Further
Posted by Mark on October 06, 1997 at 16:39:04:
In response to Not inferior, but............, written by Rita on October 06, 1997 at 15:55:44
] Is Brandonthe right person for Marianne??? and she for him???
] I think it was infatuation in his case and emotional connection more than love. And, inspite of everything I think Willoughby was better suited to her charcter......
Very good points. But, I must hark back to my original premise several posts ago, that Willoughby and Marianne may not have made a happy couple in the long run. They would both need to mature a great deal and be less pleasure bent.
Willoughby was a coward. He was always running from responsibility. He wouldn't marry for love, only money. He wouldn't tell Marianne face to face what was going on. He preys upon Brandon's ward and then abandons her to her fate. Do you think tender-hearted Marianne could survive marriage to that?
Having said that, I hasten to add that I'm not entirely sure Marianne and the Colonel will have a happy marriage, either. I honestly do not know. Did they marry on the rebound? Those marriages tend to fail even faster than the hedonistic ones. One friend of mine did just that. The marriage lasted precisely two months.
I only submit that Marianne and Brandon have both matured somewhat due to the trials they have endured. They are now less selfish in their love for each other. With Brandon, Marianne must forgo some of the pleasures of youth. But she will have a steady, loving husband who will move heaven and earth to protect and defend her, and who will treasure his precious wife.
By the way, Jane Eyre and Rochester are about the same ages as Marianne and Brandon.
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