Similarly to Elinor, Edward Ferrars is guided by his conscience-driven decision to live up to his commitments no matter the personal cost. In Aristotelian terms, the same framework used by Thomas Aquinas, Marianne is governed by her passions – her natural impulse to desire or avoid what her senses present as good or bad - while Elinor is governed by her intellect, which allows her to judge her impulses and overrule them when they are out of line. In contrast, Elinor’s self-control allows her to sacrifice her own feelings for the good of others. In identifying with the younger Dashwood sister, I had to confront the uncomfortable fact that Jane Austen portrays Marianne as freehearted yet myopic. When I was in college, I heard lots of Christian dating talks on “guarding your heart.” I thought that’s all very well for the Elinor Dashwoods of the world, but I’m one of the Mariannes.
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