A good example of free indirect discourse in Jane Austen’s Persuasion is in Chapter 1, where the paragraph discusses the lives of Sir Walter in relation to his three children. These lines describe Sir Walter’s relationship and feelings towards each of his three daughters: Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary. In the line, “Be it known then that Sir Walter, like a good father… prided himself on remaining single for his dear daughters’ sake,” the passage seems to come from Sir Walter’s own perspective, because it states Sir Walter’s own personal reasons for remaining single. However, the speaker of the line is indefinite because the sentence could also possibly be referring to how Sir Walter publicly presents himself. It could be that Sir Walter uses his daughters as an excuse to display himself as a sort of martyr to the public, while secretly having other reasons for remaining a single man; this makes it possible that someone might derisively be pointing out this face from a third person’s view of Sir Walter.
Another example of free indirect discourse in this paragraph is in the line, “Elizabeth had succeeded at sixteen, to all that was possible, of her mother’s rights and consequence; and being very handsome, and very like himself [Sir Walter]… her influence had always been great.” In these lines, it is very likely that Sir Walter’s thoughts are being echoed, because the readers are told earlier that Sir Walter is very vain and prides himself in being very good-looking and influential. However, it is equally likely that the narrator, or whoever is thinking these lines, is simply being sarcastic with reference to Sir Walter. Sir Walter may very well be beautiful and magnificent in his own way, but in 17th century era and even in present-day society, it is not socially acceptable for men to be very conscious of their looks. Sir Walter’s character has often been viewed as very womanly, and this might be a third person’s snide remark on Sir Walter’s high notion of himself.
Another example of free indirect discourse in this paragraph is in the line, “Elizabeth had succeeded at sixteen, to all that was possible, of her mother’s rights and consequence; and being very handsome, and very like himself [Sir Walter]… her influence had always been great.” In these lines, it is very likely that Sir Walter’s thoughts are being echoed, because the readers are told earlier that Sir Walter is very vain and prides himself in being very good-looking and influential. However, it is equally likely that the narrator, or whoever is thinking these lines, is simply being sarcastic with reference to Sir Walter. Sir Walter may very well be beautiful and magnificent in his own way, but in 17th century era and even in present-day society, it is not socially acceptable for men to be very conscious of their looks. Sir Walter’s character has often been viewed as very womanly, and this might be a third person’s snide remark on Sir Walter’s high notion of himself.
The line, “His two other children were of very inferior value… but Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweet of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister,” also involves ambiguity between Sir Walter and a narrator-type figure. On one hand, Sir Walter’s views about his other two children are described; Elizabeth means a great deal to him, but Anne and Mary are somewhat taken for granted. On the other hand, all of this is said with a mocking tinge. This tone becomes very obvious when, in a single sentence, Anne is praised for her wit and intelligence, but also described as unimportant and inferior, at least with respect to her father and her eldest sister. Here, the concept of free indirect discourse again comes to the forefront, because two completely opposed viewpoints are amply backed up in a single sentence.
Free indirect discourse has both positives and negatives. Among the negatives is the fact that the speaker is never really identified, and as the reader, we are never quite sure of the accuracy of the facts we are reading, especially when we find two completely contradictory facts that stated with much detail. However, the positives include the fact that this confusion builds upon the theme of the piece. Much of the novel Persuasion is based on what people say and think about others, and how those opinions may or may not necessarily be accurate. Just as there is ambiguity in life with regards to people in society, there is ambiguity with regards to the characters in this book. The characters can be interpreted in many different ways, according to the reader, and this allows for a greater scope in terms of analyzing the underlying occurrences of the novel.
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