Dualism, Contrast, Clashes, and Balance between Sense and Sensibility Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen is a novel of manners that negotiates a series of social conventions of middle-class, early nineteenth-century England through the perspective of young women seeking marriage. Austen questions if there is room for romance within the institutions, morals, and mannerisms expected of women of the time. The two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, embody the dualism of “sense” and “sensibility.” Together, their stories tell the tale of the difficulties of finding oneself as a woman in the extreme conventions of upper and middle-class countryside English society. The story is told from a third person narrator with the same points of …show more content…
As the main host of the narrator, Elinor’s opinion of him is expressed by the third-person narrator: “She liked him – in spite of his gravity and reserve, she beheld him an object of interest. His manners, though serious, were mild; and his reserve appeared rather than the result of some oppression of spirits, than of any gloominess of temper” (33). Elinor’s opinion of the Colonel sets a positive but simple profile of him that lets the reader understand his nature and potential fit for Marianne as an eligible bachelor. This profile gives the impression that he may not be an ideal partner for Marianne because on the outside, he is her exact opposite emotionally. Mrs. Jennings, a loud and openly frank woman, also expresses her premature opinion of Colonel Brandon and Marianne’s possible relationship: “It must be so. She was perfectly convinced of it. It would be an excellent match, for he was rich and she was handsome” (23). Mrs. Jennings turns out to be correct, as after a long time of Colonel Brandon consistently asking for Marianne’s fair attention, he becomes the final and practical choice as a husband. Only after a long time of exhausting her emotions, Marianne picks the right partner that compliments her with the right balance of