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Character analysis · proud, controlling mother of Edward and Robert Ferrars

Mrs. Ferrars

in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Mrs. Ferrars is the wealthy and overbearing mother of Edward and Robert Ferrars, as well as the mother-in-law of Fanny Dashwood. Although she doesn't appear directly until the London dinner party in Chapter XXXIV, her presence is felt throughout the novel from the very beginning. Her "resolution that both her sons should marry well" and her refusal to allow Edward any sense of independence are key factors contributing to his sadness and restrained behavior. Physically, she is portrayed as "a little, thin woman, upright, even to formality, in her figure, and serious, even to sourness, in her aspect," with a pale complexion and features that are only slightly enlivened by "the strong characters of pride and ill nature." She speaks little, and the few words she does use are carefully chosen based on her limited ideas. Her controlling personality is most evident when Edward's secret engagement to Lucy Steele comes to light: she tries to bribe and threaten him into compliance, cuts him off in favor of Robert, and insists she will never see him again. However, her pride eventually gives way to circumstances — she first accepts Edward back when he seeks to make amends, and later, she is completely swayed by Lucy's flattery after Lucy marries Robert. By the end of the novel, it becomes clear that her genuine favor lies with Robert and Lucy, while Edward and Elinor are left with only "the make-believe of decent affection."

About this character

Role
proud, controlling mother of Edward and Robert Ferrars
Form
Novel
Author
Jane Austen
First published
1811

The person01–03

01·Who they are

Who is Mrs. Ferrars?

Mrs. Ferrars is well-known even before she makes her entrance. In Chapter IV, Fanny Dashwood mentions "Mrs. Ferrars's resolution that both her sons should marry well," which shows her influence over others’ lives, even from the sidelines. When she finally appears at the Harley Street dinner in Chapter XXXIV, the description is striking: "a little, thin woman, upright, even to formality, in her figure, and serious, even to sourness, in her aspect," with a sallow complexion and features that reveal her pride and ill temper. She is "not a woman of many words; for, unlike people in general, she proportioned them to the number of her ideas" — a sharp, satirical jab from Austen.

02·Arc & motivation

What is Mrs. Ferrars's arc and motivation?

Mrs. Ferrars's main goal is to elevate her social status and maintain control. She denies Edward financial independence to keep him in line, arranges his marriage to wealthy Miss Morton, and when her plans fall apart, she disinherits him entirely. Her journey shifts from an unseen force (Chapters IV–XXXIII) to a briefly visible antagonist (Chapter XXXIV) and then to an active persecutor (Chapter XXXVII). Ironically, she becomes a figure whose pride is manipulated by Lucy, the social climber she once supported without realizing it. By Chapter L, she has accepted Edward back but shows clear favoritism toward Robert and Lucy, proving her "affection" relies on compliance and flattery.

03·Key moments

What are Mrs. Ferrars's key moments?

  • Chapter IV: Fanny alerts Mrs. Dashwood to Mrs. Ferrars's matrimonial ambitions, establishing her controlling nature before she appears and prompting the Dashwoods' move to Barton.
  • Chapter XXXIV: Her first physical appearance at the Harley Street dinner. She pointedly ignores Elinor while favoring Lucy Steele, unaware that Lucy is secretly engaged to her son. Elinor notes the "mean-spirited folly" of this misplaced graciousness with quiet disdain.
  • Chapter XXXVII: The crisis. When the engagement is revealed, Mrs. Ferrars summons Edward, offers to settle the Norfolk estate on him if he marries Miss Morton, threatens to leave him with only his own two thousand pounds, vows never to see him again, and promises to obstruct any profession he might pursue. Edward refuses, and she follows through on her threats.
  • Chapter XLI: John Dashwood reports that Mrs. Ferrars stated Edward's choice of Elinor would have been "the least evil" compared to choosing Lucy — a backhanded compliment that Elinor receives with ironic silence.
  • Chapter L: After a proper resistance just so strong and steady as to prevent reproach for being too amiable, she readmits Edward, agrees to his marriage with Elinor, but gives him far less than Robert. Lucy's subsequent flattery wins Mrs. Ferrars over entirely, leading Lucy to become "a favourite child," while Elinor is labeled as "an intruder."

The cast04–05

04·Relationships

What are Mrs. Ferrars's most important relationships?

Mrs. Ferrars's relationship with Edward drives the novel's central plot: her refusal to grant him independence prevents him from acting on his feelings and traps him in his secret engagement with Lucy. When he defies her, she disinherits him; when he seeks forgiveness, she readmits him reluctantly but never warmly. With Robert, she demonstrates that her "love" is entirely contingent on compliance and flattery — he receives a thousand pounds a year, while Edward gets a fraction of that. Her treatment of Elinor — from slighting her at their first meeting to begrudgingly consenting to the marriage and labeling her as an intruder — reveals the extent of her bias. Her susceptibility to Lucy's "respectful humility, assiduous attentions, and endless flatteries" highlights the superficiality of her pride: it can be easily swayed by the appearance of deference.

