Essay on Mansfield Park: Summary of Chapters and Character Analysis

Chapter 1

Characters

• Mrs. Price

Mrs. Price is Fanny Price’s mother and has 9 children. Her family is not very rich, so she decides to send Fanny to live with the Bertrams.

• Mrs. Norris

Mrs. Norris is Fanny’s aunt, and is very dramatic, self-righteous, and does not like Fanny, as she keeps saying that she is different from the Bertrams, and is lowly.

• Sir Thomas Bertram

Thomas Bertram is Fanny’s uncle and is a very rich man. He wants what is best for Fanny.

• Lady Bertram

Lady Bertram is Fanny’s aunt and the sister of Mrs. Price and Mrs. Norris.

• Fanny Price

She is the Protagonist of the story, and one of the children of the Price family.

Summary

There are three sisters in the story, Lady Bertram, and Mrs. Price have children. One of the sisters had the “good luck” to marry Sir Thomas, and successfully marries him, becoming Lady Bertram. Mrs. Price married a lieutenant, and the other two sisters became angry and cut contact with her for 11 years. After 11 years, Mrs. Price wrote a letter to Lady Bertram, worrying about her children. The letter establishes a connection with the sisters, and Lady Bertram helps Mrs. Price. Mrs. Norris decides that someone should take care of Fanny Price and ease Mrs. Price a little bit. However, Sir Thomas approaches this problem very carefully and doesn’t agree or disagree to take Fanny in easily. Mrs. Norris tells Sir Thomas that Fanny should be distinguished and should not be considered a lady Bertram. After going back and forth, Sir Thomas finally agrees. The next day, Mrs. Norris sends a letter to Mrs. Price, saying they will take Fanny in, as a servant. Mrs. Price agrees and hopes that her child will benefit from the change of environment.

How it made me feel

Mrs. Price losing her dignity over marrying a poor person made me upset because she only did this because of true love, not because of money or fame. Fanny, getting sent to the Bertram family because Mrs. Price couldn’t afford her expenses made me pity her because she has to get separated from her family simply because of financial problems, But I felt joy because now she has more chances than before. It was irritating and frustrating that Mrs. Norris kept reminding Sir Thomas that Fanny is a “lower class” person, and should be treated differently from the other Bertram children.

Chapter 2

Characters

• Edmund Bertram

Edmund Bertram is the son of Sir Thomas Bertram, and Fanny’s cousin, and is very nice to Fanny, and Fanny likes him.

• Tom Bertram

Tom Bertram is the son of Sir Thomas Bertram and Fanny’s cousin, and he is very rich.

• Julia Bertram

Julia Bertram is the son of Sir Thomas Bertram and Fanny’s cousin, and she is very well-mannered and good-looking.

• Maria Bertram

Maria Bertram is the son of Sir Thomas Bertram, and Fanny’s cousin, and she is well mannered as well, and good-looking.

• William Price

William Price is the Son of Mrs. Price, and Fanny’s brother, and now a sailor, thanks to Sir Thomas.

Summary

Fanny Travels safely to Mansfield Park. Fanny is described as a fragile, shy ten-year-old with a sweet voice. Sir Thomas tries to make her feel comfortable but fails. Fanny then meets the Bertram children, Edmund, Tom, Maria, and Julia. Maria and Julia’s good manners and good looked very different and polite than Fanny. Fanny, who is uncomfortable and frightened, avoids eye contact. Mrs. Norris scolds Fanny for being ungrateful, which makes Fanny even more uncomfortable, and guilty. She then begins to cry and she is taken to her bed. Later, Mrs. Norris complained that Fanny was rude, and thought her sadness was excessive. That day, Julia and Maria are surprised by Fanny’s lack of knowledge of French, and the little number of clothes she has. Fanny feels unwelcome because of the servants, who make critical comments on her manners and looks. After a week of Fanny’s discomfort, Edmund finds her crying on the stairs. Edmund tries his best to make her comfortable. Edmund understands that it will be very challenging for him to make her feel comfortable. But, he succeeds and Fanny begins to feel more comfortable. She starts to play with Maria and Julia, Edmund doesn’t stop being nice to her, and Tom brings her presents. Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris are now thinking of adopting her, but Fanny’s lack of knowledge is somewhat difficult, and Mrs. Norris explains to Maria and Julia that she is not as smart as they are. Sir Thomas finds a job for William Price, but his new job worries Fanny. William tells Fanny sailing stories and eases her mind. Because of Edmund’s affection towards her, Fanny begins to like her.

