A very excellent question! What this whole scene really comes down to is the theme of value. Edward valued loyalty above material gain and even above the good opinion of his relations. He even viewed loyalty as more important than his own personal preference or happiness.
But to apply it to the themes of attachment versus connection, you have to understand the characters' perspectives. Edward was choosing the right course—that of marrying Lucy even though it meant losing his relatives' esteem, his own inheritance, and even the chance of ever being with the person he really loved, Elinor. He viewed his attachment to Lucy as a binding one; he had promised himself to her and was going to live by that promise, despite everything it would cost him. His family viewed connection as a greater importance—thus the splitting of Edward from his family.
Lucy is another matter altogether; engaged to Edward at a young age, it is debatable whether or not she ever actually loved him. Perhaps at first, she felt the same infatuation that Edward felt for her. However, by the time we meet her, it is evident that her attachment is more to Edward's position and wealth than him as a person. She, like Mrs. Ferrars, values connection above attachment, and this is proved when she later leaves the disowned and disinherited Edward for his wealthy, fashionable brother.
Elinor, on the other hand, respects Edward all the more for his proving true to his promise to Lucy, even though it would forever take him from her. Her attachment to Edward is not in words; it is of the heart. Nevertheless, she values, as does Edward, the quality of loyalty and faithfulness, even at the cost of one's own happiness.
I hope this answers your question!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Describe, in your own words, the situation of Mrs. Ferrars disinheriting Edward because of his engagement. How does this situation apply to the theme of attachment versus connection? Your answer should be at least one hundred words.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?
In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...
-
There are a plethora of rules that Jonas and the other citizens must follow. Again, page numbers will vary given the edition of the book tha...
-
The poem contrasts the nighttime, imaginative world of a child with his daytime, prosaic world. In the first stanza, the child, on going to ...
-
The given two points of the exponential function are (2,24) and (3,144). To determine the exponential function y=ab^x plug-in the given x an...
-
The play Duchess of Malfi is named after the character and real life historical tragic figure of Duchess of Malfi who was the regent of the ...
-
The only example of simile in "The Lottery"—and a particularly weak one at that—is when Mrs. Hutchinson taps Mrs. Delacroix on the...
-
Hello! This expression is already a sum of two numbers, sin(32) and sin(54). Probably you want or express it as a product, or as an expressi...
-
Macbeth is reflecting on the Weird Sisters' prophecy and its astonishing accuracy. The witches were totally correct in predicting that M...
No comments:
Post a Comment