Sense and SensibilityIn Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibilitythe title is a metaphor for the two main characters. Marianne who representsSensibility, and Elinor who represents Sense. We find out early on that Elinor does notshare her feelings. When Edward comes into the story there is an immediateattraction. Elinor tells no one of her feelings.
It is just assumed thatthey are meant for each other. When Edward has to leave Elinor does notsay anything. Edward does promise he will come down to there cottage anddeliver an atlas for Margaret. When the atlas comes and not Edward, theonly one who ends up crying is Margaret and not Elinor. We do learn howeverthat Elinor can get emotional. While Marianne was playing the piano afterthey had moved to the cottage, Elinor starts to cry as she listens.
Shesaid the song was her late fathers favorite. Later on in the story whenElinor and Marianne are in London, Marianne continually gets on to Elinorfor not sharing her feelings. Elinor finally shows her emotions when shetells Marianne she did have a broken heart, after she found out Edwardhad a fiance. When Elinor did find out about Lucy Steele she didnot even tell lucy of her feelings to try to break them up. That is whatI would have done. Elinor would definitely represent sense.
She keeps thingsto herself. I think because she thinks if she does she will not end upgetting hurt to bad, like Marianne ends up doing. Marianne on the other hand is Sensibility. She follows her heart. She does not let anything come in her way of showingher emotions.
When she first meet Colonel Brandon, you could tell the Colonelwas in love at first sight. Marianne showed very easily that she was notinterested. However, when Marianne meets Willoughby it was like a herorescuing his princess. They fall in love with each other. Marianne doesnot hide her emotions to anyone about Willoughby.
However in the societythat they were in Willoughby did not think he could marry Marianne becauseof the society class. In the end this almost kills Marianne. As Mariannerealizes that the Colonel has always been there she falls in love withhim. The story ends with Elinor marring Edward,and Marianne marring The Colonel. I do not think there is anything wrongwith there personalities. Some people hide there feelings, and so makeit easy to know how they feel.
I do not fault either character for therepersonality, both are unique.
