Mansfield Park Q&A
Why did Mrs. Prince have very little contact with her sister?
Because she married against her family’s wishes to a penniless and uneducated sailor. She was too proud to ask her sisters for help.
How did Mrs. Norris influence her nieces, Maria and Julia?
Mrs. Norris influenced her nieces by spoiling them and constantly telling them how wonderful they were.
What did Mrs. Norris suggest a year after receiving Mrs. Prince’s letter and why?
Mrs. Norris suggested inviting one of Emma’s children to come and stay with them at Mansfield Park.
What reservations did Sir Thomas have about Fanny coming to live in Mansfield Park?
Sir Thomas wanted to make the arrangements for Fanny’s journey as pleasant as possible, and to help her be comfortable in her new home.
How did Fanny feel when she first came to live at Mansfield Park?
Fanny was extremely unhappy. Afraid of everybody, ashamed of herself, and missing terribly the home she had left, Fanny could hardly up or speak without crying.
What made Fanny feel better?
One morning her cousin Edmund found her crying and helped her write a letter to her older brother that she had promised to send, and from that day on, her cousin began to understand her better. Fanny felt that she had a friend.
Why did Sir Thomas decide to take Tom to Antigua?
To give the young man the opportunity to learn the business. At the same time, it would keep Tom away from certain young people who Sir Thomas thought were having a bad influence on his son.
How did the various members of the family react to Sir Thomas’ departure?
Maria and Julia weren’t at all sorry to see him go because he was strict and old-fashioned. As for Fanny, she wished that she could be sorry about her uncle’s journey, but she was relieved because she hadn’t yet learned to love him. Lady Bertram, however, was unhappy that Sir Thomas was going away, but out of her own selfishness.
Why did Maria decide to marry Mr. Rushworth?
Because Mr. Rushworth is extremely wealthy, and he could give Maria the freedom of having an elegant house, which was what Maria wanted: a home of her own and no need to listen to her father.
What effect did growing up in Admiral and Mrs. Crawford’s home have on Henry and Mary?
The effect was that Mary and Henry learned all about the pleasure of living in a wealthy home, but they didn’t learn correct values for life.
What plans did Mrs. Grant have for Mary and Henry?
Mrs. Grant planned to introduce Mary and Henry to their neighbors at Mansfield Park with the purpose of helping them make good marriages.
What did Yates introduce to Mansfield Park and how did Edmund react to this?
Yates introduced home theatricals to Mansfield Park. Edmund knew that his father would disapprove of the theatricals and he tried hard to stop them, but the others didn’t listen.
Why was Mr. Rushworth unhappy?
Mr. Rushworth was unhappy because he was seeing his future wife together with Henry.
Why did Mary decide to become friends with Fanny?
Mary wanted to become friends with Fanny because she was bored and wanted company; also, she would also get more opportunities to see Edmund.
Why were Julia and Maria unhappy?
Julia was unhappy because Henry showed no interest in her, and Maria was also unhappy because she was too proud to let anyone know how much Henry had hurt her.
How did Fanny fill the gap after the Rushworths and Julia had left?
She became a pleasant companion for the family and she joined in the conversation more.
Why was Fanny happy when her brother, William, came for a visit to Mansfield Park?
Fanny was happy when her brother came because it’s been years since Fanny had seen any of her family.
In what way did Henry change at the ball?
Henry started to realize that he was actually falling in love with Fanny, and that it was no longer a game.
Why did Mary encourage Henry to marry Fanny?
Mary encouraged Henry to marry Fanny because she knew that this marriage had advantages for herself. The main reason was because she would have more opportunities to speak to Edmund.
Why did Fanny talk to Henry more warmly than usual?
Because Henry helped her brother William to become a lieutenant with the help of his uncle, and she was just showing appreciation for the help.
How did the Bertram family react to Fanny’s refusal to marry Henry?
The Bertram family was somewhat disappointed and surprised that Fanny refused the marriage, but they accepted her decision.
