Philosophy Of The Golden Mean In Austen’s Sense And Sensibility
Too much of anything is good for nothing. Even Aristotle preached of “The Golden Mean” — that the only path to true happiness and inner peace is by striking a balance between two vices. In Jane Austen’s novel, Sense and Sensibility, the same philosophy is advocated with the two extremes being logic and uncontrollable emotion. These two temperaments are presented at first as being a binary opposition, but towards the end of the novel this false appearance vanishes.
In this novel, Jane Austen engages with the culture of sentimentality and sensibility by endorsing a symbiotic relationship between reason and passion, rather than a hierarchical opposition. Which is enforced through the omniscient narration and the closure of the novel.
Right from the start of the novel, Austen establishes an illusional dichotomy through the narration by exposing the flaws of sense and sensibility as separate entities, which in turn, promotes a synthesis of the two. A specific way that Sense and Sensibility is articulated as two false extremes that must work together is through the certain aspects of the narrative voice that criticizes, not just one but, both of the conducts of Elinor and Marianne. The language in the novel is often ambivalent because of this and it is apparent through Austen’s tone that warns the reader that an excess of either sense or sensibility can be harmful. For example, when Willoughby announces that he must take leave for London, the narrator describes that Marianne “would have thought herself very inexcusable had she been able to sleep at all the first night after parting from Willoughby. She would have been ashamed to look her family in the face the next morning, had she not risen from her bed in more need of repose than when she lay down in it. But the feelings which made such composure a disgrace, left her in no danger of incurring it. She was awake the whole night, and she wept the greatest part of it … Her sensibility was potent enough!”. Here, the narrator is addressing that Marianne’s lack of sense stops her from being able to understand that the emotional response she displays in this situation is inappropriate. The narration registers an impatience and almost hostility with Marianne, especially in the words “inexcusable” and “ashamed”. The diction used in the narration here asserts that Marianne’s affectionate sensibility is unacceptable due to the fact that it not only negatively affects her family but her as well. It highlights the main flaw with her rapturous devotion — that it is so powerful it starts to become harmful.
The novel would be considered a satirical narration of the “cult of sensibility” and a promotion of rationality if Austen didn’t apply the same criticism towards Elinor’s sense. For example, when Elinor first learns that she has lost Edward to Lucy Steele, she is able to keep relative control of herself, but she begins to break down, in her speech and her behavior. “Engaged to Mr. Edward Ferrars! — I confess myself so totally surprised at what you tell me, that really— I beg your pardon; but surely there must be some mistake of person or name. We cannot mean the same Mr. Ferrars.” Even with all the dashes and fragmented sentences Elinor finds a way to remain polite to Lucy and in turn, keeps herself from losing her structure. She saves herself from any humiliation and shields her mother and sister from any suffering, but this results in Elinor enduring this painful information for months. In this scenario and numerous others, Elinor is repeatedly concealing her emotions to spare the feelings of others, which only results in negative outcomes for her state of mind. This highlights the main flaw with her restraint — that it is so powerful it starts to become harmful. At this point, Austen is imparting to the reader that an excess of either sense or sensibility can be destructive by making Elinor and Marianne’s extreme temperaments the cause of their pain. Marianne’s overt expression of her emotions led to heartbreak. She rushed into a relationship with Willoughby out of pure passion and he turned out to be a man of poor character. Elinor’s belief in using one’s head and her refusal to succumb to her emotions was unhealthy. After discovering that Lucy Steele and Edward had a secret engagement, she shared her heartbreak with no one, and as a result of that, carried the weight of that grief alone. At this point in the novel, this perceived conception that is painted of “sense vs. sensibility” is turning into a fight where both sides are losing miserably.
Victory is finally reached though once Elinor and Marianne learn how to balance reason and emotion and Austen sets forth this creation of balance through the closure of the novel. Towards the resolution both Elinor and Marianne are starting to exhibit traits that differ from their originally dramatized personas. Elinor, though representing sense, does not lack passion. For example, when she hears that Edward is in fact not married to Lucy Steele, Austen writes, “Elinor could sit no longer. She almost ran out of the room, and as soon as the door was closed, burst into tears of joy, which at first she thought would never cease.” Here, Elinor disregards her rationality for just a second and allows her true feelings to be unconcealed. After wallowing in her grief alone for months, Elinor comes to understand the goodness of expressing her emotion and as a result of that she ends up marrying Edward. Similarly, Marianne, though representing sensibility, is not always impulsive and stubborn. For example, when she explains to Elinor the plans of her future after recovering from her illness, she states, “I have laid down my plan, and if I am capable of adhering to it — my feelings shall be governed and my temper improved. They shall no longer worry others, nor torture myself”. After Marianne’s heartbreak she learns that her previously excessive emotions were causing harm to her and others and that emotion tempered by reason is preferable. She no longer has to feel “ashamed” or have her actions feel “inexcusable”. As a result of this, Marianne marries Colonel Brandon for logical reasons and ends up finding her own happiness in forming his. Both Elinor and Marianne learn how to identify and convey their sentiments while also retaining their dignity and self-restraint. Through this closure, Austen promotes a balance between sense and sensibility by having Elinor and Marianne reach true happiness once they create that balance.
Too much of anything is good for nothing. Jane Austen exemplifies this by introducing a false divide between sense and sensibility and using narration to critique that divide. Neither of these extreme behaviors are acceptable, rather a necessary balance of the two is preferred, which is disclosed through the closure of the novel that results in a disambiguate happy ending due to the heart and the mind working hand in hand to formulate a real relationship. It is through this balance that one will be able to achieve happiness, which is why Sense and Sensibility is remembered as a conjunction of terms, rather than a division. This is “The Golden Mean”.
