Margaret Dashwood: In Between Two Worlds, The Importance of Minor Characters, Part 2

This is part 2 in my importance of minor characters series. This time it is Margaret Dashwood from Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.

Austen states in the novel that Margaret isn’t like either of her sisters, with Elinor’s decorum and Marianne’s overstated emotions. And because of this she lacks a certain amount of sense. But I would have to say that she displays a lot more than that. Serving, perhaps albeit a more hidden role, but also an important one.

At 13 she is not quite an adult yet, nor is she still completely a child, so perhaps she shows how as adults we need to keep in touch with our inner child, so we can see the lighter side of life. And which if both her sisters adhered to this more, Elinor might see the good in things more, as she is more adult like; and Marianne might be less emotional, capable of controlling herself as she can act childlike in this way. But like Margaret maybe they both need part of what she represents, Elinor to be more childlike and Marianne behave more like an adult.

So this is why Margaret Dashwood is another of my secret favourite characters as she shows how we can be blissful by remembering our childlike ways in an adult world. And, again further showing the importance of minor characters. All hail Margaret!––L.P. Kirkbride, 18 June, 2024