Why was it difficult for Fanny to forget Henry?
It was difficult for Fanny to forget Henry because when Mary went to London, she wrote regular letters to Fanny always mentioning Henry and his feelings for Fanny.
Why did Fanny worry about her brother’s and sisters reactions to her?
She was worried because her siblings may not even remember her and were no longer interested in her, and also because her siblings were probably jealous of her because she had been living in a rich home for her last eight years.
What did Fanny realize she must be careful about?
She realized that she had to be careful not comparing her home with her home at Mansfield Park, because she didn’t want her family to think that she was critical of them or their home.
How did Mr. Price react to Fanny’s arrival?
Mr. Price didn’t have any reaction to Fanny’s arrival, he just welcomed her briefly and didn’t pay much more attention to her after that.
What faults did Fanny see in her mother?
Her mother was lazy by nature, was a bad organizer, she had no idea of how to control servants or her children, she didn’t cook very well and the food was served late, she wasn’t the clothes on time before they had to wear them, and she didn’t educate the kids correctly.
How did Fanny and Susan’s relationship change after Fanny bought the little knife for Betsey?
Fanny and Susan got closer after Fanny bought a little knife for Betsey and gave Susan the knife back. Fanny’s action made Susan very grateful to Fanny because no one in the family had ever done anything so kind for her before.
What surprised and worried Fanny about the letters she received?
Fanny was surprised that Aunt Bertram wrote a letter to her because her aunt rarely did anything that required an effort and that made Fanny think that her aunt missed her. Also, Fanny was worried about Edmund’s letters because she didn’t get any letter from Edmund for a week, she wondered what happened to Edmund and that concerned her a bit.
What did Mary think about Tom’s illness?
She thought that if Tom died, Edmund would be the son to inherit his father’s wealth and if she married Edmund, she would become the Lady Bertram. She liked this idea.
What shocking news did Mr. Price read in the newspaper?
The news said that Maria Rushworth left her husband and gone off with another man.
Why did Henry agree to Maria’s plan?
Henry agreed to her plan because she was attractive, charming, and also because he wanted to forget Fanny and her refusal to marry him.
How did Sir Thomas decide to a) help and b) punish Maria?
a. Sir Thomas helped Maria by taking her back to Mansfield Park.
b. He punished her by not letting Maria live with them at Mansfield Park and buying her a house in another part of the country.
How did Sir Thomas’ decision affect Mrs. Norris?
After Sir Thomas’ decision, Mrs. Norris didn’t know what to do else at Mansfield Park, because no one needed her anymore at Mansfield Park, also because she felt guilty for encouraging Maria to marry Mr. Rushworth at the beginning.
What excellent idea did Lady Bertram propose?
Lady Bertram proposed to bring Fanny back from Portsmouth.
What else did Sir Thomas suggest they do and why?
Sir Thomas suggested to invite Susan to go live at Mansfield Park with them because Fanny would also feel better if she had her sister with her.
What subject did Fanny and Edmund avoid talking about on the journey back to Mansfield Park and why?
They both avoided talking about Mary Crawford, firstly because Fanny didn’t want to hear how wonderful Mary was, and secondly, Edmund didn’t talk about his feelings about Mary because Susan was with them, and he couldn’t talk frankly.
What made Julia decide to elope with Yates?
Julia eloped with Yates because she saw a way of escape. She didn’t want to be at Mansfield Park because his father would be even stricter than ever, and she was looking for freedom.
How did Tom’s illness change him?
His illness made him become more serious and responsible.
What surprising discovery did Edmund make?
Edmund thought that Fanny had all the qualities that a man looked for in a wife and he found out that he loved Fanny and didn’t want her to be with another man, so he decided to marry Fanny.
Why didn’t Lady Bertram miss Fanny too much when Fanny moved out of Mansfield Park?
Because Susan soon took Fanny’s place as Lady Bertram’s companion after Fanny left Mansfield Park.