The heroines in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Persuasion’ are presented as weak and subject to the whims of others. To what extent do you agree?
Despite the different time contexts in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Persuasion’, both heroines are susceptible to being subject to the whims of others in similar ways and to have weakness in similar things, such as men, and their relationships with men and their family. In both contexts status has an influence over such whims, and influence by those closest to both the heroines influences the extent of this.
Firstly, in both novels the author presents the heroine as subject to the whims of others in giving them power over their actions, a similar example being that they both reject the man who they love. For …show more content…
Eliott symbolises a lack of weakness whilst being subject to persuasion as Lady Russell claims that such an engagement would ‘give me more delight than is often felt at my time of life’, a stark contrast to the discussion had about Captain Wentworth. The semantic field of persuasive techniques is brought to light in this phrase, as ‘my time of life’ evokes sympathy as Lady Russell is a widow, and her status as a woman makes it virtually unacceptable for her to remarry, therefore demonstrating the importance of love in youth, to Anne whom is slightly senior to marry, at ‘nine-and-twenty’. By addressing Anne as ‘my dearest Anne’ after speaking about Anne’s deceased mother, Lady Russell reminds Anne of her importance in Anne’s life, fulfilling a maternal role, this therefore aiding the significance of her view of Mr. Elliott to Anne. Yet, Anne, whom had fallen to Lady Russell’s persuasion previously, displays strength in rejecting Lady Russell’s view, which is implied at being harder that the straightforward rejection she gives at her family’s
Despite the different time contexts in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Persuasion’, both heroines are susceptible to being subject to the whims of others in similar ways and to have weakness in similar things, such as men, and their relationships with men and their family. In both contexts status has an influence over such whims, and influence by those closest to both the heroines influences the extent of this.
Firstly, in both novels the author presents the heroine as subject to the whims of others in giving them power over their actions, a similar example being that they both reject the man who they love. For …show more content…
Eliott symbolises a lack of weakness whilst being subject to persuasion as Lady Russell claims that such an engagement would ‘give me more delight than is often felt at my time of life’, a stark contrast to the discussion had about Captain Wentworth. The semantic field of persuasive techniques is brought to light in this phrase, as ‘my time of life’ evokes sympathy as Lady Russell is a widow, and her status as a woman makes it virtually unacceptable for her to remarry, therefore demonstrating the importance of love in youth, to Anne whom is slightly senior to marry, at ‘nine-and-twenty’. By addressing Anne as ‘my dearest Anne’ after speaking about Anne’s deceased mother, Lady Russell reminds Anne of her importance in Anne’s life, fulfilling a maternal role, this therefore aiding the significance of her view of Mr. Elliott to Anne. Yet, Anne, whom had fallen to Lady Russell’s persuasion previously, displays strength in rejecting Lady Russell’s view, which is implied at being harder that the straightforward rejection she gives at her family’s