Mary Musgrove from Persuasion

In Persuasion, Jane Austen presents her dislike of the English gentry by pointing out the flaws of her characters, which are representative of the class. Mary Musgrove, daughter of Sir Walter, sister of Anne, and wife of Charles personifies these flaws, and is thus the object of Austen’s contempt. Through tone, comparison with Anne, syntax, and irony, Austen portrays Mary as a self-absorbed, uneducated, mean, self-pitying person. Austen’s biting tone towards Mary and …

…like less of a person for having married Charles Musgrove–a commoner. She needs the compassion of others to reassure her that she is still loved, even though she is no longer as “important.” In Persuasion, Austen presents Mary as self-obsessed, worse than Anne, stupid, and self-pitying. She does this through her use of tone, irony, syntax, juxtaposition, and character development. From her depiction of Mary, Austen makes her dislike of the English gentry obvious.