Mary In Persuasion

In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the youngest of the Elliot sisters, Mary, is described throughout the novel as somewhat of a difficult and needy person who is not easily satisfied. This persona is played out mostly in what others say of her and through the background information that Austen, or the narrator, gives of her. Although it may be characteristic of youngest siblings to want a great deal of attention, Mary’s actions and sentiments seem exaggerated to an almost laughable standard. She is described early on as “often a little unwell, and always thinking a great deal of her own complaints” which sets the reader up automatically to view her in a discontented and helpless light (32). It is interesting then to note, that the majority of what …show more content…
This support comes in the form of taking emotionally taxing things off of Mary’s hands, which while relieves her stress is at the same time taking away her right to maintain those emotions. Anne is literally removing Mary’s emotions by standing in for what evokes the most from her. In the instance where Anne offers to babysit little Charles so Mary can dine with her husband at the Crofts’, Anne is able to “take up her own cause” in convincing Charles Musgrove that she is capable of watching their sick son (51). This act of independence and authority is not seen in the likes of Mary. Charles is so easily convinced by Anne but not by his own wife. In another instance, while on a walk with the Miss Musgroves’, although actually free from the confines of being indoors, Mary still manages to attach herself to others. While resting from walking, Mary sat on a rock and was “very well satisfied so long as the others all stood about her” so long as they gave her their attention to sustain her and keep her from feeling ill (73). Mary continues to seek the acknowledgement of others and is mostly disappointed when she walks arm in arm with Charles and he neglects to realize her needs by “dropping her arm almost every moment, to cut off the heads of some nettles in the hedge”, a most serious offense in her case (76). In not capturing the attention of her peers, Mary becomes …show more content…
In a statement similar to the one that took Mary Musgrove almost an entire novel to muster, Shelley begins his poem by saying, “I weep for Adonais – he is dead!” grabbing the reader’s attention in a way that evokes sympathy (1). Automatically, in the first line, the reader knows the emotional state of Shelley and does not question the authority behind it because it is written so succinctly. Although Keats was just an acquaintance of Shelley’s, fifty-five stanzas are dedicated to lamenting his memory. It is astounding the amount of passion Shelley forces into Adonais. Shelley uses forceful language to get his thoughts across to his audience through blunt commands like “O, weep for Adonais – he is dead!” which makes the task of mourning urgent not only for himself but for everyone (19). In this way, Shelley forces his grief on others by insisting that they take part in it with him. It is almost as if Shelley needs grieving to be justified by other people in order for him to go on telling the story of Adonais in the elegy. He needs to be reassured that it might be reasonable to outpour his emotions in a long-form poem for another man. He encourages, “Most musical of mourners, weep again!” which, especially with the addition of the exclamation mark highlights the need for a second round of mourning and a reassurance of his own right to have such feelings (37). As he continues to