- Importance of STATUS:
Social Status is held in utmost importance and affects marriages and personal
characteristics. Snobbery, arrogance and ignorance are exemplified in Sir Walter Elliot. His arrogance towards
those of a lower social status than him make him morally ignorant.
- CONFORMITY:
Anne is initially a conformist because she conformed to her society's
expectations and standards by rejecting Captain Wentworth's marriage proposal because of his lack of "connexions".
Her family's extreme sense of conformity is shown through their virtual grovelling to the Lady Dalrymple and her
daughter even though "they were nothing".
- MORALITY:
Social judgement is important in Persuasion because it determines
the amount of compassion each character possesses and thus the level of their morality. Anne has a strong set of
morals and shows a lot of tolerance and compassion in her friendship with Mrs Smith despite her "undesirable"
status.
- EXAMPLES:
- Snobbery & Conceit:
~ "Elizabeth was disdainful, and Sir Walter severe"
~ "And what is her attraction? That she is old and sickly - Upon my word, you the most extraordinary taste!"
~ "Mrs Smith, such a name!"
~ "One wonders how the names of many of our nobility become so common"
- Importance of Status:
~ "It was a very desirable that the connexion be renewed, if
it could be done, without any compromise of the propriety on the side of the Elliots"
~ "The toils of the business were over, the sweets began"
~ "Birth and manners are essential"
~ "rank is rank"
- Morality:
~ "She considered an act of indispensable duty to clear away
the claims of creditors ? and saw no dignity in any thing short of it"
~ "Anne was ashamed?they were nothing."
- Society Of The Time:
~ "Anne had every thing to do at once - the father to have pursued
and informed - the servants to control - the youngest child to banish?"
~ "the burden of keeping up correspondence with Elizabeth fell on Anne"
- Captain Frederick Wentworth:
~ "had nothing but himself to recommend him and no hopes of attaining
affluence"
- Lady Russell:
~ "she had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value
for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them"
- Sir Walter Elliot:
~ "he could read his own history with an interest which never
failed"
~ "few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did"
~ "it is?offensive to me; ? bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction?"
