In Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland, the protagonist is a young naïve girl who is not a very good judge of character. She falls in love with a man much older than her, named Henry Tilney. Henry enjoys Catherine’s ignorance and educating her of things she doesn’t know. This essay will examine a passage from volume two, chapter nine wherein Henry finds out Catherine has been accusing his father of murdering his mother. Through the use of satirical tone, the implementation of odd statements, and by a specific structure, Austen displays Henry Tilney’s desire to patronize and educate Catherine and therefore, control their relationship throughout the novel. One unique aspect that Austen incorporates in this passage is adding a
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In the passage Henry interrupts his thoughts twice by saying “I have hardly words to—Dear Miss Morland, consider the dreadful nature” and “your own observation of what is passing around you — Does our education prepare us for such atrocities?” (Austen, 186). These casual breaks in Henry’s statements are crucial in displaying Henry’s utter shock at Catherine’s ignorance. Tilney is shocked by Catherine’s folly to the point where he cannot keep his thoughts straight. However, this pure shock does not stop Tilney from utilizing his wit to educate the young, naïve Catherine Morland. The second component of structure is the consecutive rhetorical questions directed to Catherine by Henry in order to belittle her and make him seem all the more intelligent. He asks her “Does our education prepare us for such atrocities? Do our laws connive at them?” (Austen, 186), and much more without giving Catherine the slightest chance to answer. This interaction creates an ambiance of a parental unit reprimanding their juvenile teenager on some unacceptable behavior. Henry behaves in ways which he acts so much wiser than Catherine that he often creates a feeling of taking on the role of her parent. He is asking her many rhetorical questions which are meant to discipline her on her wild accusations, as well as teach her that English Christians do not commit atrocities such as murder because England is a civilized place (Austen, 186). This contributes to Henry’s overall desire to be an idolized mentor to Catherine by educating her through condescending ways, which Catherine is too naïve to
In the passage Henry interrupts his thoughts twice by saying “I have hardly words to—Dear Miss Morland, consider the dreadful nature” and “your own observation of what is passing around you — Does our education prepare us for such atrocities?” (Austen, 186). These casual breaks in Henry’s statements are crucial in displaying Henry’s utter shock at Catherine’s ignorance. Tilney is shocked by Catherine’s folly to the point where he cannot keep his thoughts straight. However, this pure shock does not stop Tilney from utilizing his wit to educate the young, naïve Catherine Morland. The second component of structure is the consecutive rhetorical questions directed to Catherine by Henry in order to belittle her and make him seem all the more intelligent. He asks her “Does our education prepare us for such atrocities? Do our laws connive at them?” (Austen, 186), and much more without giving Catherine the slightest chance to answer. This interaction creates an ambiance of a parental unit reprimanding their juvenile teenager on some unacceptable behavior. Henry behaves in ways which he acts so much wiser than Catherine that he often creates a feeling of taking on the role of her parent. He is asking her many rhetorical questions which are meant to discipline her on her wild accusations, as well as teach her that English Christians do not commit atrocities such as murder because England is a civilized place (Austen, 186). This contributes to Henry’s overall desire to be an idolized mentor to Catherine by educating her through condescending ways, which Catherine is too naïve to