John Willoughby’s Attitude Towards Women Thesis: When reading Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility, one of the first characters the reader is exposed to is John Willoughby. Willoughby, as he is often referred to, is portrayed as Marianne’s hero when he rescues her after she becomes injured on a rainy night. While reading the novel however, one is exposed to another side of him, one in which he displays many negative attitudes and behaviors towards women. Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. Edited by Claudia L. Johnson, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. This is the primary source, in which the reader sees how Willoughby’s heroism becomes lost after the reader learns more about his past mistakes and present desires. Quotes from the characters in the novel often demonstrate this point, which will support the argument being presented. Chamberlain, Shannon. "John Willoughby, Luxury Good: Sense and Sensibility's Economic Curriculum." Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal, vol. 34, 2012, pp. …show more content…
“The Extraordinary Fate of Marianne Dashwood.” Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal, 1981, p. 5, jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number3/millard.htm. Accessed 12 Nov. 2017. This article portrays a viewpoint that Willoughby's selfishness proves him to have been a poor husband for Marianne. Millard feels that Colonel Brandon however, is much more suitable for her. Millard dictates that Colonel Brandon was likely attracted to Marianne because of her lively personality, which contrasts his greatly. She also does not feel Willoughby is worthy of someone like Marianne, because of her positive characteristics. I will use this article as a means to show that Willoughby’s character is simply not beneficial to Marianne’s future goals and livelihood. Morris, Pam. “Sense and Sensibility: Wishing Is Believing.” Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf and Worldly Realism, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2017, pp. 29–54. JSTOR,