Have you ever encountered a literary character that makes
you want to jump through the pages of the book and slap their silly face?
That's how I feel about Sir Walter in Jane Austen's Persuasion.
As you know, the story of Anne Elliot is my book club's pick
this month, and reading chapter three makes me growl in frustration.
In chapter three, we read about the possibility of a naval
officer renting Kellynch Hall. Many navymen made a fortune in the war, and now
that there's peace, are looking for a home. Mr. Shepard suggests this, and
points out what excellent tenants a member of the navy would be… But Sir Walter only has disparaging words:
"The profession has it's utility, but I should be sorry
to see any friend of mine belonging to it." He finds it offensive on two
counts- "First, as being the means of bringing persons of obscure birth
into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and
grandfathers never dreamt of; and secondly, as it cuts up a man's youth and
vigour most horribly; a sailor grows old sooner than any other man."
Mrs. Clay of course flatters him by saying, "We are not
all born to be handsome," and claiming that only the landed highborn, who
have no profession, are able to maintain their good looks without having them
worn out by labor. (*cue song* "Now I ain't sayin' she's a gold digger…")
An Admiral Croft, a very wealthy member of the Navy, heard
rumors of the Elliot's situation and intention to let Kellynch. He made his
desire to rent the place known to Mr. Shepard, who brought the prospect to Sir
Walter. Of course, the baronet was snobby and suspicious.
Mr. Shepard tried to convince Sir Walter of what an
excellent tenant the Admiral would be- married and childless, and whose wife
was "not quite unconnected in this country… She is sister to a gentleman
who did live amongst us once." He then became exasperated because he could
not recall the man's name. After several minutes of grumbling and fumbling for
a name, Anne helped him, "You mean Mr. Wentworth, I suppose?"
Sir Walter, of course, was his usual, arrogant self when he
heard this. "Oh! ay, Mr. Wentworth, the curate of Monkford. You misled me
by the term gentleman. I thought you were speaking of a man of property: Mr.
Wentworth was nobody, I remember; quite unconnected…" (So the only thing
that makes a man a "gentleman" is having land or belonging to an
important family?! Ugh!!)
Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere with Sir Walter, Mr.
Shepard changed tactics and appealed to his vanity. He made it sound like the
Admiral and his wife held Kellynch in very high regard, and that they felt it
would be such an honor to be tenants of the esteemed Sir Walter Elliot. Since
Elizabeth had no objections and wished to depart to Bath as soon as possible,
it was a sealed deal. Sir Walter felt that an Admiral was just barely good
enough to be a renter, at least preferable to a mere Mr., and yet not so great
in importance as to ever overshadow himself.
Anne, of course, was never consulted for her opinion. She
fled the room for the shelter of some trees, where she walked with flushed
cheeks and said, "A few months more, and he, perhaps, may be walking
here."
Where to begin with overall impressions of this chapter…
Ugh! Am I allowed to call Sir Walter a pretentious prick? Because he is!
Looking down on the navy because it enables men to rise
above their social rank and earn wealth, prestige, and influence? What an
elitist! I know that this was a common view amongst nineteenth century
aristocracy, but to have it so blatantly stated like that was an offense to my
very American sensibilities. Being able to work hard and make something of oneself
is an ability I hold very dear, so it ruffles my feathers quite a bit to read
Sir Walter's condescending worldview.
Also, what a peacock! To discredit the navy as a profession
because it has a negative impact on a man's LOOKS?! What the even heck! Even
Anne jumped into this by saying that the navy, as the brave men who keep the
nation safe, deserve honor and respect, and I 100% agree! But no, Sir Walter thinks
"it is a pity they are not knocked on the head at once" before they
become orange and weather beaten. Jerkface!
I find it interesting to see in this chapter how the only
way to really persuade Sir Walter to do something is to appeal to his vanity.
Not facts, reason, or honor, but by what makes him look and feel more superior
than anyone else. Mr. Shepard is a shrewd man for manipulating Sir Walter's
conceit in this way.
At the tail end of this chapter, we also discover that, even
after all of this time, Anne still has feelings for Wentworth! But now I'm
getting ahead of myself, that's another blog post for chapter four…
What about you guys? Do you share my same dislike for Sir
Walter's character, or do you have your own literary figure that makes you want
to scream in frustration? Share your thoughts by posting a comment!
Happy reading, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment