In the novel Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen employs various thematic elements in order to educate the reader about the nature of British high society in the 19th century. One of the book's most prominent motifs is the idea that social class determines an individual's decisions and somehow becomes a higher power that dictates marriages, family ties, and living conditions. People are accepted or exiled based on their social status, and marriages "for love" are rare among the semi-nobles. Throughout the novel, Austen makes a unique commentary on the values ​​of society while simultaneously telling the interesting story of a very particular case of a family (the Dashwoods) who are somewhat stuck in the middle. Austen examines the varying importance of the roles that class and love play in society through her juxtaposition of various romantic situations in the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Primarily, Austen highlights the cold and selfish demands of society in order to examine how the pressures of society took their toll on the Dashwood family. Willoughby and Marianne, for example, are “in love” but cannot marry. Although this may seem ridiculous to the modern reader, Austen clarifies the seemingly ridiculous nature of society through Willoughby's dismissal of Marianne and her subsequent visit, in which he explains why he left her for the wealthier Mrs. Grey. Although Willoughby realizes that he can never be happy with her, he can at least coexist with Mrs. Gray with a sense of financial stability. He rejects Marianne not because he wasn't in love with her, but because he was raised in a class system where upper class people are taught to preserve their family name rather than be socially unstable and banished to the dregs of England's tiered class system. . So even though "[he] felt that she was infinitely dearer to me than any other woman in the world," Willoughby could never be with Marianne because of the limitations that he believed outweighed all feeling of true love (Austen 274). But while even the villainous Willoughby comes to accept his superficiality, Marianne deludes herself with unrealistic perceptions of love and wealth. When Elinor practically asserts that “wealth has much to do with” happiness, Marianne refutes this notion, asserting that “beyond a skill it can offer no real satisfaction” (Austen 152). But when the sisters compare the actual figures, Marianne's romantic idealism is flattened, as her idea of ​​a "skill" is two thousand pounds a year, which doubles Elinor's notion of wealth. Austen uses irony to communicate that the importance of money does not diminish among those who claim to be above it. Elinor's relationship with Edward is also defined by the strict confines of society at the time. Although Edward would like to pursue his own lifestyle, he is constantly held back by his worried mother. In order to live comfortably and inherit his rightful fortune (according to primogeniture), he is forced to marry a woman of desirable status and Elinor, being the practical voice of the Dashwood family, forces herself to accept him. The secret engagement of Edward and lower-class Lucy Steele comes as a shock to everyone, because without her family inheritance or any semblance of a dowry on Lucy's side, the two would not be able to live comfortably. Lucy realizes that Edward is no longer heir to any fortune and she refocuses her affections on her younger brother. Austen uses.