The Impact of Spatial Transitions on the Heroine of Persuasion: What is Brought by Being “Nobody”

Persuasionにおけるヒロインの場所移動に関する考察 －“nobody”であることがもたらすもの―

The Impact of Spatial Transitions on the Heroine of Persuasion: What is Brought by Being “Nobody”

In this paper, I will analyze how transitions of place and location impact the ways in which Anne, the heroine in Jane
Austen’s novel Persuasion (1818), realized her true self, showed her merit and became empowered to behave in the ways she desired. She was not “nobody” at all although her own family members regarded her as a person whose word had no weight; whose convenience was always to give way. The paper notes how key turning points in the heroine’s life take place not at home but at other locations. The farther that she goes away from home, the more descriptions of her actions appear in the novel. Since most of her family members were not helpful, there was no other way for her to reach her goals except by leaving home and heading elsewhere. This spatial transition can therefore be regarded as an important factor in the heroine’s success.
In the conclusion, the following three points are emphasized: (1) Anne had the willpower to go forward until she
reached her goal; (2) although she was from baronet family, she got along well with people around her regardless of their social ranks; and (3) her actions and movements would likely continue even after she entered a different social rank to the one that she originally belonged to.

Creators IKEDA Yoko