Eagleton brings up the question of innate human moral sense, of duty and conscience, "a kind of inner light which will instruct us in the difference between right and wrong conduct quite independently of the opinions of others." He constrasts this to a "sociable idea of morality," which states that the good influence of others teaches us virtue (110). He claims that Persuasion (obviously) investigates the question of "whether it is right or wrong to be morally persuaded by another;" do you follow your own conscience or allow yourself to be "shaped by social pressures" (110).
In the first half of the novel, how is this played out? How does the conduct of many of the major characters show what is more important, personal value or social acceptance?
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Mr. Elliot is shaped by social pressures, needing the social acceptance of his peers. He is worried about what others will think if he downsizes his possessions. Personal appearance is a necessity for social acceptance, therefore going without is not acceptable. Frederick on the other hand is one who believes in personal value, not forgiving Molly, up to this point, for allowing herself to be persuaded to end their relationship since he would not fit in socially, and would not be accepted. Molly's sisters also find social acceptance more important than personal value, but I think that Molly likes being socially accepted but as she is older, regards personal value more important. Lady Russell also regards social acceptance as more important having persuaded Molly to end the relationship with Frederick.
Personal value or Social acceptance….
The characters at the beginning of the book Persuasion are definitely hung up on looks and status. Mr. Elliot is all about who his daughters will marry and how it can benefit him. His daughters were judged on their beauty and were even favored accordingly by Mr. Elliot.
Everything just seems to deal with who has what to offer and how this will increase ones status or worth. I don’t see where love has a lot to do with anything. It’s all rather sickening, I must say.
Personally, as for myself, I believe we all are pressured, persuaded or what have you, by society and our peers. But for the most part, I usually could care less what people think of me. Because sometimes, I am the one being followed or doing the persuading.
In response to Shelly…
Unfortunately, many of us don’t realize the error of our ways until we are older and wiser—which can often end up being too late. If I were Frederick, I wouldn’t look back either, at Mr. Elliot’s daughter. All of a sudden, Frederick is looking real good as a potential husband….Please! What an insult to Fred. Molly should not have listened to Lady Russell; but since she did take her advice, she will more than likely become baby sitter to her sister’s children. Where’s the love?!
To be accepted or to be fulfilled, that is the question. So far no one is safe from the social pressures of the time. The most popular example I'm sure is Anne and her captain who were pulled apart by her weak will when it came down to peer pressure. Anne chose social acceptance but because of it she lost a peice of her self to be a conformist. In the long run even, she still is not completely socially accepted because she has no husband and not monetarily stable.
Though to us it is a horrible situation because she let love go and she has had to live a cinderella life of sorts, the real tragedy to me is that she let her weakness change her life. She caved, and is still stuck were she was. Anne has gotten no where. She lost her self because she was to weak to stand up for her own thoughts and wishes.
In "Persuasion," there are many examples of characters basing their decisions on social acceptance. The Elliot family's life is centered around their status in society. The most obvious example of behavior "shaped by social pressures" is that of Anne when she does not accept a marriage to Frederick Wentworth, even though she is madly in love with him. At this point in his life, Wentworth is just a young man living on dreams for the future; he has not actually accomplished anything of social significance yet. Therefore, Anne's family does not see him as a fit husband. It is not until later, when Wentworth returns as a Captain, having accomplished all of his goals, that he is viewed upon as a possible marriage partner. However, it no longer seems a possibility for Anne, but for other young girls, Henrietta and Louisa. All of this happens because Anne makes a decision driven by social pressures.
Frederick Wentworth, on the other hand, had personal dreams and goals for his life. And that was how he based his decisions. He knew what he wanted and he was willing to do whatever it took to get it. He went out into the world, became a Captain, made a fortune, accomplished amazings tasks, all because he followed his personal values. However, in the long run, this did give him social acceptance as well.
Erin,
I agree with you. I give Frederick more credit and respect for going after his dreams but I also to some degree feel sorry for Molly. We have a hard time understanding Molly's situation and the time she lives in. It's easier to judge her than trying to understand her. I believe she did love Frederick otherwise she would not have turned down other suiters.
" I have left my house to Admiral Croft", would sound extremely well; very much better than to any mere Mr -; (p 17). That pretty much sums up Mr. Elliot. The man is shallow. He is more concerned with what his peers would think of him. He has nothing to offer and has gone broke for trying to please others. His daughter's have pretty much followed in his footsteps, but I see hope for Anne.
