You Live, You May or Not Learn - Research Paper Example

English March 14, Topic: You Live, You May or Not Learn My Thesis is: In Persuasion, Jane Austen creates a social world where her characters go through romantic mistakes, social gaffs, and silly social conventions to illustrate ways society constructs ridiculous expectations of how people should live and behave. In doing so, Austen emphasizes that people depend on social conventions to make it through life; revealing that neither youth nor old age makes for a wise person. Although human nature may tend towards making mistakes, Austen suggests that it is not how old you are that makes for folly, it is whether you think you are always right. Anne Elliot and Fredrick Wentworth make mistakes and learn from them and Sir Walter Elliot and his daughter Elizabeth Elliot say and do foolish things all the time and never learning anything. Introduction There are two types of individuals in this world, male or female. The first category says, ‘Whatever I say is correct.’ The other category says, ‘Whatever correct is there in the world, belongs to me.’ The differentiation apparently looks so simple, but in reality it is profound. The former categories of individuals are egoistic. The latter are willing to learn from own experience and from the experiences of others. Sir Walter Elliot and his daughter Elizabeth Elliot belong to the first category and Anne Elliot and Fredrick Wentworth belong to the latter category. What is theory alter all? It is other man’s experience. A man of experience may not have academic degrees to boast of. He studies in the college of self-education, where his mind is his principal; his initiative, the professors; his hard work, the tutors. Such individuals have a measured approach to different situations in life. In “Persuasion” Jane Austen deals with complex class and gender relations related to the nineteenth century English middle-class society. An author, howsoever intelligently one may try, will not be able to sweep under the carpet one’s own life-experiences while penning the characters in the literary works. Jane Austen is no exception to this rule. As her career progresses (per se, she also attains maturity in her thinking with the advancing age) I am able to see a romantic shift in the feminist and individualistic ideology and she begins to show varying cognitive qualities in her heroines and other characters. She depends on her experience to portray her character’s and her heroines bring alive the prevailing aspects of feminism of the 19th century England. Actions are based upon emotions and the genesis of emotion is in the experiences gained in real life situations. One discovers one’s happiness and pursuit of goals by instinct and through the play of emotions. This perspective of life may be easy for the women of the 21st century. But Jane Austen’s heroines belong to the 19th century male-dominated society, wherein women have little or no voice to feel free, think free and to act free. To understand the correct meaning of ‘You Live, You May or Not Learn,’ it is necessary to study the outline of the plot created by Jane Austen in “Persuasion.” The implied meaning of persuasion is applying pressure to convince about something to someone. Here is the head of the family Sir Walter Elliot, who is not willing to listen to anyone on any issue and takes decisions that affect his three daughters according to his whims and fancies. Lady Elliot has died fourteen years ago, leaving behind the asset of three daughters. Elizabeth and Anne are single, but the younger one is married to a wealthy individual. Sir Walter’s lavish lifestyles, and living beyond the means to maintain the level of prestige, which he thinks he commands in the society, brings the family to a sad pass. When he is asked to prune his budget by a well-wisher of the family, Lady Russell, Sir Walters resents her counsel. According to him, he lives the ideal standard of life, befitting the essential dignity of the family, but the reality of poor finances compels him to relocate to a house in Bath, where the family manages to live on a modest budget. Anne Elliot With Anne’s introduction, Jane Austen provides justification for her predicaments in taking decisions related to her life. She writes, “….but Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister: her word had no weight, her convenience was always to give way—she was only Anne.”(25)After her initial refusal of the marriage proposal, she shows willingness to accept Wentworth in the end, as internally she admits her folly of misinterpretation of her emotions in relation to him giving weightage to the wrong advice tendered to her by the one to whom she and her family members are very close. But one can see the essential difference between the initial Anne and the latter Anne. When she finally agrees to marry Wentworth at the end of the novel, her perspectives and expectations about marriage have changed to such an extent that she no more needs the institution of marriage to support her psyche in the real sense. Much change is seen in her emotional world and her inner being remains independent of the marriage proposal. Marriage now happens to be just one of those incidents in her life. She has reworked her approach to life. Marriage is another necessity of her emotional and intellectual world in the new framework that she has chartered for her life. Jane Austen thoughtfully describes the interplay of individualism and female emotions. In the initial stages Anne values reason over emotions and decides to follow the established societal practices. Jane Austen is aware that every woman in the society has her small social sphere of influence and her emotions interact within that sphere. But as years roll by, she is able to perceive the strength of her own instincts and emotions and gives importance to her duty to herself. She is inclined to do justice to herself and her individual happiness is more important to her than what is expected of her by her family and her class according to societal standards. Her emotional life has attained new dimensions; it seems to have transcended the level of argumentative reasoning to reach the borderline of consciousness. Her dominant approach to life in the changed circumstances is, she is willing to change and that change, she sincerely believes, will be for