Mansfield Park Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"Yes, we must suppose the faults of the niece to have been those of the aunt; and it makes one more sensible of the disadvantages she had been under" (7.9).

Edmund demonstrates the power that families have here, when he notes that Mary probably shares her aunt's faults. Edmund seems to have an idea about inheritable faults – kids have the same shortcomings as their guardians. The book overall seems to suggest something different, though: the faults of parents and guardians cause children to react and to develop different troubles in response.

Quote #5

With no material fault of temper, or difference of opinion, to prevent their being very good friends while their interests were the same, the sisters, under such a trial as this, had not affection or principle enough to make them merciful or just, to give them honour or compassion (7.21).

Julia and Maria have a rather unfortunate sister relationship here, and their lack of deep affection is blamed on their lack of a decent behavioral education. The two are too selfish to have a really good relationship. What's interesting is that none of the book's sisters seem to have a good, or very deep, relationship. Even Fanny and Susan lack a deep bond or good friendship, even though they get along well enough.

Quote #6

He had known many disagreeable fathers before, and often been struck with the inconveniences they occasioned, but never, in the whole course of his life, had he seen one of the class so unintelligibly moral, so infamously tyrannical, as Sir Thomas (20.10).

This hilariously over-the-top assessment of Sir Thomas as some sort of mustache-twirling arch-villain gives us some good insight into Mr. Yates. Obsessed with acting and the theater, Mr. Yates seems to have an overactive imagination and his whole sense of reality revolves around fiction. Fiction is, of course, where crazy "tyrannical" fathers are usually found.