What happens in Chapter XX of Sense and Sensibility?
The Miss Dashwoods visit Barton Park, where they meet Mrs. Charlotte Palmer and her husband, Mr. Palmer. Mrs. Palmer, bright and talkative, announces that the Palmers must leave the following day because the Westons are coming to Cleveland. She insists that the Dashwoods should visit London in winter and then Cleveland for Christmas, but the sisters politely decline both offers. Mr. Palmer, on the other hand, is consistently rude and dismissive: he grumbles about the weather, mocks Sir John for not having a billiard room, refers to Mrs. Jennings as ill-bred, and pays no attention to his wife's chatter. During dinner, Mrs. Jennings and Mr. Palmer exchange barbs about manners, while Charlotte brushes off her husband's bad mood with laughter. Elinor privately concludes that Mr. Palmer's rudeness is a deliberate act to seem superior rather than a sign of genuine bad nature. After dinner, Elinor takes the opportunity to ask Mrs. Palmer about Willoughby, hoping for an unbiased character reference. Mrs. Palmer admits she has never actually spoken to Willoughby but confidently claims that Marianne is going to marry him — a piece of information she says she got from Colonel Brandon, whom she met on Bond Street. Elinor is taken aback and skeptical, and asks what the Colonel said; Mrs. Palmer replies that he "did not say much" but "looked as if he knew it to be true." Mrs. Palmer also mentions that Brandon was rumored to be in love with Marianne himself and shares that before her own marriage, Sir John and Lady Middleton wanted her to marry Colonel Brandon, but her mother turned down the match.
Analysis
The chapter unfolds as a social comedy that highlights contrasts, showing Mrs. Palmer's unwavering cheerfulness next to Mr. Palmer's deliberate disdain. Austen uses free indirect discourse to reveal Elinor's cool, analytical view of Mr. Palmer: she sees his rudeness as "a wish of distinction" and "the desire of appearing superior to other people," motives she finds all too familiar. This ironic perspective enables Austen to critique social behavior—Palmer's pretentiousness is just as fabricated as his wife's genuine obliviousness. The dialogue drives the chapter; nearly every interaction is humorous, from Palmer's evasive responses to his wife’s pleas to Mrs. Jennings's lighthearted quip about having "the whip hand" over him since he can't return Charlotte. Mrs. Palmer herself embodies comic unreliability: her "knowledge" of Willoughby is limited to having seen him "for ever in town" without ever speaking to him, and her proof of the engagement is simply that Colonel Brandon "looked as if he knew it to be true." This play on knowledge—certainty based on a mere glance—subtly highlights the novel's themes of rumor and misinterpretation. The chapter also hints at Colonel Brandon's potential feelings for Marianne through Mrs. Palmer's gossip and concludes with Charlotte's carefree account of her near-match with Brandon, which she brushes off entirely, claiming she is much happier as she is and that Mr. Palmer is exactly the kind of man she likes.
Key quotes from Chapter XX
“It was rather a wish of distinction, she believed, which produced his contemptuous treatment of every body, and his general abuse of every thing before him.”
Elinor's private assessment of Mr. Palmer's behaviour during the visit, rendered in free indirect discourse.
“Oh—he did not say much; but he looked as if he knew it to be true, so from that moment I set it down as certain.”
Mrs. Palmer explaining to Elinor the basis for her conviction that Marianne is engaged to Willoughby, citing Colonel Brandon's expression.
““Ay, you may abuse me as you please,” said the good-natured old lady, “you have taken Charlotte off my hands, and cannot give her back again. So there I have the whip hand of you.””
Mrs. Jennings's reply to Mr. Palmer after he calls her ill-bred at the dinner table.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter XX
- ill-breeding
- Bad manners resulting from a poor upbringing; rude or ungentlemanly behaviour that reveals a lack of proper social education.