Characters Close and Far From Nature

In Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen writes the Dashwood family as four women who seem very connected to nature. When the family leaves their home of Norland, Marianne grieves no longer being able to look upon the “well known trees” (Austen 64). Marianne continues, speaking that the beautiful plants outside Norland will continue on whether or not anyone is there. Rather it is the people who cannot look upon the beautiful nature that will suffer, In this Marianne seems to place a strongvalue in viewing the beauty of nature. Which seems to show why she and her sisters regularly take walks in Barton Park, On one of these walks, Marianne asks “Is there felicity in the world superior to this?” (Austen 78). Marianne feels at peace in nature, and finds solace in it. It is probably no coincidence that it is in nature that Marianne meets the dashing Mr. Willoghby, who quickly steals Marianne’s heart. Both names of Dashwood and Willoughby contain words in them that reminds readers of trees. In the case of “Dashwood”, it obviously contains “wood” in the second syllable. “Wood” is easily synonymous with a forest. With the name “Willoghby,” the first two syllables sound like “willow,” a type of tree. Both of these names subtly make these characters seem close to nature. The name “Steele,” on the other hand, gives the exact opposite impression. It can be taken in two ways. First, as referring to the metal, as being hard, harsh, and cold, or second, sounding like the word “steal, which Elinor probaly feels when she learns that the woman Lucy Steele has been engaged to Edward Ferrar for four years. Giving these characters such a name helps subtly to villify them so readers sympathize more with the heroines.