Persuasion austin poor dick
Persuasion--austin poor dick“And upon looking over his letters and things, she found it was so, and is perfectly sure that this must be the very man, and her head is quite full of it, and of poor Richard!” (Austen, 34)
Richard Musgrove is a very, very minor character in Jane Austen’s Persuasion. However, his presence in the novel allows Austen to initially stake her claim on one of the novel’s overriding themes. Austen presents the idea that one’s merit is more a measure of usefulness and worth than the rank that one’s family holds. This is a very powerful and relatively new idea for the early 18th century, a time period in which the aristocracy is still a powerful social class. Austen’s exploration of usefulness vs. uselessness allows the reader to gain a glimpse of the true purpose of Persuasion. That being that happiness and self-fulfillment can only be achieved when one refuses the shackles of the ineffectual aristocracy.
Austen seems to be expounding on Richard’s uselessness and his failure to live up to the promise of his birth and entitlement. This is a very important point. It seems that in the world of Persuasion, it is the qualities of usefulness, resourcefulness and capability that are attractive to the reader. To the aristocracy, what one does with one’s day is of the utmost importance. The Elliots are landed gentry and as such they do not work or conduct themselves in any manner of labor. It has often been said that the true mark of a gentleman is the ability to do no work. Austen, from the very beginning, sets the tone that the Elliots, excepting Anne, are worthless members of a worthless class. Austen describes Elizabeth Elliot in a most unforgiving manner: “Such were Elizabeth Elliot's sentiments and sensations; such the cares to alloy, the agitations to vary, the sameness and the elegance, the prosperity and the nothingness of her scene of life; such the feelings to give interest to a long, uneventful residence in one country circle, to fill the vacancies which there were no habits of utility (no original emphasis) abroad, no talents or accomplishments for home, to occupy”. (Austin, 8) This is in opposition to the usefulness that Anne demonstrates throughout the novel.
Anne is the perhaps the most utility oriented character in the novel. She stays behind as the family moves to Bath and helps pack up Kellynch Hall. She is always the one that various other character call upon when some sort of work is to be done, be it playing a piano or caring for a sister’s injured child. However, the strongest example of Anne's utility and the strength that comes from being useful occurs when she takes charge when Louisa cracks her head. Anne’s ability to be useful in that situation most likely saved the life of Louisa. Even Capt. Wentworth, normally a meritorious character, quickly plays second fiddle to Anne as she takes charge of the situation. Fortunately, Anne is no...
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