IWA: Northanger Abbey The character Catherine Morland from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a usual and ordinary little girl. Starting off in the beginning of the passage, Austen notes that in her later years she is known as a “heroine”, however Morland’s childhood is remarked as not out of the ordinary and pleasant. As the passage continues, Austen begins to describe the traits of Catherine Morland such as abilities, likes and dislikes, and physique. Although her youth is as “plain as many”, Austen elaborates on the greatness of Morland’s youth that follows along guidelines of the life of a hero or heroine. At the beginning of the passage, Austen starts off by giving a description of Morland’s parents. Her mother was a “woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper… and a good constitution,” and her father being “a very respectable man…had never been handsome.” Although the characteristics of this family is nothing above the ordinary, the description describes a …show more content…
It is noted that Catherine tends to lean towards masculine activities, and finds pleasure in doing them. “She was fond of all boys’ play and greatly preferred cricket.” The term tomboy could be used to define her. Morland did not find pleasure in doing activities that the stereotypical girl would find interest in, such as “playing with dolls…nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary bird, or watering a rose-bush.” She also is portrayed as someone who likes to find mischief and create trouble. She would gather flowers for the “pleasure of mischief.” The streak of rebellion shows that Morland carries out a care free life, however not one that sets her above the rest. Austen gives Morland enough fire and flare to look further into this “strange and unaccountable