Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

The title of Jane Austen’s novel, Persuasion, sets the stage for the entire drama. Austen deals with the subject of filial piety and a young woman’s role within the family circle. She also voices a social commentary on the view of women during her time and their roles in society. As typical of an Austen novel the main character, Anne Elliot, posses numerous excellent qualities such as a sharpness of mind, an even temper, and a mild nature. These qualities are surprising due to the fact that she hails from a rather stupid family. Austen was one of the leading feminists of her time and a ground breaker in the portrayal of a strong heroine. During Austen’s period women were very seldom written about and almost never the main character in a story. Those who used females as the focal point of a novel molded them upon the model of how women should be. She was weak, not very bright, and incapable of supporting herself. Basically an object to be purchased; a woman’s value existed solely in her duty to her husband. The other heroines were created in the same vein as Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, a paragon of virtue. Pamela is honored not for her quick wit or strong will; she receives praise simply because she resists the