(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters and possibly for future chapters.)

S: Let me just say upfront that I was a little unprepared for Austen’s dry, unromantic ending; however, I think I rather liked it. It gave the feeling of ‘Life Moves On and People are Still People’. There was no huge they-all-changed-for-the-better-and-were-happier moment – sisters still acted like sisters, brothers-in-law still acted like brothers-in-law, and Lucy got what she always wanted: money and drama.

R: I hadn’t thought of it quite that way, but you’re right, it’s almost anti-climactic. I thought it was a sweet ending, but it’s very low-key. That is definitely true about Lucy! I can’t imagine that she and Robert were very happy in the long run.

S: I love that we see Marianne desiring to better herself; it’s great to see such growth in a character. I’m sure at this time she never expects to marry at all so the fact that she’s not going to take heartache lying down but instead better herself is commendable. (It is amusing that the reader and Elinor know that her resolve is based on emotion, of which she’s trying to rid herself, but in this case it’s not a bad thing.)

R: Indeed, Marianne definitely seems to have learned from her experience with Willoughby. What Austen wrote about Elinor’s thoughts about this is pretty funny: ‘Elinor honoured her for a plan which originated so nobly as this; though smiling to see the same eager fancy which had been leading her to the extreme of languid indolence and selfish repining, now at work in introducing excess into a scheme of such rational employment and virtuous self-control.’ 

I can’t speak to what it’s like to be truly depressed, but I have often found that when sad or upset, applying myself to some activity – not just something enjoyable, but something beneficial, either to myself or others – goes a long way toward easing those feelings. For me, that might be singing and playing some of my favorite songs, focusing on something I’ve been learning, listening to a podcast or writing. There are many ways to engage our hearts and minds.

S: That is so true! When I’m feeling down I tell myself to just do one productive thing, like wash dishes. After that’s done I tell myself to do another productive thing and so on. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes and I feel better but other days it can take a few hours for me to move out of the doldrums. 

I’m so glad Elinor gives Marianne Willoughby’s message. I think she and the reader see her becoming an adult and able to deal with life as it comes now rather than be carried by her emotions. Of course we see her feel the emotion of hurt all over again after she’s told, but it’s different this time – more controlled and composed.

I think my absolute favourite part of Chapter 47 is when both Marianne and Mrs. Dashwood recognise the folly of their behaviour in dealing with Willoughby and Elinor’s quiet contentedness about it. I’m so glad Mrs. Dashwood appears to have grown as a character as well, for she sees Elinor’s shock and sadness when they hear of Lucy’s marriage to Edward. My heart hurt so much for Elinor – Austen’s short description of how she behaves is extremely telling.

R: One of the best lines in the whole book comes from Marianne when she finally opens up to Elinor, and just before Elinor tells her about Willoughby’s visit. Elinor says, ‘Do you compare your conduct with his?’ And Marianne replies, ‘No. I compare it with what it ought to have been; I compare it with yours.’

While our ultimate model for behavior should be Jesus, it’s natural to look up to others in our lives, especially older siblings. This is something that everyone who has younger brothers and sisters should consider. How is our behavior influencing them? Are we someone who exhibits behavior we would want to see in them?

And contrast that with Lucy’s behavior of selfishness and jealousy. Marianne was foolish; Lucy was deceitful.

S: So true! I think that’s something I’ve become more aware of as I’ve aged. Our behaviour does truly affect others. 

And then we come to Chapter 48. Happy days! Shock! Confusion! Lucy is not married to Edward, but to Robert! How did this happen? Why did this happen? Will Edward want to marry Elinor now? We are unsure, because he just leaves when she runs out of the room, presumably in tears. Where has he gone? Will he come back? What is happening?

R: Poor Elinor! How many times have we said that throughout this book? (It’s 8, I checked!) The recipient of so many others’ secrets while holding her own close to her chest, and now this shock finally oversets her. Who can blame her? But this is one of my favorite moments in the book, when Edward clarifies that it’s his brother that married Lucy, not him.

S: The next chapter happily gives us all the answers, and I am even more convinced that I don’t like Lucy. Her letter to Edward was so flippant, as was her behaviour with Robert. I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m delighted that Edward and Elinor can now marry, but I am also appalled by Lucy’s behaviour. I like that we see more of Edward’s true character now. He gives his opinions more freely, he is more open with everyone, and he befriends Colonel Brandon (which, let’s be honest, isn’t difficult to do – unless you’re Willoughby). 

R: Ah, yes, the final exposition! All is finally revealed and we start to see resolution for the characters. Mrs. Jennings’ letter, coming after everything had happened and relating the shocking events of Lucy’s elopement with Robert, was hilarious.

S: Absolutely! We think of Mrs. Jennings as being the one in the know, so it’s amusing that she is the one who is behind the times. It is nice that Edward is back on good terms with his mother. I know he and Elinor don’t receive nearly the amount of money they would have had he been the sole inheritor, but I suppose some is better than none, and he has a job at Delaford with Colonel Brandon, so all in all they’ll be content.

R: I think the story would have been just as good without the reconciliation with Mrs. Ferrars, but it was an interesting ending for her character. Perhaps she regretted her hasty action of disowning Edward, or perhaps after Robert’s behavior, she realized that what Edward had done wasn’t quite so bad. Favorite line about this: ‘In spite of his being allowed once more to live, however, he did not feel the continuance of his existence secure, till he had revealed his present engagement; for the publication of that circumstance, he feared, might give a sudden turn to his constitution, and carry him off as rapidly as before.’ 

S: Yes! That whole section just made me roll my eyes at the Ferrars family – too funny!

I think Chapter 50 is rather interesting, for Austen, while not excusing anyone’s behaviour, also does not allow for the amount of comeuppance the reader may have expected for Lucy and Willoughby. Willoughby, though saddened by his loss of Marianne, lives a life of self-centeredness with ‘…no inconsiderable degree of domestic felicity’. Lucy ingratiates herself to Mrs. Ferrars’s favour (how did we know that would happen?) and is presumably happy with her status and wealth, though she does have ‘…frequent domestic disagreements…’. Of course Elinor, Marianne, Colonel Brandon, and Edward all end up together at Delaford, and those friends and family at Barton are not forgotten – even ‘…Margaret had reached an age highly suitable for dancing, and not very ineligible for being supposed to have a lover’. (It seems Mrs. Dashwood has learned from her mistakes with Marianne and has given Margarent a little less freedom!). The Dashwoods have happy, albeit true to life, endings! 

R: A very happy ending, indeed! 

S: I am so glad to have finally read Jane Austen’s first novel; it held so many surprises and amusing moments. Her wit and command of the English language is enviable.

R: It was a joy to experience it with you! I can’t wait until we start the next book!

Coming up next, we will be watching the 1995 movie version of Sense and Sensibility and blogging about it!