People Like Marianne And Willoughby example essay topic

Title "I have not wanted syllables where actions have spoken so plainly". (Austen 68) As Elinor declares in Jane Austin's novel Sense and Sensibility, it is true; actions do speak louder than words. What someone does means a lot more than what someone says. Someone can tell you that they love you, but if they never show you than how will you know if they truly mean it. Love is meant for people like Elinor and Edward who showed each other their love and respected social conventions. However, people like Marianne and Willoughby are not very deserving, due to their lust-based relationship and choices to ignore the common rules of society.

Love is achieved through obstacles and not pure lust, and is only meant for people who truly deserve each other. "Passionate, romantic Marianne and Willoughby, after an intense attraction that causes them to ignore the barriers between them, suffer and end up bitterly regretting their behavior". (MP) Marianne and Willoughby put all of their trust into only each other and no one else, leaving them alone with no friends once their attraction disbanded. After the breakup, Marianne makes sure that the entire town knows that she is depressed and lonely without her love Willoughby. As you see her "alternately singing and crying; her voice often totally suspended by her tears", (Austen 72) she is unable to cope with the fact that she is no longer apart of Willoughby's life.

"Meanwhile, the reasonable Elinor as been equally unlucky in love, though she bears her disappointment quite differently". (CSLF) While Marianne is sobbing and weeping, putting her life on hold, Elinor tries to mitigate Marianne's inimical attitude towards everyone. Elinor is continuing with her life, as the memories of Edward are evanescent. Elinor's "feelings are not often shared", (Austen 76) her business is her business and not the whole towns. Elinor does not feel that she must let everyone know her business, she only wants people to see her good side, not her gloomy side.

She always puts her best foot forth to make herself look good in front of other people, which shows that she cares about the fact that other people may look down upon someone who is emotionally unstable, like her younger sister Marianne, and view that as a major weakness. Edward Ferrari comes from a wealthy greedy family and is engaged to Lucy Steele when he meets in Elinor in Norland, however, soon after his disapproving mother disinherits Edward, he breaks up with Lucy and is free to finally love Elinor. "The obstacles to marriage between reserved, sensible Elinor and Edward are his family's greed and pride as well as his earlier indiscretion in engaging himself". (MP) Even though Edwards family disapproves of his love, he will not desist from being with her, he believes he is strong enough to move on.

"I was renounced by my mother, and stood to all appearance without a friend in the world to assist me", (Austen 322) declares Edward. Once Edwards' fortune was denounced, upset he may be, however he would not let anyone except himself know that. He shared his feelings with only himself and did not let other people know when he was at his absolute worst. He did what he had to do in order to be with the love of his life.

Edward and Elinor's love for each other is so strong that they can get through the avarice and zealous pride of his family and still remain overjoyed to be together. In a letter to Marianne, Willoughby writes: "If I have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than I felt, or meant to express, I shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem". (Austen 158) After leaving Marianne heartbroken and lovesick, Willoughby has the ordasity to send a letter proclaiming that he never even loved Marianne and that she took everything the wrong way. Marianne put all of her marbles into one bag, by putting all of her trust into one man, Willoughby, someone whom obviously could not be trusted.

This leaves young, na " ive Marianne very ill and wishing she had never met Willoughby. Interim, Willoughby becomes engaged to an heiress and once the news is given to Marianne, "the representative of sensibility swoons, weeps, and exhibits her grief to the utmost". (CSLF) Now that Marianne has heard the news, she needs everyone to know that she is in pain, and wants everyone's attention and pity. She is unable to accept the fact that Willoughby does not lover her anymore, and more so that he never will.

She and Willoughby just weren't meant to be together. These two never endured any obstacles, they were always able to be together, and without those obstacles the strength of their love was never tested, therefore they were never able to recognize that they really did not love each other, and they were only physically attracted to one another. "Devonshire! Are you indeed going there? So far from hence (sic)!" (Austen 34) exclaims Edward when Elinor disclosed the information to him that she will shortly be moving to Devonshire.

The last thing either of the two of them wants is to be separated form each other, however, Elinor and her family have no money and must go to their relatives' house in Devonshire. Even when Elinor leaves, the two are so deeply in love that they keep in touch, and still hold their love for one another, in the hopes that they will one day return to each other. "These lovers who have been guided by prudence and respect for social conventions are finally united and win the happiness they desire because they have honored the sensible values of society". Edward and Elinor never flaunted their love for one another, nor did they ever ignore the other people in their lives, when the two were together. They were always affable, and showed terrific manners.

For these reasons, the two lovers deserve everything they have together. While in Devonshire, Marianne meets a man of age Thirty-five, name, Sir Colonel Brandon, who is in love with the beautiful seventeen-year-old Marianne. However "the passionate sensitive Marianne plunges into love", (MP) with the handsome, young Jonathan Willoughby and "the two ignore rules of social conduct by spending many hours together and disregarding others". (MP) Marianne states that "her opinions are all romantic", (Austen 47) and she "does not approve of second attachments", (Austen 47) giving Sir Colonel Brandon little hope for a relationship with Marianne. Sir Colonel Brandon respected Marianne's feelings and did not try to force his love upon her, he just waited until the relationship between Marianne and Willoughby disbanded. As opposed to the love and emotionally based relationship between Edward and Elinor, Marianne and Willoughby had a physical and lust based relationship.

This contrast is what enables Edward and Elinor to remain a couple and forces Marianne and Willoughby to break up". The story may sometimes seem to fit a predictable formula in which common sense is pitted against emotional sensitivity, but Austen also makes keen observations about the way to go about happiness". (MP) Every unique individual goes about their happiness in a different way, as shown in the contrast between Marianne and Elinor. Elinor is the "common sense" of the story, while Marianne is the "emotional sensitivity", and both are in a battle of love. The emotional Marianne just falls in love with the first handsome man she meets, who sweeps her off her feet, while the common sense Elinor, waits for her love, a gentleman, to find her. "Among the merits and the happiness of Elinor and Marianne", (Austen 335) are that in the end they both end up happy and married to two terrific gentleman.

However Marianne suffered more emotionally due to her over trusting personality and her na " ive nature. Happiness always wins out, however true love is only won by long hard struggles. If two people are meant to be together, then love will eventually find a way through all of the obstacles, but if two people do not deserve each other's love then they will be broken apart. Ignoring people and common rules of society will get you nowhere except lonely and unhappy. The ignorant na " ive people like Marianne and Willoughby are the ones, who end p suffering, ignorance is a lonely way to go through life.

Greed and jealousy of ones family is a difficult obstacle to overcome, however with that obstacle accomplished, it only proves a more pure true love, and shows a great deal of loyalty and strength in the two people who were able to win the battle. Obstacles to a marriage are what prove the love between two people, and without these obstacles two people can never know how strong their love is for one another. In order to know how much someone means to somebody else, their love must be tested by enduring painful obstacles, otherwise how do you know if you can trust your love?