Persuasion Mrs Smith Character Analysis

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Invalids, in the form in which it is used to describe women in the 19th century, explains the concept of women being denied citizenship and being lumped together with the sick and disabled. Even though a woman could be a functioning member of society, unlike the true invalids, they were seen as so much less because of their gender and societies collective view of them. Women, unfortunately, were placed at these extremely low standards in Regency England, and were rarely defined as individuals, but rather identified by their marital status, or more specifically their husband. Being seen as only wives and nothing more but a body used to bear children, women’s importance and relevance was close to nonexistent in any aspect of society, especially …show more content…

Smith, in Persuasion and her relation to the connection with the term invalid. While Mrs. Smith is physically ill and falls under the invalid umbrella, she is seen as a very unimportant character and someone who does not really appear to further the plot in any way. She serves as mostly a comparison of herself to Anne, the main character. While Anne is mostly seen as a healthier, younger version of Mrs. Smith, you could even say she serves as a visual representation of a potential future for Anne. Regardless, even if Austen was not trying to map out a perspective future for Anne, she was showing the audience how, even in her own literature, Mrs. Smith is dismissed and seen as unimportant because of her social standing, health, and basic character traits. Another defining trait of Mrs. Smith that makes her seen as invalid, is the fact that her husband has died. Because she did not get remarried and is not with a man, her social standing and rank is almost nonexistent being an older woman without even a child to reclaim her space in society. This shows how Austen was trying to comment on how Mrs. Smith does seem to be a perfectly functional and even bright woman, but because of her marital status and a slight illness was greatly looked down upon in every way, rendering her an awful

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