How it made me feel

Edmund being nice to Fanny gave me a glimmer of hope for Fanny because up until now, she was treated like a random stranger, not a part of the family. Sir Thomas now thinking of adopting her made me feel happy for her because now it is guaranteed that she will live a better life. But, before Edmund stepped in, I was really upset for her, because she was constantly crying, and feeling anxious.

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Chapter 3

Summary

After Mr. Norris died, Mrs. Norris moves into a smaller house, and her income lowers. Dr. Grant takes his place. Though Edmund was supposed to inherit his wealth, he uses it to pay Tom’s debt from gambling. Sir Thomas thinks that Mrs. Norris would take Fanny in because she would want company. When Fanny learns this, she is distressed, but Edmund eases her. But, Mrs. Norris refuses to do so. Mrs. Norris moves into the white house, and the Grants move into the parsonage. Sir Thomas and Tom then leave, going to England. Though Sir Thomas was sad to leave, Lady Bertram, Maria, Julia, and Fanny were pleased.

How it made me feel

I felt bad for Edmund because he used his inheritance to pay his stupid brother’s debt. Tom not feeling bad for him that much made me angry too. Sir Thomas feeling sad to leave made me sad too. When I learned that even Fanny was pleased when he was gone made me even sadder. They almost didn’t care.

Chapter 4

Summary

Surprisingly, not many changes while Sir Thomas was gone. Edmund takes care of Mansfield. Mrs. Norris hopes to tell them Sir Thomas and Tom had an accident and to be the center of all attention. But, the family hears the news they got there safely, and Mrs. Norris was disappointed. Winter passes. Unfortunately, Fanny’s beloved pony dies in spring, leaving Fanny sick due to a lack of exercise. When Edmund returns, he wants to buy her a horse, but Mrs. Norris tells him it would make Fanny similar to Julia and Maria’s position in the house. Edmund rejects all of Mrs. Norris’ reasons and buys her a horse. She was very excited and was touched by his kindness. Tom comes back because Sir Thomas had to stay in Antigua longer. Mrs. Norris hopes that Maria would marry someone. Luckily, Mr. Rushworth, a rich man takes an interest in Maria, and Mrs. Norris approves of the match. She then tries to increase the chances of them marrying. Mrs. Norris eventually becomes friends with Mr. Rushworth’s mother. After dancing, Maria and Mrs. Rushworth becomes fixed on the engagement. Edmund thought that Maria wanted Mr. Rushworth because of his wealth, not love. Sir Thomas also approves of the match and asks her to wait until he returns, so that he can watch the wedding. In July, Henry and Mary come to stay with Mrs. Grant. She was happy because she didn’t have a child.

Chapter 5

Summary

When the Bertrams and Crawfords meet each other for the first time, they like each other. Henry wins Maria and Julia’s love. But, Maria felt conflicted because she was engaged with Mr. Rushworth. Mary and Henry considers relationships with the Bertrams. Henry tells that he considers Maria, and Mary takes interest in Tom, due to his position in his Family. Mary didn’t understand why Fanny didn’t take interest in Henry.

How it made me feel

Chapter 6

Summary

Tom leaves Mansfield. Mr. Rushworth comes to Mansfield for the first time. Mrs. Norris praises his wealth and talks about the apricot tree she planted in the Parsonage. Dr. Grant tells her that the fruits are bad, which offends her. Dr. Grant acts quickly and tells her he hadn’t tried that much. Fanny hopes to see Sotherton when Mr. Rushworth tells them he would make improvements. Mary learns Edmund is polite. Edmund learns she doesn’t like her uncle. When Edmund learns that Mary plays harp, he expresses his wish to hear her play. They then talk with each other. Meanwhile, in the party, they ask Henry for his opinions, because he has experience. Mrs. Norris suggests they all go to Sotherton.

