Imagination In Northanger Abbey By Catherine Moreland

Imagination: It’s All in Your Head
In Northanger Abbey, Catherine Moreland let her imagination get the best her in numerous occasions. On some occasions she struggles with separating the reality of society in Bath from Gothic novels she read avidly. In others, she is simply naïve to the inner characters of those around her. It can be argued that this could have ultimately have lead her astray, away from Henry Tilney, and away from Bath, with a distasteful reputation.
Catherine is a young, beautiful woman who travels to Bath based on an invitation from family friends. Coming from Fullerton, it can be said that her prior experiences with wealthy people and their lifestyle is slim. Adjusting to the lifestyle of the wealthy in Bath could be challenging
With this invitation follows multiple occasions in which Catherine struggles with her imagination. Catherine thinks the abbey will be a Gothic mansion with old chests and hidden passages. This is what she had dreamt of and she was very excited to take a stay in something that resembles something she had read so much about. Upon her arrival at the Abbey her imagination rushes. Every corner of the house could be something out of the ordinary hidden in secret, waiting for her to find. Inside her guestroom, she spots a big chest. This triggered a multitude of thoughts about what could be inside. Thoughts of a dead body, or a clue leading to something evil filled her head. Her imagination was overwhelming her. Inside the chest are Mrs. Tilney’s old hats. Catherine was let down. This example of how Catherine lets her imagination run wild shows that her maturity level is also low. Yes, she has a big imagination but to think that if the Tilney’s actually had something to hide as horrible as a dead body, they would not actually have you live in the same room where you could possibly find it. In this case, her imagination could have led her astray, because by snooping into someone else’s chest, she is being rude and invasive. Although the Tilney’s had no idea she took a peak, it is certain they also would not be happy about the fact that Catherine actually imagined there to be a body or evil secret in there. This
Throughout society, he is known to be lavish gentlemen. He is involved heavily with money. On the first day at Northanger Abbey, General Tilney shows Catherine around and takes her around the entire estate. This may not seem like it is an important point but the General is under the false pretentions that Catherine comes from a wealthy family that Henry Tilney, his son, can marry into and inherit even more wealth. Although Catherine is not by any means poor, she is not as wealthy as he was lead to believe by John Thorpe. The General is braggadocios and it shows when he shows off his money by taking Catherine around the estate, but she does not even care about the money. Catherine just wants to see the interesting and Gothic things she had been imagining and hoping for. Yes, the General is being nice to her, but he would not be as nice if he knew how much the Moreland family was truly worth. The inner motif of the General is not just to be kind to her, but to show her what she can have if she marries Henry. Catherine is blind to this fact which is why at the end of the story the general’s true colors show when he banishes Henry from the family and forbids Catherine of her marriage to him. “She finds herself inhabiting General Tilney’s establishment, subject to the vagaries of a man whom at first she feels obliged to believe the flawless because of her attachment to his children” (Spack