Posted by Helen on August 21, 1997 at 06:44:19:
In reply to Re: Closer than you might think posted by Lynne on August 20, 1997 at 21:53:59
] ] I think the difference is that I see Elinors as people who can act rationally with little or no struggle, and for Mariannes it is a real struggle sometimes to deny the emotions. ( I know people will exclaim and say that life is no picnic for Elinors either.)
] Elinor is a poignant example of one who suffers in silence...and thus, people can make their own assumptions about her because she is a blank space on which they can interpret her as they see fit. And as it is sometimes human nature to view things in their most negative light....to embellish the unknown in the worst way....yes, one could say that Elinors have their own brand of agony to deal with.
I think that Elinor has trained herself so well that her instinct is to suppress her feelings instinctively. This doesn't make it easier for her, in fact it makes it more difficult because she doesn't want to admit that she has any emotions which are not socially acceptable. When it comes to admitting her feelings for Edward, in the context of contemporary attitudes to young women, such avowals were highly risky. To make a public demonstration, as Marianne does, is to compromise one's reputation - I think Elinor then takes this social convention to an extreme, and refuses to admit that she could love someone who has not declared his intentions formally, even in private to her sister.
But how far do you think that they are both like this because of each other? I mean, if Elinor didn't have Marianne around emoting all over the place, she might do more herself, and if Marianne couldn't rely on Elinor to do the duties, she might take more concern for public facades
Helen
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