Respuesta :
The character of Willoughby serves to underline Austen's point about love and marriage. She depicts him as a charming and very handsome young man, with all sorts of assets that are particularly appealing to young, inexperienced (as they should be), impressionable women. He enchants Marianne nearly at first sight. Naive as she is, she falls in love immediately, and finds all sorts of virtues in his character. Actually, she sees in him everything she secretly wants to see in a potential husband. Austen depicts him as seen through Marianne's eyes, both at the beginning, and later in the novel.
But Austen doesn't seem to condemn Willoughby for his superficiality and immoral behavior. She gives him another chance, even if he has to spend his life in an unsatisfying marriage, as if to atone for his past sins toward Marianne. Austen always keeps the rational tone, letting the characters' actions speak for themselves.
However, her depiction of Colonel Brandon puts him in favor over Willoughby. He is a stable, older man, who isn't nearly as charming or handsome, but obviously has inner values, moral, intellectual, and emotional. The fact that Marianne eventually marries this worthy man, while Willoughby is left in his unfulfilling marriage, is Austen's hidden verdict. Everything has its own time, the novel says; the youth carries a certain level of thoughtlessness (such as both Marianne and Willoughby show us), but there comes a time that calls for mature decisions, and employs sense over sensibility. Marriage should not be a shallow economic union of two people, in her opinion. It reflects all the values of two individuals, their families, their social class, and the society they live in.
But Austen doesn't seem to condemn Willoughby for his superficiality and immoral behavior. She gives him another chance, even if he has to spend his life in an unsatisfying marriage, as if to atone for his past sins toward Marianne. Austen always keeps the rational tone, letting the characters' actions speak for themselves.
However, her depiction of Colonel Brandon puts him in favor over Willoughby. He is a stable, older man, who isn't nearly as charming or handsome, but obviously has inner values, moral, intellectual, and emotional. The fact that Marianne eventually marries this worthy man, while Willoughby is left in his unfulfilling marriage, is Austen's hidden verdict. Everything has its own time, the novel says; the youth carries a certain level of thoughtlessness (such as both Marianne and Willoughby show us), but there comes a time that calls for mature decisions, and employs sense over sensibility. Marriage should not be a shallow economic union of two people, in her opinion. It reflects all the values of two individuals, their families, their social class, and the society they live in.
Answer:
Within the novel Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen describes Willoughby to be exceedingly similar to Marianne. Willoughby is described as a handsome man who is driven by his passion and emotions. He is also seen as judgemental to the enlightenment characteristics, especially as he describes his distaste for Colonel Brandon deeming his as a bore and holding no passion or taste within the offerings of life and society. Willoughby is seen as an unrealistic character as he is driven more by his emotions than logic or realistic views, as most romantics were at the time. Elinor is seen more as a realistic individual who values sense opposed to sensibility as Marianne does. On account of this, Austen uses Elinor as an initiator to the audience when she mildly scolds Willoughby and Marianne about their views on Colonel Brandon. Through this discussion, it is noticed by the audience that Willoughby carries rash temperament and judgment when his emotions lead his actions and tongue. It is seen that Jane Austen is pointing out flaws regarding the enlightenment thinkers and the romantics. Willoughby is used to confirm how little interest the enlightenment thinkers had with passion and the humanities where she also makes it a point to show how the beauty of the Romantics also had its flaws. She used Willoughby as a symbol, as he was considered handsome and attractive as most men within the novel so far are deemed unattractive. His physique, manners and ideals all align with the Romantic characteristics, which is what she was trying to portray.
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