Why does Jane Austen make Anne face so many different situations and not seem to improve/ learn from any?
In Persuasion, I feel that Jane Austen has Anne constantly facing some new situation, like being left while her family moves to Bath, being a “therapist” to her friends at Uppercross, and then having to be in the same social group as her former fiancé (whom she still loves). There are all these situations Anne has to go through, yet her character does not seem to change to me.
When her family moves to Bath and she is left with her sister and his husband, she begins to get caught up in their marriage as long as their social life. Her sister and brother-in-law do not have the best marriage, and while Anne is there she gets caught in the middle. Both turn to Anne to have her convince the other. They complain about how and what the other does. Anne knows she cannot win either way, so seems to stay quiet and just try to push it off. However, her brother-in-law’s family turns to Anne too, complaining about Mary (Anne’s sister). Again Anne is caught in the middle, but does nothing. I understand she cannot be rude and tell them to shut up or talk to one another. However, at the same time I feel like there must be something the character can do to move on from that.
Her former relationship with Fredrick Wentworth frustrates me as well, for she is not able to move on with him there. When Fredrick enters the picture once more, it is like her world stops. However, both try to act like nothing has ever happened between them. Which is one way to try to move on, but that is not case here. By acting like their past never existed, Anne goes out of her way to avoid him and try to make sure no one else can suspect a thing. This only keeps Anne trapped. She needs to either move on from him or find a way to get him back. It must be hard watching him with other girls and be treated like a no one, but I see this as a way for her to escape her past.
I just do not see where Jane Austen wants to take Anne. She keeps Anne constantly caught in the middle of some problem or situation, and before Anne can move on from it she is already in another issue. I want to see Anne move on from where she is at. I just do not understand the purpose of Anne if she is meant to never grow. Hopefully that changes soon though.
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It does seem as though Jane Austen took quite a bit of time - almost the entire book really - to get Anne to move forward and it was only because finally Frederick gets fed up enough with the situation to write the note. Perhaps back in the time period in which this novel was written it would have been regarded as full of suspense and even a little racy. But now, in today's desensitized society, it is less so and the reader feels that nothing is coming from the situation until the very end. Personally I was frustrated by the lack of action, although I do know these types of things happen still in real life to some degree or another.
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