Northanger Abbey Character Analysis

The societal expectation for young women includes marriage, class, and moral sense during the 18th century. Women looking for an engagement, must uphold high standards with strong morals as well as pureness in both body and mind. Jane Austen depicts the main characters of her novels as being strong individuals in the midst of these societal standards. These significant morals in Northanger Abbey, influence the characters, such as Catherine and Isabella, in how they make their decisions. Additionally, the main character Catherine Morland, a young lady, learns the ways of presenting herself in the best light possible. Plots of deception from Isabella, to assumptions made by General Tilney, establishes the wavering relationships amongst the characters
From a small group of Catherine, Isabella and Mr. Thorpe to a large social gathering, similar to a ball, these events place these characters in their assumed roles in society. In their small chats, the Morlands and the Thorpes get acquainted as they were “of being considered as already friends, through the friendship of their brothers, &c. which Catherine heard with pleasure, and answered with all the pretty expressions she could command” (Austen 27). In the conversation, Catherine tries to converse with elegance, in such a way that her answers to others’ questions will portray herself to seem like a suitable lady for any suitors possibly listening. While Catherine learns how to present herself in these social gatherings, Isabella has the older intelligence to teach Catherine, as she "set immoderate store by the effect [she] could make by [her] personal appearance, especially [her] dress,” as Cecil Emden, an Emeritus Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, describes Isabella as a woman of standards (282). He also compares Isabella to Camilla in Catharine, or the Bower, as they both parallel in their personality and demeanor: “They were both apt to indulge in extravagant statements; and, soon afterwards, they asserted the opposite with equal zest and assurance, and without the least sign of embarrassment or consciousness of the absurdity of their behaviour" (Emden 282). Isabella not only dresses herself to present an image, but also to establish her wealth, as high class women gain more attention of suitors, because of their family’s financial stability. In both of these situations, Isabella and Catherine show the importance of image within identity, as they use their appearance and conversation to display themselves suitable to other men and