Amna's Post: The Ideal Man-- A Righteous Bore

*Note: Submitted Sunday midnight 

Edmund Bertram has been painted as the most desirable man in Mansfield Park, not because of his appearance, stature or financial prospects but because of the balance he offers in terms of sense and sensibility. Not only is he conscious of the conventions that propel his society but also tries to extend his apparent wisdom to those around him- his sisters, Fanny and the Crawfords- so that no wrongdoing is committed in his presence. His efforts are vain to an extent; he is unable to prevent his engaged sister from flirting with Henry Crawford; he becomes quickly embroiled in the shackles of Mary Crawford, who is far from a polite, decent young woman who would suit him; he also fails to stop his comrades from enacting “Lovers’ Vows”, in fact, he himself ends up acting a few inappropriate scenes with Mary, much to the excitement of his infatuated heart.

Moreover, Edmund starts out to be the only person who is sensitive to the position of Fanny and goes out of his way to  make her comfortable and defends her when she is in need. This can be seen as his need to help all around him. In his ambition to become a clergyman, Edmund deems it imperative to begin his role as a “preacher” at home, as he is often seeing giving advice to those around him and protecting them from moral hazards. This is especially evident when the young people are deciding which play to perform and Edmund expresses his strict disapproval of the one chosen by them. While Edmund has done his best to stop everyone from indulging themselves with a silly play, he is not the patriarch, and does not have his power or his authority, and can only do his best in the absence of his father, Thomas Bertram, whose sudden return quickly reinstates order at Mansfield Park.

There is a side of Edmund that takes pleasure in activities that his age fellows participate in, dancing, for instance, but there are many things of popular interest that do not attract him, like money and fashion, much to the dismay of Mary Crawford. Thus Edmund comes out to be the righteous young man who is able to deny himself materialistic and superficial things in life. As Edmund would not be able to afford such frivolities in future due to his choice of career, this can be seen as very sensible on his part. Simultaneously, it leaves the reader frustrated because we’d like to see Edmund step out of his shell and be bold, as that is what would make his character grow and become more dynamic.