Mansfield Park · Chapter
XXXVII explained
Fanny prepares to leave Mansfield Park for Portsmouth, feeling deep sorrow at parting from her family, especially Edmund.
What happens
Fanny prepares to leave Mansfield Park for Portsmouth, feeling deep sorrow at parting from her family, especially Edmund. Sir Thomas hopes she will miss Henry Crawford's attentions, but Fanny is more troubled by Mary Crawford's growing influence over Edmund. William Price visits Mansfield Park before his ship sails.
Themes in this chapter
Home and Belonging
Fanny's departure from Mansfield Park and her hopes for a warm reception in Portsmouth explore the tension between her adopted home and her biological family.
Marriage and Morality
Fanny's anxiety over Edmund's potential marriage to Mary Crawford underscores the moral incompatibility she perceives between them.
Appearance vs. Reality
Sir Thomas misreads Fanny's emotions, expecting regret over Henry Crawford, while Fanny's true distress stems from Mary Crawford's influence on Edmund.
Characters to notice
- Fanny Price
Fanny is sad to leave Mansfield Park, but hopes that time in Portsmouth will help her regain composure and distance herself from Edmund's situation with Mary Crawford.
- Edmund Bertram
Edmund promises to write to Fanny and is observed to be increasingly attached to Mary Crawford, which causes Fanny great distress.
- Sir Thomas Bertram
Sir Thomas arranges Fanny's visit to Portsmouth, hoping she will regret losing Henry Crawford's attentions, but he struggles to understand her feelings.
- Lady Bertram
Lady Bertram is reluctant to let Fanny go, but submits to Sir Thomas's wishes; she admits she will miss Fanny very much.
- Mary Crawford
Mary Crawford is now the chief source of Fanny's discomfort, as Fanny believes Mary is likely to marry Edmund.
- William Price
William is delighted about Fanny's visit to Portsmouth and looks forward to showing her his ship, the Thrush, before he sails.
Key passages
“And I shall write to you, Fanny, when I have anything worth writing about, anything to say that I think you will like to hear, and that you will not hear so soon from any other quarter.”
Edmund whispers to Fanny that he will write to her when he has news he thinks she would want to hear directly from him.
Edmund's promise to write hints at his special regard for Fanny, though she finds the prospect troubling.
“She had tears for every room in the house, much more for every beloved inhabitant.”
Fanny cried as she said goodbye to each room and even more so to each person she loved.
Fanny's deep emotional attachment to Mansfield Park is evident in her sorrow at leaving.
“She might love, but she did not deserve Edmund by any other sentiment.”
Fanny believes Mary Crawford may love Edmund, but she does not deserve him because of her flawed character.
Fanny judges Mary Crawford as morally unworthy of Edmund, despite her affection.