Be HeededSay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay What Role Does Deception Play in Courtship? In marriage? In Volume I of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Henry and Mary Crawford engage in conversation with their sister, Mrs. Grant, about this very question. The conversation takes place shortly after the Crawfords arrive at the vicarage to stay with Mrs. Grant and becomes an early introduction to the characters' beliefs, as well as their opinions of the Bertrams. The passage not only employs dramatic irony, it foreshadows the romantic turmoil that awaits us and also gives the reader deeper insight into the characters' beliefs regarding marriage and courtship. The passage presents two examples of dramatic irony. The first is Henry's assertion that "Miss Bertram is very fond of Mr. Rushworth," which is followed by his statement that he "thinks too highly of Miss Bertram to suppose that she would ever give him her hand without his heart” (34). Both of these statements reflect his opinion of Maria Bertram's motives, but they also imply that he favors her. His sisters take these statements as proof that he was "duped" or, in other words, deceived (34). As the reader may already know, Henry's initial assumptions are in fact wrong. This is an example of dramatic irony: because there is “a gap between a character's perception and what the reader or audience knows to be true” (Murfin and Ray 224). This dramatic irony is echoed in Mary's thought that Tom Bertram “had more vivacity and gallantry than Edmund and was therefore to be preferred; she knew it was her way” (Austen 35). Mary's other words and actions in this part of the novel reveal that she not only wants Tom because he is lively and gallant, but also because he is the eldest of the Bertram sons and will therefore inherit of the domain. This initial deduction and decision on Mary's part to "prefer" Tom to Edmund is soon proven wrong, as is Henry's initial opinion of Maria. Mary turns out to favor Edmund for the simple reason that Tom has been out of town for a long time. When the reader is confronted with this change in Mary's decision, he or she is reminded of Mary's first resolve and how easily it was forgotten. This is not the only instance in which Mary betrays her own beliefs about how women should behave during courtship. In this passage, Mary expresses her view that being "taken care of" is a natural part of any marriage, wherever it is, of everyone. transactions, the one in which people expect the most from others and are themselves the least honest (34). This statement speaks to his belief that marriage is a “business of maneuvering,” in which people must deceive one another in order to gain favor and acceptance. This assertion, however, is reversed later in the novel when Mary continues to bluntly express her disgust with clergymen and their pay, but Edmund, who is determined to become an ordained minister himself, continues to pursue it. Even though she is brutally honest about her opinions, he is undeterred and still seeks her hand in marriage. She makes no attempt to hide her true feelings, even if they are unpleasant and offensive to Edmund, and yet none of this stops Edmund from pursuing her. This refutes his initial sentiment that marriage is initially based on deception and that all married (and soon-to-be-married) couples cheat on each other in hopes of winning, 2003.