05·Connected characters

How is Mrs. Ferrars connected to the other characters?

Edward Ferrars

Mrs. Ferrars's eldest son, whom she disinherits for refusing to abandon Lucy Steele and later readmits with minimal financial generosity; she never cordially forgives him for having once intended to marry Lucy, and Elinor is spoken of as an intruder even after the marriage is sanctioned.

Robert Ferrars

Her younger son, who supplants Edward in her favour after marrying Lucy Steele; through Lucy's assiduous flattery, Robert is fully restored to Mrs. Ferrars's affection and receives a thousand pounds a year, while Edward is left with far less.

Fanny Dashwood

Her daughter and close confidante, who first warns Mrs. Dashwood of Mrs. Ferrars's matrimonial ambitions for Edward and who falls into hysterics alongside her mother when the secret engagement is disclosed.

Lucy Steele

Initially an unknowing object of Mrs. Ferrars's favour at the London dinner (because her real connection to Edward is unknown), Lucy eventually becomes as necessary to Mrs. Ferrars as either Robert or Fanny through relentless humility and flattery after marrying Robert.

Elinor Dashwood

Mrs. Ferrars eyes Elinor 'with the spirited determination of disliking her at all events' at their first meeting, pointedly slights her throughout, and even after consenting to the marriage treats her as an intruder rather than a daughter.

John Dashwood

Her son-in-law, who relays her pronouncements to Elinor and defends her as 'one of the most affectionate mothers in the world,' serving as an unwitting vehicle for her influence and opinions.

Study06–07

06·Questions

Questions readers ask about Mrs. Ferrars

How does Mrs. Ferrars react when she learns of Edward's secret engagement to Lucy Steele?

According to John Dashwood's account in Chapter XXXVII, she is "quite in an agony." She calls for Edward and proposes to settle the Norfolk estate on him if he marries Miss Morton. When he hesitates, she raises the offer to twelve hundred a year and ultimately threatens that his own two thousand pounds "should be his all," insisting she would never see him again and would do everything possible to hinder his progress in any profession.

Does Mrs. Ferrars ever reconcile with Edward?

She consents to his marriage with Elinor but provides him with significantly less financial support than what she gives Robert.

Why does Mrs. Ferrars end up favouring Lucy Steele over Elinor?

As a result, Mrs. Ferrars comes to accept Robert's choice and fully restores him in her good graces. Lucy grows to be as indispensable to Mrs. Ferrars as Robert or Fanny, earning the status of a favorite child, while Elinor, despite being wealthier and of higher birth than Lucy, is regarded as an outsider.

What is Mrs. Ferrars's plan for Edward's marriage before the secret engagement is revealed?

She wants him to marry Miss Morton, the only daughter of the late Lord Morton, who has thirty thousand pounds. John Dashwood notes that Mrs. Ferrars would provide Edward with a thousand a year if this marriage goes through. Later on, when Mrs. Ferrars talks to Edward, she offers him the Norfolk estate, which, after land tax, yields a solid thousand a year, and even suggests increasing it to twelve hundred if things get tough.

How does Mrs. Ferrars treat Elinor after eventually consenting to the marriage?

According to Chapter L, she visits Edward and Elinor at Delaford and "always treated them with the make-believe of decent affection," but they were "never insulted by her real favour and preference," which stayed with Robert and Lucy. Even after the marriage is sanctioned, Elinor is referred to as "an intruder."

Is Mrs. Ferrars ever described as genuinely affectionate?

John Dashwood says she is "one of the most affectionate mothers in the world" and that "she wishes for nothing so much as to be on good terms with her children." But Elinor's silence in response reveals her doubt, and the novel's ending, which shows Mrs. Ferrars's treatment of Edward and Elinor, backs up that skepticism.

07·Essay angles

Use this in your essay

Tool · Essay angles

  • Mrs. Ferrars as a study in the abuse of parental authority

    How does Austen use her threats and disinheritance of Edward to critique parents who prioritize social ambition over their children's happiness?

  • Irony and misapplied favour

    Examine the dramatic irony of Mrs. Ferrars's civility toward Lucy at the Harley Street dinner (Chapter XXXIV) as a means for Austen's satire on pride and ignorance.

  • The economics of affection

    Mrs. Ferrars uses money as a means of control; explore how the novel connects her financial choices to questions of moral worth and genuine feeling.

  • Resistance to reform

    Unlike many Austen antagonists, Mrs. Ferrars is never truly reformed — she is only outmaneuvered. What does this suggest about Austen's perspective on entrenched social pride?

  • Lucy Steele as a mirror of Mrs. Ferrars

    Both characters are driven by self-interest and social calculation; analyze how Lucy's eventual triumph over Mrs. Ferrars is made possible by exploiting the very vanity that made Mrs. Ferrars a tyrant.

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