All Feelings Were Not Created Equal

Andrea
EN 185
11/18/5


There are two endings to Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion. The first, printed with the original edition, was pulled shortly after its release. It was then replaced by the ending we see in our copies today. Their outcomes are almost identical. However their ends are reached by vastly different means. It is in this difference that we can perhaps better see why Austen chose the second novel ending as opposed to the first. Although the original version is full of suspense and agony, these feelings provide the same effect as might a cheap parlor trick. Amusing for a moment, but all too soon forgotten. Not so in the second version. Not only does it mesh more cleanly with the rest of the novel, it is ultimately more effective both thematically and dramatically mainly because of its depiction of the main character, Anne.
The first difference one might note in the two endings is the fact that Anne physically is not in the same location, nor in the same mental state. In the first edition, Anne is stopped by Admiral Croft on the street and made to come to his home. This seems to be a rather random occurrence. What if Admiral Croft had not seen her walking down the street? This leaves us to question whether or not Anne and Captain Wentworth ever would have rejoined. So much is left to chance in a novel whose very title implies a sense of planning, awareness, and purpose. In the second version of the ending, Anne is delayed by the fact that she has “promised to be with the Musgroves from breakfast to dinner.” (166) She is in a large room, discussing love and romance with Captain Harville when Captain Wentworth decides to profess his feelings. This is not the result of a random sighting on the street, but rather stems from something Anne does throughout the novel, on an everyday basis. That is, discuss philosophical matters with her acquaintances. It is proper, and orderly and calm, much more consistent with Anne’s previous experiences in the novel.
On the subject of propriety, it is worth noting Captain Wentworth’s actions and composure. In both endings, they are quite different, the second ending matching much more consistently with the themes of the novel than the first. For example, in the first version, after declaring his affections for Anne, he seems rather out of character – abrupt and almost awkward. He is almost bear-like, grabbing her hand and blurting “Anne, my own dear Anne.” (189) This might be seen as a valid show of affection in many other cases, but this is coming from the utmost gentleman, calm, cool and intellectual. It seems much more likely that such a man would “pour out his feelings” (176) in a love letter as he does in the second version; and then seal the deal on a long walk. Walks, as is displayed many a time in the novel, are one of Anne’s favorite pastimes. Not, having “silent, but very powerful Dialogue,” (189) as is their manner of conversation in the original ending.
It is foreseeable that one might argue that the original ending is much more dramatic than the second version, thus more effective and the better of the two. After all, Captain Wentworth is placed in the most awkward of situations. Not only is he shy about his feelings toward Anne in the first place, but there is his “awkwardness of giving Information of this sort to one of the parties (‘of this sort’ meaning asking if she were engaged).” (188) And what if he had never found out that Anne still cared for him? It was to have been his last day in Bath! (192) Oh! Agony!
But whose agony is this? Certainly Captain Wentworth’s, and if Austen has done her job, so too the reader. But this story is not about Captain Wentworth’s point of view. It is a story about Anne, and Anne’s feelings, and Anne’s experiences. Although we are affected by Wentworth’s agony, this empathy is fleeting, because we do not know him beyond the scope of topical reports. Our feelings are intense, but fleeting. We have no reason to feel otherwise. The second ending is much more moving, and creates a much longer lasting impact. In the first version, Anne is indeed shocked to see the Captain, but her overwhelming desire is to “stifle feelings and be quietly polite,” (187) and leave as soon as possible. Once confronted by Wentworth, “Anne listened, as if her Life depended on the issue of his Speech,” (188) but this is not overly dramatic for her, this is how she listens to every word he utters. In the second, her entire world is turned upside down. For her, this ending provides a world in which “every moment provide[d] fresh agitation.” (173) She can barely speak, she cannot sit down (sitting down is “worse than all!” (173)), and is forced to “plead indisposition.” (173) Walking with another man is described as “almost cruel” (174) and when she finally does get the chance to meet the Captain in person, the best she can muster is to “command herself enough to receive [Captain Wentworth’s] look, and not repulsively.” (174) The woman couldn’t even force a smile, she was so overcome with emotion. Eventually, she becomes so “exquisitely happy” (175) that “an interval of meditation, serious and grateful was the best corrective of everything dangerous in such high-wrought felicity.” (179) Everything our main character has ever dreamed has come true. This is one of the most important moments of our main character’s life. The entire novel is about Anne’s dreams and experiences leading up to this moment. It only makes sense that we should see it through her eyes, and not those of another.
Although both endings are dramatic, it is the current ending that is truly the most. Although both Wentworth and Anne are madly in love neither are in such a way as to be clumsy, hasty, or un-collected. They have desperately fallen for each other in a civilized way. In other words, in a way consistent with the decorum of the preceding novel, thus making the scene more effective because it is more believable. It is dramatic and long remembered because we know Anne’s thoughts, we know her desires, we know her actions and thus we share her experiences in a much more powerful way than any other character in the novel. Austen chose the second ending because this is Anne’s story, and in that version, it came through with the most clarity.