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Persuasion is a novel of manners written by Jane Austen in the year 1816 and published in 1818. Austen's novel revolves around a family in a small setting, either it's Pride and Prejudice, or Persuasion. The protagonist is known in her novels, however an absence of an antagonist appears.
Anne Elliot is the protagonist of the novel Persuasion and the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot. She is a gentle, sensible and middle daughter in the Elliot family. As the novel processes, the only resistance in Anne's life is societal expectations comprising her family and friends.
It is a novel of extended mourning and renewed hope. The dead mother has an impact in the novel. The story begins with the living father, Sir Walter Elliot- the baronetage- then shifts to Lady Elliot, suggesting the mother's role, the character and the implications of her death. Described as an autumnal novel, it gives a sense of season change, that is, awareness of change.
The exceptional character in Persuasion is Anne who has a strong attachment to her mother (to the memories of her dead mother). She is gentle and kind to marry but even this gentleness can't get her an adequate life partner. The only reason is class rigidity and social status. Austen fails to address the differences in siblings in her novels.
However, Austen gives a brief about the difference between siblings. The difference between a sibling is monitored based on the position in the family, gentleness, resemblance to the mother rather than her father, etc. In the current theory of family structure, siblings differ according to the principle of divergence by Darwin. In simple words, siblings find their niche within the family which makes them different. This is the same with Anne.
Anne Elliot is the only family member who cares for everyone in anything. She is helpful and affectionate as her father is self-indulgent and cold. The relation between Sir Walter Elliot's narcissism and Anne's responsiveness is incorporated in their attitude which is contrary to personal appearance.
Instead of becoming a revolutionary, Austen defends the traditional structure of respect and family values. But she is supportive of better social mobility of members of a family. Austen's portrayal of family reflects the phenomena of social reform that happened in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Authors gave special efforts in writing about the value of family life rather than individual happiness. It is not limited to children to respect their parents but for parents too in raising their children, with an ultimate aim of growth of society as a whole.
One of the continuous themes in the novel is the presence of silly parents. Parents are the head of the family, however, Sir Walter is self-involved and his ignorance can be seen which breaks the family. He couldn't make good decisions for the family. His insensible extravagance brings a conflict that leads Elliots to leave the home and he fails to guide his daughters. His selfishness could be seen in Elizabeth and Mary who believe in self-importance like their father. Anne is different from the qualities of her dead mother. She looks after other things than focusing on herself.
John Locke theories regarding the parent's attitude toward children produced impactful changes in mindsets. Another important aspect is the marriage relationship which was required to be adhered to. The social status and class in marriage played a crucial role in the early eighteenth century. These fundamental changes in writing played a significant role in declining patriarchal family structure and gave birth to individuality and companionate marriages.
This gradual change in family structure resulted in creating a more balanced relationship between husband-wife and parent-children. To better understand the family structure, one needs to compare the siblings in the same house.
Anne in Persuasion suffers emotionally as she has no authority or power and most of the time, her usefulness is rejected. While Emma suffers morally as she has authority and is useless in real life. At the end of the Persuasion, Anne's sense of responsibility goes beyond the immediate domestic environment to a much wider community. At the end of the novel, there is a fulfilment of love that was awaited for a long, between Anne and Captain Wentworth. It became possible after her release from a family in which her usefulness, emotional and domestic support was wasted. After her mother's death, her practical abilities were frustrating and were of no use to others.