I think she will see the importance of personal value over the feeling of social acceptance.
I think there comes a point in everyone's lives that we feel the need of some sense of social acceptance and wanting to be apart of something. The most important thing though is not to forget who you are in the process.
When Eagleton brings up the idea of whether morals are innate, I begin to compare him to Emerson, Thoreau and the transcendentalists. This movement called for the people to rely mostly on moral action rather than spoken language. But, we are all impeded by societal pressures and conformity.
This is all evident in the first half of Persuasion. Instead of standing firm to their convictions, most of the characters open themselves far too much to social pressures. Marriage and structure are taken to the next level and used as tools for the advancement of the person in society. Although Lady Russell genuinely meant the best for Anne, regarding Wentworth, she had become so consumed in class and tradition that she cringed at the thought of bending the rules a little bit. The characters’ reliance on social inflexibility and the fact that most are easily persuaded foreshadows that this symbolism will have much to do with the novel’s plot.
Mr. Elliot and his daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, are so wrapped up in personal appearances and making the right acquaintances that they overlook the inner qualities people genuinely possess. Mrs. Russell is guilty of the same by stressing the fact that Cpt. Wentworth does not come from a socially acceptable background which eliminates him as marriage material for Anne. None of these women are really interested in the men because they are decent men. They are only interested in what they stand to gain materialistically by being that person's wife. The women are flaky and arrogant. However, some of the men, like Mr. Elliot, turn there noses up at others too, especially in Uppercross.
Everyone in the novel thus far is guilty of leaning more towards social acceptance rather than personal value. For many, social acceptance is actually part of their personal value because they do not possess the ability to be aware of their own feelings and individuality. Even those who are aware of their personal values (Anne)allow others to dictate what they should do with their life. By letting someone persuade you out of your own desires, you are conforming yourself to their desires, and thus you are guilty of wanting social acceptance. We all want social acceptance, unless we're hermits or something, but there is a fine line between doing what everyone else thinks is right and what you know in your heart to be right.
Back to the conduct of major characters...
Most are unwilling to give up their rich life and refuse to do so even though that is the only option they have if they want to avoid bankruptcy. By ignoring what truly needs to be done and pretending they have something they don't, the Eliots are ruining themselves just for the sake of social acceptance.
In response to Martin,
I agree. I especially like your discussion about Lady Russell as well as your blunt truth that "we are all impeded by societal pressures and conformity." Whether we want to admit it or not, we are in fact shaped by social pressures, whether we are trying to be a part of society or rebel against it.
Socially acceptable personal values are the message that I believe Austen is trying to convey. Sir Walter and Elizabeth are completely caught up in social conformity, the Musgroves, Hayters and most everyone of influence in this novel seems to be as well. Only Anne and Lady Russell seem to value reason outside of conforming to the social norms, and even though they represent the other end of the spectrum, they still display adherence to societal standards (such as when Lady Russell persuades Anne not to marry Capt. Wentworth, because a man of his low status would reflect badly on her family name in the eyes of the town’s people). We would like to think that our conduct and train of thought would be wholly independent of, or at least not dependent on, what society thinks, but we would only be fooling ourselves. The only people who act solely on independent thought or personal values are people who have dropped out of society all together. One of the first rules of society is you must conform to the bounds of that society. If everyone where you lived spoke with a lisp or wore pumpkins on their head and you didn’t, you would soon find yourself either conforming or being ostracized. To exist in a society means to conform to it, and I think that is the point, or one of the points anyway, of Persuasions, to show how social circles create values that one either conforms to or rejects, thus rejecting that society. (See, that was pretty short and to the point.)
I agree with Martin, mostly because he said basically what I said only a little better. Everyone in a society conforms, it is to what degree one conforms and what allowance one can/will make to satisfy the struggle between personal feelings and social acceptance. Also, it seems the higher one gets in social circles, the more rigid their social boundaries become, and the harsher the punishment for stepping over those bounds.