betterment of her own life. The changed Anne is proud of her practicality, patience and intellect. She is steady in her affections and her social disposition is not argumentative. She hates the world of make--believers and therefore she joins issues with her father often who is vain and bitter about her for no specific reason. She makes amends for the initial flaw in her character and abides by the advice of Lady Russell, who has also revised her opinion about the status of Capt. Wentworth. She shows her respect for duty and strikes the balance between love and practicality. Initially Anne makes the wrong decision, and the initial period that she enjoys in the company of Capt. Wentworth is the best time or her life, and those sweet emotions will never sprout in her heart again. Anne thinks that her broken heart has mended, until she sees Capt. Wentworth again. Anne sees clues in his behavior that he may be hers once again. Anne and Wentworth march towards the newfound horizon of love, forgetting the bitter memories of the past. Anne argues that it is easier for men to forget as they have many external activities. Women live at home and have to spend long hours of the day confined within four walls of the house. The story is unique because it deals with the situation in the life of lovers, when they get another chance to love with the one with whom the first sweet encounter of love takes place. She is just 21 years of age, when she breaks off the engagement but this time she is wise enough to challenge the opinions of her family and Lady Russell and accepts the love offered without any hesitation. The love letter by Capt. Wentworth is the turning point in the life of both. They appreciate each other and they are aware of the worth of their renewed relationship and their loss would have been colossal if they are to follow the social conventions. Anne is to be pitied rather than condemned, for her decision to terminate the engagement with Capt. Wentworth earlier. After the death of her mother, Lady Russell is her mother-like and also a close elderly friend. Her father and elder sister ignore her and do not take her into confidence on any familial issues. Anne being young, she is just 19, her impressionable mind is liable to be influenced by those around her. Fredrick Wentworth Letters serve as important tools for felicitating marriage. Wentworth’s furtive note is to initiate a dialogue. Letters are convenient tools to express emotions in clear terms to unload the burden of the heart and are a better option than to speak out. Any lacuna in the mode of speech may invite disgrace and humiliation. In his letter to Anne, Wentworth gives expression to his affection and the tone of the letter is complimentary. The delivery of the letter is done, when it has lost the significance as for the timing. By the time the letter is delivered, Anne has already decided that she will invite him back, if given the chance. This is the important aspect of the development of the character of Anne in the novel and it provides the unique twist to the plot. Anne, as an adolescent, has to reject the relationship with Wentworth in responses to the societal pressures. But now Anne is a transformed individual and is willing to show to the society, that the transformation is her own decision and achievement. Capt. Wentworth, though he expresses his love to Anne for the second time through a letter, he is not the same individual. He still loves Anne but that first flush of enthusiasm in love-dealings is absent. He is more careful and thoughtful about cementing a permanent relationship with her and leaves no scope for infatuation. Captain Wentworth and Walter Elliot are like the north and the south poles. He is a thorough British gentleman of the emerging era, a brilliant and brave naval officer, who has made his own fortune by self-application. His manners are cultivated and impeccable, though he does not belong to the traditional social class. He is aware of the emerging changes taking place in the social structures of Britain. The wounds or rejection by Anne eight years ago are still not healed. He behaves like a perfect gentleman with her but in the beginning he does not show any extra enthusiasm or joy in the limited interactions with her. Sir Walter Elliot He is the head of the impoverished aristocratic family who live in the county. Jane Austen introduces him thus: “Vanity was the beginning and end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character; vanity of person and of situation.”(24) Such families live in the glow of their past, they spend more than their means and have no capital. In the competitive matrimonial market they do not fare well and are not in a position to look out for good marriage proposals for their daughters. He ignores Anne and holds her in contempt and gives her inferior status in view of her adamancy and independent way of thinking. He is ridiculous and vain and his undoing is the reason why he has to leave his family’s house on account of his lavish lifestyles and the habit of imprudent overspending. He is only concerned about his self-interests and possesses an attitude that whatever he does is right and other are foolish. That is the time of industrial revolution which creates fissures in the class structure in Great Britain and aristocrats are compelled to admit neo-rich people into their circle. They are industrial magnates and wealthy merchants who make dents in the traditional set up and social interactions. The importance by birth is on the decline. His first and foremost critic is his daughter Anne who resents his lavish spending that threatens the very future of the Elliot family. His personal flaw is that he is a man of conceit. Elizabeth Elliot (eldest daughter of Sir Walter Elliot) Elizabeth is yet another victim of the silly parents. Her father has never been a source of inspiration and guidance to her and her sisters. He is responsible to mould them directionless and destination less. Sir Walter Elliot is extremely fond of the eldest daughter, with the result she inherits many of his traits and is conceited and spoiled. He does not provide his daughters with the right type of direction at the right time. He is involved with his own impractical imaginings and is unable to make good decisions to protect the interests of his family. Elizabeth never married, unable