Fanny’s social position contrasts to that of her cousins and allied to her uncle’s desire in enforcing this distinction, create in Fanny an inferiority complex, which makes Fanny see herself as less than everyone else. Fanny Price lives in between two worlds: Portsmouth, her birthplace (where her parents and siblings live) and the luxurious Mansfield Park (where her wealthy relatives live). Fanny’s parents send her to Mansfield Park so she can have a better economic situation than her parents can offer. As Fanny is forced to leave Portsmouth and is introduced to the new environment and culture of the Bertrams, she realizes that she will never be completely integrated into their ways of life because her diasporic experience makes her different. …show more content…
According to Gilbert and Gubar, both Fanny and Mary seem to be incomplete because each lacks the qualities embodied by the other (165). On the one hand, Mary Crawford has vivacity and joie de vivre, but her attitudes toward her family and toward Edmund’s family show that she has a dubious and intricate character. On the other hand, Fanny Price is a simple and dull character, but she almost never acts inappropriately. Her morals are flawless and she never betrays her principles of propriety, which would betray Edmund and his investment in her. However, Fanny and Mary share many common traits, from their interest in Edmund to their refusal to being told how to …show more content…
From the beginning, Austen starts to set the love triangle of the story, showing that Mary and Fanny will dispute Edmund. She also shows a striking difference in the two women’s behavior: if Miss Crawford openly expresses her indifference toward Sotherton which she considers “an old place” ( VI, 41), Fanny only articulates her opinions to Edmund, and in a low voice that exposes her shyness and her fear of being criticized for her beliefs. Though Fanny only demonstrates her discontent and opinion to Edmund, from the start we see that Fanny, like Mary, is capable of formulating her own ideas. As the story progresses, we see that Mary and Fanny have a lot more in common than what they seem to have on the