In response to Claudia,
I agree with what you say about everyone wanting social acceptance. I also think that this pressure is put more on the women, at least in this novel. Maybe it is because it is written by a woman or from a woman's viewpoint, but either way, the women appear to be more pressured into suppressing their own individual goals in order to fit a social stereotype. Even though Frederick is at first seen unworthy, he is at least allowed to go out into the world and make a name for himself doing what he loves. However, I guess that this could also be seen as a social pressure?? He had to do those things to fully be accepted by society (despite the fact that he loved doing them). Hmmmm...
Cicely, I’m reacting to your ‘flaky and arrogant’ comment, in part, because I changed my mind over and over again about Mrs. Russell and her motives. When she begins to disagree with Anne and Wentworth’s marriage (for the same reasons as the first go-round), I wanted to leap into the Penguin pages and strangle her. But at the same time, I pity her for her naivety in society and the whole scheme of things. I would go as far as extending that sympathy to the rest of the women, excluding Anne. She’s the only one who really finds her inner light, and it is profoundly worded when she mentions that “a strong sense of duty is no bad part of a woman’s portion” (Austen 249).
So far, many of the characters in “Persuasion” do not think independently outside the opinions of others. Sir Walter, Elizabeth, Anne, Mary, Lady Russell, Mr. Shepard, and others all have been guilty, at some point or another, of listening to their society. Take Sir Walter and Elizabeth for example—the two know that they would be in a better position if they only cut back on their spending habits. However, they believe going without certain “comforts” will cause the rest of society to look down upon Kellynch Hall and lower the Elliot’s standing. This way of thinking does not correspond to the innate human moral sense that Eagleton speaks about. Whether these characters are acting on the opinions of others consciously or subconsciously is something to wonder about and has not been disclosed by the narrator.
I must point out that Anne committed her crime as a younger woman when she was persuaded to not marry Wentworth. I believe that the older Anne is more level-headed and aware of how letting your society shape your way of life destroys your inner comforts. She will go on making her decisions independently from others and live a much happier life.
Needless to say, the major characters are hung up on personal looks, but value social acceptance far more.
In response to sailorgirl,
I agree with you—where's the love? It is because of love why I think Anne will end-up marrying Wentworth. You're also right about status and worth. The decisions that Sir Walter and Elizabeth make are based solely on whether or not society deem them worthy.
The characters are worried about their appearances. They want to be accepted by others, but at the same time want to obey their conscience with a small amount of integrity. They understand that their lives are worth a lot and that gives them reason to be resistant, it is hard for a lot of them to combine that with acceptance. Of course, they do not want to be completely transparent to anyone, but want to appear honest enough for their neighbors to trust them.
Once again we have a novel where social status is the primary focus. In Persuasion many of the characters base most of their choices on the social consequences which will accompany each decision. Anne will not marry Wentworth for he is not yet at the level of social prestige he desires. Mr. Elliot is consumed by his desire to appeal to the social pressures and has raised his daughters with the sole intent of presenting them as wives fit for the upper class. In this story it is as if many of the characters place so much weight on social status that this pursuit of being in public favor overrules personal morality and becomes the main personal value.
I agree with chuck in the statement, "Socially acceptable personal values are the message that I believe Austen is trying to convey." This is better way of saying what I was getting at. The characters personal values are basically to act in a way or present themselves in a way which will be socially acceptable. The line between social and personal motivation blurs as they become corresponding themes. So many of the main characters seem to have their personal values or morals founded on social persuasions.
In response to Cicely:
I think it is interesting to consider how the social pressures affect men and women's outlooks differently. Mr. Elliot approached his social concerns from the angle of what HE -- not his daughters -- had to gain/lose. This self-focus stemmed from his concern of how others would see and respect him. His daughters, on the other hand, held the primary goal of marrying into good social status for their own comfort. Yes, society's view still weighted their decisions, but it seems foremost on the women's agenda -- as we saw/are seeing in Moll Flanders and especially Wives and Daughters -- is comfort.
A close-up element of social pressure involves the family view. If my memory serves me right, Anne did not seem terribly consumed with how society would view her marriage to the poor Fredrick Wentworth, but the opinion(s) of her father, sister (both of whom she was basically estranged from), and Lady Russell (who was practically family) was enough to freeze Anne in her tracks to fulfilling her own desires. As I touched on in my response to Cicely, I find it intriguing that Anne's family members were more concerned over how society's reaction to the reflection cast on the family by Anne's marriage to a poor man.
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