to find someone who is bright enough for her. Her expectations are that she must get an Earl or a Viscount. Elizabeth is unable to take advantage of the positive qualities of Anne, and personally Anne suffers on account of her practical approach to life. The ridiculous Walter proves to be constant irritation in the familial interactions. He is vain and bitter about his conditions and Elizabeth thinks too much about herself without any provable credits. With the characterisation of these two individuals, Austen provides the reader details of the telltale conditions of the English society of the 19th century. You Live, You May or Not Learn When Sir Walter Elliot finally decides to move to a smaller house and rent out their own house to balance the family budget, they get a good tenant in Admiral and Mrs. Croft, which is an ideal family. Anne Elliot is more excited with this family because the man Anne loves Captain Wentworth is the brother of Mrs. Croft. Eight years ago, she is engaged to this naval officer, but Anne calls off the engagement on the advice of Lady Russell, who opines that the status gap between the two families is a big issue to be taken into consideration. This is an important turning point in the life of Anne, when she does not exercise her discriminating power to her advantage. With impending arrival of Croft family, Anne hopes to see Captain Wentworth once again and this indicates the latent feelings for her love, all these years. It also means she has better appreciation of the concept of love and life over the years and she is willing to learn from her past mistakes and make suitable amends. The same is true with Capt. Wentworth. He is still a bachelor and for a man of his personality and status to remain unmarried for a fairly long period of 8 years, after his engagement is cancelled by Anne, indicates that notwithstanding the unfortunate development, he has still soft-corner for Anne….after many twists and turn in the story, when he finally writes to Anne a love letter expressing his love and sincere feelings for her, Anne is thrilled. This time, she does not repeat the mistake that she commits eight years ago. Thus Anne gets an opportunity to make amends to the wrongs that she does to herself and a fresh gush of love engulfs her heart. She does justice to her and to the original positive instincts. They are engaged and also get the approval for the marriage by Sir Walter and Lady Russell. Here is an important issue to ponder. Whether persuasion is negative or positive force? No straightforward answer can be given to this question. Anne’s disposition to her predicament in the initial stage, when she owns the responsibility to cancel her engagement to Captain Wentworth, shows her mixed feelings of courage and anxiety. For an eighteenth century woman, in the English society, to take such a decision is simply extraordinary. This development impacts Captain Wentworth, more than it affects Anne, because he is at the receiving end. The superiority complex the males enjoy in the British society is worth recalling here. Anne’s mind swings like a pendulum between her responsibility to the family, and the prospectus of her own future. It is difficult to hold the scale of justice evenly balanced for Anne of eight years ago when she is an adolescent of 21 years of age and Anne now. In this whole episode, Capt. Wentworth emerges as a thorough gentleman and he richly deserves Anne’s hand. He is aware of the importance of his past experiences though he is in no way responsible for the unpleasant developments. But he knows how important Anne’s love to his future wellbeing. To live correctly means to learn always. Learning is an ongoing experience. The wise saying goes, ‘live life in its trials, tribulations, duty and beauty.’ This applies to the character of Anne and Capt. Wentworth. Her life is part of the social issues prevailing in that era. An individual that too a girl who is unmarried, has to live in the society between two giant walls called push and pull of the harsh societal traditions. In the system of rigid social barriers, everyone thinks that marriage is a stage to achieve the big leap forward. At that time, the leap means additional wealth and addition to status. Everyone is interested in the upward spiral through the institution of marriage. In this road of life one has to encounter many hurdles like disappointment, loss, redemption, love and frustration. But the core issue is one should never forsake values and convictions that are dear to one’s heart, shirk responsibility and pamper people to secure ignoble goals. Every ill-conceived action and motivated desire has the opposite reactions. In fine, one common factor affects all the characters and prevents them from learning, even though they have the hidden inclination to learn. That is the invisible historical factor, which is not easy to challenge. In British society then, the worth of an individual is valued on considerations like property, number of servants, backgrounder information about the family, social connections and also physical appearance. Conclusion “Persuasion” is about the revolution in the mindset of middleclass and a dying aristocracy. It advocates about the breaking of the social barriers, and raises the question as to why should women are forced to marry within their social classes. It advocates doing away with the class distinctions altogether. The need to impart education to women is highlighted. Austen’s characters need to be viewed in the backgrounder information or her social status as the daughter of a parish clergyman. But she is a fearless authoress, and her satirical comments about the gentry and the personal flaws of the characters show her class. She handles admirably two interesting situations in the story. Even though Anne and Capt. Wentworth are separated due to the indiscretion of Anne, she establishes a silent connection of hearts between the two and renders justice to the sensitivity and love of both the individuals well. To be able to love your first love for the second time is the greatest boon one can expect in life. Both understand the magnitude of their losses. This aspect is an important asset of the novel. Works Cited Austen, Jane (Author) Drabble, Margaret (Introduction) Persuasion (Signet Classics) Signet Classics, August 1, 1996.English, Print. Read More