Not mean exactly
Posted by Jessamyn on October 10, 1997 at 23:33:09:
In response to Poor Elinor..., written by Luisa on October 08, 1997 at 15:15:12
] Thatīs probably the scene when I least like Marianne. How could she be so cruel to her sister? So blinded not see Elinorīs suffering? I truly like Marianne, but she can definitely be mean.
Marianne isn't truly mean, because meanness implies intention of inflicting hurt.
Marianne's problem is that although she thinks of herself as such a feeling person, she gets so wrapped up in herself that she is blinded to others' feelings. I know someone EXACTLY like this. She has a very kind heart, and she is genuinely distressed when she realizes that someone else is hurting, but she is totally unable to recognize emotions that are not precisely like her own. She also doesn't recognize that someone is undergoing emotions that she wouldn't be feeling herself in that situation. It's a strange sort of inadvertent selfishness.
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