In “Sense and Sensibility,” we can see the life story of two sisters, who are Elinor and Marianne. This novel does not have a hero in the true sense. If we have to consider anyone as a hero, then the name that should come to readers’ minds first is Edward Ferrars. Elinor and Edward love each other, and eventually, they get married. They suffer a lot in this love and have to overcome many obstacles. At one point, it even seemed that they would not marry each other and that there would be no union between them. However, fate supported them in the end, and they loved each other very much. Finally, they get the result of their love, and they get married.
First of all, it is necessary to understand how they initially met. Fanny Dashwood was the wife of Elinor’s stepbrother, and Fanny’s brother was Edward. Fanny and her mother were quite dominating, and they used to exert pressure on Edward from an early age. Edward did something foolish and secretly became engaged to Lucy without informing anyone. Lucy was completely opposite to Edward in terms of personality, and she did not have strong feelings for Edward. When Edward visited Elinor’s house, which was actually inherited by his stepbrother, John, after the death of her father, he became acquainted with Elinor, and from the beginning, Edward and Elinor started to like each other. However, their mutual affection remained somewhat concealed, which led to many problems for them. Edward was honest in his personal life, so he wanted to confide in Elinor about his troubled situation, but he had to leave suddenly before he could do so. Edward’s sudden departure severed their contact and relationship, as he knew in his heart that it would not be possible for him to marry Elinor. Despite loving Elinor deeply, Edward, being an honest man, refrained from allowing their relationship to progress further. On the other hand, although Elinor loved Edward with all her heart, she, being somewhat reserved, did not openly reveal her suffering to anyone. While her mother and sister understood, Elinor still kept her feelings hidden.
Edward and Elinor endured suffering for an extended period of time. Elinor’s anguish stemmed from her lack of knowledge of the truth, and it intensified when she eventually discovered it. Conversely, Edward’s sorrow deepened as he realized Elinor was a far superior person compared to Lucie. Elinor possessed all the qualities that Lucie lacked. Therefore, Edward’s anguish heightened significantly, pondering over encountering such a wonderful girl yet being unable to marry her.
However, being a good person, Edward attempted to honor his promise. When his mother learned of his intention to marry Lucie, she became furious and disinherited him, leaving everything to his younger brother. At that moment, Lucie realized that Edward had little and that his future prospects were bleak. Consequently, Lucie decided to sever all ties with Edward and elope with his younger brother, marrying him instead.
When Edward was going through all this turmoil, Elinor was unaware of most of it. She only heard rumors that Edward had married Lucie, but in reality, it had not occurred. Elinor lost all hope, and her life became filled with suffering. However, luck was on her side, and later, she learned directly from Edward that he did not actually marry.
They got married, and Elinor’s entire family joyfully approved of their union. Initially, Edward’s mother objected to the marriage, but eventually, she came around and accepted it. They were overjoyed, emerging as the most ideal couple in the novel.
If we examine the relationship between Edward and Elinor, we can observe that both of them were good people, but luck did not favor them. Edward faced considerable misfortune from the start. His circumstances were challenging, and when he became secretly engaged at the age of 18–19, he foolishly became infatuated with a girl who was unsuitable for him in every way. He became fixated on her, only to later realize that she was not the right match for him. When he recognized this and encountered Elinor, he should have promptly ended the engagement with Lucie, especially since it was kept secret and he had minimal communication with her. However, by not doing so, the situation became even more complicated. On the other hand, Elinor was reserved by nature. She should have stepped forward and stood by Edward, encouraging him not to marry Lucie. Elinor should have taken this step because she understood that Lucie was not a suitable match for Edward and that he would not find happiness with her. Therefore, she should have made an effort to intervene.
No matter what happened, they found happiness in the end, which is the best outcome. Luck played a role in this, and simultaneously, Jane Austen wanted to illustrate that they were well-suited for each other.
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