The Theme and Summary of Sense and Sensibility

What is theme and summary of The Sense and Sensibility?

• Theme (main theme)

1. Sense and Sensibility

             The word Sense means Deals with common understanding, and Sensibility means Deals with emotion and attitude. Austen is concerned to emphasizing the emotional and sentimental nature of the people rather than their ration endowments. We can see in the character of the Marianne who immediately fall in love with John Willoughby without knowing his background. When a person is too emotion at that time he/she could not take right decision. Marianne did the same mistake to which she had to pay. The second character Elinor represent the theme of sense. She chose very aptly Edward for as her life partner. By this novel she tried to show superiority of sense to sensibility.

2. Money

                 When The novel open with the death of Mr. Dashwood death, there we finds that women in critical situation. The lack of the money compounded with their inability to work, means they cannot come out from their situation, except through marrying well, and marrying with rich guy is the only way. We finds in whole novel whereas it connect with money. 

3. Gender

             There are very definite gender limitations involved in the society of which Austen describe here, that woman cannot become a master of any kind of property. Man can decided whether or not to pursue a career if they have enough money and have more latitude within society in regards to their behavior and life choice. Gender dictates acceptable roles and behavior of the women characters, and even in the world of the novel there is little room to deviate.

4. Marriage

                 Marianne and Elinor, marriage is not a choice but a necessity and their need to marry expediently and well is a pressing concern in the novel as they look for suitors. Young man more free to chose a life partner for marriage. (Colonel reach at the age of 35 and still unmarried)

5. Moderation

                     Marianne must learn moderation of her emotion if she is to become independent of Elinor and become an adult her trials serve to teach her about her excesses, and luckily, she does come to improve herself and became a much better more caring person toward other.

• Summary

                    Mr. Henry Dashwood has two wife and four children. John, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret. Elinor is entirely sensible and prudent, Marianne is very emotional and never moderate and his third daughter Margaret is young and Good nature. the story opens with the death of Mr. Dashwood and he left only small income on his deathbed, he extracts a promise from his first wife child, John Dashwood, that he with takes his sister and mother but John’s wife, Fanny Farrer, persuades him to renege and she becomes a owner of the Norland.(house name) and Fanny starts to torches them thus Mrs. Dashwood begins looking for somewhere else to live. At that time Fanny’s Brother, Edward, comes to Norland and he fall in love with Elinor but both could not tells each together about love. When his sister knowing about it she disapproves them and offends Mrs. Dashwood with the implication that Elinor is Motivated by Money rather than love. Thus Mrs. Dashwood searches new house and she gets new house with the help of her cousin brother Sir. John Middleton. she and her family live in Barton Cottage and sir john’s family warming welcome them.

                 One day, Sir John arranged party and invites guest and also Miss Dashwood family. There were Mrs. Dashwood meets Mrs. Jennings, Mother in law of Sir John, she purpose for marry Colonel Brandon to Marianne but Marianne refused the purpose because of He is 35 year old. One day Marianne and Margaret walking but accidently Marianne takes a fall and injuring her uncle, the dashing, handsome John Willoughby, she finds that he has chiefly interest in Poetry, music, arts and love and both are in love. They engaged each other but secretly. Elinor caution Marianne against her unguarded conduct but Marianne refused to check her behaviour, believing such dissimilation to be a form of flasswood that his aunt is sending him to London on business, indefinitely. Marianne is distraught and abandons herself to her sorrow.

        Edward visits theme at Barton Cottage. Edward is unhappy and does not show as much affection for Elinor, when they spot a ring he is wearing with a lock of hair suspiciously similar to Elinor’s, even Elinor is baffled. Edward finally forces himself to leave, still seeming distressed, after short stay he left the cottage without saying anything. That time Sir John invites his sister Anne and Lucy Steele. Elinor thinks vulgar and ignorant but Lucy Steele tells her that she is secretly engaged for four year but Edward’s Mother would not permit him to marry there Edward have no money or Job so they are forced to wait for Mrs. Ferrars (mother of Edward and Fanny) consent before they can announce their engagement. Elinor tells Lucy that she will help. Mrs. Jenning invites Marianne and Elinor to spend the winter with her in London. Marianne hopes that she will meet Willoughby. Elinor accepts this offer because Marianne needs to meet Willoughby and Elinor’s polite guidance and they go and there Mrs. Jennings house comfortable. Before going London Marianne wrote two three letter to Willoughby but he did not reply her letter. In London Colonel Brandon visits daily and stay with them and doing entertainment.

                   One day he tells Elione about Marianne’s engagement. There one social party they meet Willoughby with another lady, He treats Marianne courteously and his behaviour is insulting. Next morning Marianne writes him a letter about the lady. He replies through letter that He denies having loved Marianne ad say that he married the Miss Grey who is the wealthy lady, who satisfied his hungry of the money. Marianne has broken heart. When Elinor knows she becomes angry that time she tells her a truth that they did not engaged. And Marianne also thinks that she is comfortable to Colonel Brandon a 35 year old man. 

             When Colonel Known that Willoughby cheats Marianne. He tells the Elinor to the character of the Willoughby that He was once in love with a ward to his family, Eliza, who became a fallen women and had an illegitimate daughter Colonel Brandon placed the daughter Miss William, in care after her mother’s death. The Colonel learned on the day of the Delaford picnic that she had became pregnant and was abandoned by Willoughby. Elinor is shocked though the Coloniel sincerely hopes that this will help Marianne feel better about losing Willoughby, since he was not solid character the story convince Marianne the story Convinces Willoriane tough by’s guilt though it does not ease her mind. John Dashwood and his wife comes to London for the season. He meets his sister at Mrs. Jenning’s house. Anne and Lucy steele are invited to stay with Middletons and eventually pay a visit to the Dashwoods, John and Fanny, they are treated so kindly that Anne feells it is safe to break the secret of lucy’s engagement to Edward. Elinor’s regard for him and proposes to her that afternoon Elinor accepts and he gains Mrs. Dashwood’s consent to the match. Edward admits that any regard he had for lucy after leaving London Edword received a letter from Lucy that she had married his brother Robert. He goes to Barton to see Elinor Colonel visit Barton and both become good friends. Now Edward mother allow them to marry but he bring money from Elinor and However much she is displeased by it. She gives them tenthousand pounds and both married at Barton. Mrs. Dashwood and her two remaining daughter spend most of their time at Delafort but to be near Elinor two years that passed Marianne has becomes more mature and more grounded and she does finally change her mind about the colonel and accept his offer of marriage. The Colonel becomes for more cheerful and soon Marianne grows to love him as much as she ever loved Willoughby. Mrs. Dashwood remains at Barton with Margaret, now fifteen, much to the delight of sir John, who retains their Company and Elinor and Marianne both live together at Delaford and Lives happy.

• Cite work

1. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/s/sense-and-sensibility/book-summary
2. http://www.gradesaver.com/sense-and-sensibility/study-guide/summary
3. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sense-and-Sensibility
4. https://www.shmoop.com/sense-and-sensibility/themes.html