Anne Elliot Is A Victim Of Persuasion

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term persuasion is the addressing of arguments or appeals to a person in order to induce cooperation, submission, or agreement (OED Online). As the protagonist of the text Persuasion, Anne Elliot is what we would consider a victim of this concept. In an excerpt from chapter seven, Anne is persuaded by her sister Mary to care for little Charles who is feeling quite poorly. Mary’s motive for wanting Anne to stay behind to take care of her child is brought by her apprehension of missing out on the dinner party which Captain Wentworth will be in attendance. Although her reasons for wanting to acquaint herself with Wentworth are valid, they can be perceived as selfish. Upon closer examination, …show more content…

If Anne were to say no or deny Mary’s pleas, it is most likely that the outcome will result in her being depicted not only as a bad sister but also as the villain in her sister’s life. In retrospect, this is a lot more cunning of Mary than her character is typically known for. Compared to her sisters Anne, simply put, is just there. She is present in other people's stories and to most of those around her, a supporting character. This results in Anne not having a lot to say about the matters surrounding her or anything to say at all. Anne’s selflessness, or in this case coercion into selflessness, proves how much she desires the happiness of those around her, even at the expense of her own. In this excerpt, Mary makes a big fuss about how a father can be away from home without his obligations to a sick child impacting what people think of him, while a mother must stay home with her child. In a 21st centurial mindset, Mary would be correct in wanting to shed the double standards being projected onto her however, during the regency era of the 19th Century, this would be considered more