How it made me feel

Chapter 7

Summary

Edmund asks Fanny what she thought about Mary. They share their opinions. When Mary’s harp arrives, they go to the parsonage daily to hear her play. Edmund begins to love Mary, and this hurts Fanny. Especially, when the Grants, Henry, and Edmund watched Mary ride the horse Edmund got her. When Fanny comes to Mary, she apologizes, and Mary gets off the horse. That night, Edmund asks Fanny if she would like to ride with them tomorrow. Fanny refuses. For 4 days, they go out to ride horses. Edmund and Julia are invited for dinner, but Maria was not invited. This was because Mr. Rushworth had to pay her a visit. She was angry that she didn’t even get the invitation, and got even more frustrated when Mr. Rushworth didn’t come. Fanny had a headache and was lying on a sofa. Mrs. Norris scolds her for not doing work. Edmund becomes angry at Mrs. Norris when he learns that Fanny has been doing too much work. Edmund was annoyed at Lady Bertram, Mrs. Norris, and himself for not giving her attention. Edmund promises himself that it would never happen again.

How it made me feel

Chapter 8

Summary

The next day Fanny begins to ride her horse. While she was out, Mr. Rushworth comes to Mansfield to plan a visit to Sotherton. Mary and Mrs. Grant arrive at Mansfield. They learn about the trip to Sotherton. Lady Bertram refuses to come, but Mrs. Rushworth keeps trying. After a while, Mrs. Norris tells her that Lady Bertram would be too tired to travel that far. Mrs. Rushworth stops trying. Mary was invited, and she comes with them. Edmund makes an offer that since there was enough space in Henry’s carriage, they should take Fanny with them. Lady Bertram tells him that she would allow it, but she needs Fanny’s company. But, Edmund offers to stay with Lady Bertram, in order to let Fanny go. Finally, after Mrs. Norris’ disagreement, Fanny was decided to go. Then, Mrs. Grant decides to stay with Lady Bertram. On their trip to Sotherton, Maria and Henry start to get romantic. Julia gets jealous. Maria had forgotten her engagement with Mr. Rushworth.

How it made me feel

Chapter 9

Summary

They head to the house, after discussing about the improvements they can make while eating their meal. Fanny was delighted and excited. They then enter the chapel. Mary starts to disapprove of religion and says that it is boring. Fanny was furious, but she gets eased by Edmund. When Mary learns that Edmund was going to become a clergyman after saying such things about religion, she was shocked and apologizes. Mary, Edmund, and Fanny then discuss about Edmund’s choice to become a clergyman, while walking in the woods. Mary wishes that Edmund would not become a clergyman, because it is a very simple job. Edmund disagrees and Fanny sides with him. Fanny starts to get tired and asks to rest for a little. When Mary insists to walk more. Edmund tells Fanny should rest a little more, so he walks off to the iron gate with Mary, leaving Fanny.

How it made me feel

Chapter 10

Summary

Because she was left for so long, Mr. Rushworth, Mary, and Henry bump into her. Fanny explains why she was left behind, and they all sit down. They decide to go to a mound because it was pretty close, but Mr. Rushworth goes back because he had forgotten the key to the iron gate. Maria and Henry discuss about Him and Julia back in the carriage. Silence begins to fill in. Henry suggests jumping over the fence, and Maria agrees. Fanny disagrees, but they leave while she was expressing her opinion. Julia then comes and asks her where Henry and Maria are. She explains what happened, and Julia decides to catch up with them. Julia leaves, because she has “had enough” of the Rushworth's. Then, Mr. Rushworth comes to her and asks what happened to everybody. She explains, and he was upset. He decides to not go to the mound. Mr. Rushworth asks her if she likes Henry, and Fanny tells him she does not like Henry, and Mr. Rushworth agrees. When Fanny finds Mary and Edmund, they were laughing joyfully, and Fanny was hurt. They go back to the house, to wait for the rest of the group. After they regroup, they have dinner, and the Bertrams leave. On their way back, Mrs. Norris talks about all the presents she got. Then, the carriage was quiet.