Missed Blog week 2

The fact that Sir Thomas supported his vast estate from his farms out in the west indies had been made clear in the novel. His land was in Antigua, a place where slave labor was widely used, yet this place was known for its ethical treatment of its slave, yet at the same time due to absentee landlords abuses of the slaves became common. Sir Thomas Bertram was one such absentee landlord, therefore it is wont be wrong that a series of ethical and moral abuses occurred in his absence or silence upon the slaves he held. This situation can be compared to the situation at home, a place that could be seen as a extension of his land abroad, as he ruled it with a firm yet gracious hand rather like a benevolent slavemaster, however his silence or absence led to an abuse of power. Thus Mrs Norris, utilized the power she gained from his silence to tyrannize Fanny, becoming  a hard task master, a cruel and severe slave driver. Similarly his absence form Mansfield Park led to disorder and mayhem that had far reaching consequence, especially for Maria. Similarly, just as important it is for a slave to never find out about his slavedom by associating with freed, flourishing slaves, it became important to restrict the interaction of the inhabitants of Mansfield to interact with the free and liberal citizens to maintain the social hierarchy. Thus it was only after Julia and Maria ventured into outside territory of London did they revolt and seek to overcome their position in life by eloping. similarly Fanny only became spirited and confident after her interactions with the more liberated Mary Crawford.
therefore, while these two places are paralleled social places it is important that they do not overlap, and remain distant to keep the balance and harmony, hence any mention of the colonies will be silenced to keep the domestic illusion alive and maintain its sense of moral superiority.