louisa split up and spend some time apart, which gives them time to reflect on their relationship. Anne returns to Mrs Russell at Kellynch Hall; although she is a very sincere woman, Mrs. Russell is too strongly influenced by the wealth that surrounds her, and does not approve of this character of Captain Wentworth who seems too humble for an Elliot. Days later, Anne visits her father and sister in Bath. While Sir Walter lives the high life, Anne becomes depressed due to her lifestyle due to the falsehood behind such a frivolous society. Anne feels at ease, however, when she visits her old housekeeper, Mrs. Smith, who is crippled, poor, and ill. Anne is totally amazed that such misfortune has not dampened Mrs. Smith's spirits; he may be down, but he still has dignity. This is in stark contrast to the Elliots' soulless lifestyle, as they would be nothing without their wealth. Mrs. Smith gains her dignity by donating her time to the poor and needy through her crafts. Anne's outlook on life has changed even more, and the gap between her and the other Elliots is so wide that Anne has now become a completely new person. Back home, Sir Walter lashes out at Anne for associating with such ordinary people; His daughter's actions could ruin his well-established name in Bath. To add to Anne's unhappiness, she discovers that Mr. Smith wishes to marry her. Although she finds him sweet, she does not wish to marry him; her heart is set on one man and that man is Captain Wentworth. However, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel because, while Frederick was away, Louisa accepted Captain Benwick's marriage proposal. All acquaintances are invited to the wedding, but Sir Walter bluntly expresses his doubts as to whether the Benwicks' quarters are worthy enough for his family to visit. (He certainly knows how to ruin a happy occasion with his pomp and arrogance.) This theme of condescension appears frequently throughout the book, and Austen seems bothered, to some extent, by class distinctions. The Elliots feel far superior because of their wealth, which is actually a disease that blinds them to the true meaning of true friendship. Elliot's openness to Anne pushes Frederick to finally leave his comfort zone and confess his love to Anne via a private letter. This is what Anne really needed, but how to deal with Mr. Elliot is yet another obstacle to overcome. However, the corruption of the rich always shines through. Mrs. Smith's report of Mr. Elliot's lack of respect for the family name is all Anne needs to avoid the very presence of her fake cousin. Greed and power force the dishonorable rich to do whatever they have to do to get to the top. So it was with Mr. Elliot, who was Sir Walter's heir: his marriage to Anne would give him access to much of what the Elliots had. Finally, at the end of the book, all the crass attitudes of the pompous and rich are put to rest..