The novel Northanger Abbey – written by Jane Austen in 1817 – tells the story of a young woman who travels to Bath with her wealthy neighbours, and how she grows and matures into adulthood over the course of the book by taking responsibility for her many mistakes and actions.
Predominantly, this essay is a tale of one girl’s maturity into a young adult. She makes very many mistakes along the path to growing up, however, she does show great responsibility by the end of the novel, so much as to win the heart of the man she loves.
For example, the opening line of the novel states that ‘No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her to be born a heroine.’ This shows that as a child, Catherine didn’t possess qualities typically associated …show more content…
Her apologies to Eleanor and her burning of the gothic novels that had led her so far astray, ultimately show how much she matures over the course of the book. For example, after returning from Northanger Abbey, Catherine’s change in manner is noticed by her family members, so much that even Catherine’s mother remarks ‘my dear Catherine, you were always a sad little scatter-brained creature,’ as opposed to the mature adult she is now.
Austen has presented Catherine maturely at the end of the novel to convey how her experiences, as well as her actions and consequences over the past weeks have matured her. This shows that Catherine has grown during her time in Bath and Northanger Abbey, and that she has learnt to think passed the influences of others so she can make her own informed decisions for