Mansfield Park, ch. 38: Homecoming (part 2)
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| Credit to Imogen Foxell. |
The chapter starts off on perhaps the highest of notes (when compared to the overall dirge that is Mansfield Park, that is). As Fanny and William have fun hanging out and discussing plans for the future, we get a glimpse of their cozy outlook: William hopes to score a huge payday which would in large part support the two of them living together through old age. Intriguing! So Fanny has no desire to marry at all and William wants to eventually retire from the navy to support his sister.
Whoa, wait. WHAT the HELL, Sir Thomas? You don’t have to worry about Fanny living with you until you die? She doesn’t plan on living at Mansfield at all once her brother can afford a house. So I guess you’re only mad at her for saying no to Henry just because? Tommy boy, please.
Another point in William’s favor? He is the only man who doesn’t resent Fanny for not wanting to marry Henry AND he knows better than to try to talk her into it. I am all for this potential future of Fanny and William, permanent roommates. (Contrast their relationship with the Crawfords: Henry can’t be bothered to settle down so that Mary, a single woman, will have a place to stay.) Even considering the rough corners of his personality, William may be the best brother (sibling?) character in all of Austen.
Speaking of siblings working together, we get a distressing update on the latest Crawford scheme: Henry has been writing messages to Fanny inside Mary’s letters to her. I don’t know what’s worse: how incredibly wrong this is, or the fact that Ed apparently doesn’t care how wrong this is (he makes Fanny read them to him). And she senses that Mary is using her to appeal more to Ed: “There had, in fact, been so much of message, of allusion … in every letter, that Fanny could not but suppose it meant for him to hear.” She predicts that once she leaves Mansfield, Mary’s letters will disappear.
After some more traveling, Fanny and William arrive at Portsmouth. And it’s here that everything starts to suck again for Fanny. The chaos of the household all but pushes her aside, her younger siblings pretty much ignore her, and her parents are too wrapped up in their own lives to give her a more deserving welcome. William proves his mettle as he tries to redirect his parents to, you know, be better parents, but all anyone can talk about is the ship that set sail earlier that day. Mrs. Price is full of complaints and Mr. Price is full of swears. We are introduced to the two other Price daughters, cranky Susan and baby-of-the-family Betsey.
Initially disappointed that her arrival has been dismissed, Fanny tries to keep perspective: “What right had she to be of importance to her family?” But her biggest feeling is not one of resentment. Instead, she’s overwhelmed by the chaos: the brothers banging up and down the stairs, her father yelling, the surly servant barely doing her job, and even the bad lighting. The two bright spots of the day include seeing William in his new uniform and Susan offering to make tea without any prompting. Wow. Unfortunately, both Fanny and the reader have to say goodbye to him again. Sigh.
Quick side note: I don’t think it’s an accident that the younger brother that Fanny has the fondest memories of and hopes to bond with is named Tom. The kid’s subsequent avoidance of her is a pretty decent metaphor for how her uncle treated her. (Another spot-on metaphor: Mr. Price kicking his daughter’s luggage aside before even meeting her.)
We see that favoritism runs in the Ward sisters’ family as Mrs. Price clearly adores Betsey over Susan. We find out that the ownership of a silver knife (I don’t know whether it’s ornamental or real) is in dispute. The background story is pretty tragic, but Mrs. Price reasons it away with, “[The sister] was taken away from evil to come.” Yikes … We also learn that Mrs. Norris is Betsey’s godmother, and a predictably inattentive one at that. Clearly, the attempt to patch up the schism in the Ward family wasn’t 100% successful.
Tired in more ways than one, Fanny considers that “her own little attic at Mansfield Park [was] reckoned to small for anybody’s comfort.” Now, I’ve been harping on that dumb attic room for several chapters, but I think the general takeaway is that Fanny, the outsider, was still granted her own space at Mansfield. Here in Portsmouth, she has to share that space with a family she thought would accept her more readily than the Bertrams did. The Price household holds a different evil for Fanny, and in the next chapter, I’ll go into detail on how the Prices’ home contrasts with Mansfield—and how we should analyze the differences.
Chapter the next: William’s last act of brotherly love, Fanny tries to help out around the house, and the blossoming of a new relationship.
I'm interested to read your take on Susan. I don't consider her that interesting or virtuous a character, but then that makes her more of a blank canvas for Fanny (and fan fic writers) to work with, so it has its upsides.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always found William’s plan to settle with Fanny sweet, if a little weird – at least when I first read it. I’ve always wondered – does William also plan to get married? If yes, what of his wife? He will have to capture lots of ships for prize money for this to happen. :-)
ReplyDeleteI also wonder – does Sir Thomas know of this little plan? I think not, hence his worrying about Fanny and her living situation. Though I think William is open and cheeky enough – he doesn’t appear to be afraid to speak his mind. I just think Sir Thomas doesn't know.
I agree that William Price is one of the best brothers and siblings in Jane Austen’s ‘verse. Then again, she has lots of great brother-sister bonds, and especially sisters’ bonds. My favourite brothers are the Knightley gentlemen and I adore Henry and Eleanor Tilney. Catherine and James Morland are also cute, and I’d say very realistic with their disagreements etc.
My take on why William and Fanny are so great together. I once read a psychology theory about siblings explained in literature archetypes. Siblings that support each other are like Hansel and Gretel, siblings who argue, envy each other and hate each other’s guts are like Cinderella and her stepsisters. Interestingly, the healthier dynamic is actually the Cinderella one (though obviously not that abusive) because that’s what happens when parents are in the picture and work as parents should. Not when something bad happens, siblings only have themselves and must collaborate to survive. Fanny and William are very much like Hansel and Gretel – they have a lazy, silly mom, a drunkard father, and Fanny is shipped off to wealthy relatives where she suffers emotional abuse and neglect. No wonder she depends on her older brother. I just love how sweet and kind William is.