How does the Character Fanny Price help the author communicate the theme of Social Morality?
Social morality is one of the key themes in the novel Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. In brief, this theme is concerned with understanding how people go up the social ladder. In this case, the different steps of the ladder are economic and the social bit of each step is defined by the morality of those involved. The author communicates this idea by examining the lives of three ward sisters, their economic wellbeing and their overall moral values. Austen’s key argument is that high social standing does not guarantee morals and that people in the lower hierarchy in the social ladder should be given a chance to go up the ladder. The three sisters in Austen’s novel marry men from three social classes namely the low, middle and high social classes. The first sister Maria Ward is very concerned with going up the social ladder and thus marries Sir Thomas Bertram who is a member of the high social class. The second sister, Mrs. Norris, is not very obsessed with going up the social ladder but also does not want to belong to the lowest class in the social hierarchy and hence marries a middle-class man. The last sister, Mrs. Price marries a common sailor of the low social standing. The theme of social morality vs. morality emerges when the author indirectly compares the life of Lord Bertram’s family (who are from the high social class) and the Sailor’s family (who is an unemployed drunk sailor of the low class).
An analysis of Lady Bertram’s family shows that his children are spoilt and immoral. The daughters are disrespectful, selfish, spoiled and sexually distracted. For instance, the oldest son of the family moves to London and life in the big city corrupts his morals. He becomes a gambler and a drunkard and lands his father into a lot of financial problems. The youngest son, on the other hand, is sexually distracted by Mary Crawford. The middle child of the family, Maria, is spoilt and selfish. She elopes with Henry Crawford. On the contrary, Fanny Price- a child of the unemployed drunk sailor- clears the air by depicting impeccable social morals and behavior. Fanny Price is very helpful to all despite her depiction as a shy and retiring girl. Fanny never complains and has an innate ability to discern good and wrong. In this way, she earns her worth and ends up being the daughter-in-law to the baronet who eventually replaces Lady Bertram to become the mistress of Mansfield Park.
As evident in this comparison, the social hierarchy does not significantly influence the morals of a person. More so, it is evident that high social class does not translate to high morality and success in the long-run. It is also apparent that being of the low social class, such as Fanny Price (the daughter of a drunk and unemployed sailor) does not impede a person’s morality and long-run success. For instance, the tables turn in the end and Fanny, the one least concerned with power end up being a mistress of Mansfield Park. In this way, the character Funny Price helps the author, Jane Austen, to communicate the theme of social morality effectively.