Persuasion's Two Alternate Love Endings

Persuasion’s Two Alternate Love Endings Within Jane Austen’s book Persuasion, she addresses issues of wealth, class, looks, and love through her use of humor. Love plays a major role in this story because to Sir Elliot, the father of Anne Elliot, a major character, looks and one’s fortune and one’s position in society. Anne Elliot wanted to marry Captain Wentworth, however since he was poor at the time, Sir Elliot looked does upon him and did not want Anne to marry him: Anne turned down his offer of a hand in marriage. Later in the story, Captain Wentworth reappears; this time he is rich. All of a sudden women are all over him and Sir Elliot thinks highly of him. When Anne and was reacquainted with Captain Wentworth, she remembered the feelings she had for him and how they were still existent. She wanted to pursue these strong emotions because her family also admired her and therefore she would have approval to take his hand in marriage. But she was hesitant and unsure if Captain Wentworth shared these mutual feelings with her. As a result, Jane Austen wrote two different conclusions that are different based on the writing style. These conclusions differ in the sense that the conclusion that Austen has Wentworth writing Anne a letter confessing his love in the book, yet in the alternate conclusion Wentworth and Anne confess their love for each other in person. The published version of the ending, the better of the two, expresses Captain Wentworth’s true personality, as it was shown throughout the novel. After Captain Wentworth finished writing his letter to Captain Benwick, he “sealed his latter with great rapidity, was indeed ready, and had even a hurried, agitated air, which shewed impatience to be gone” portraying not only his personality, but also his feelings and emotional state (Austen, 221). Wentworth leaves the room, yet he returns quickly because he forgot his gloves. At this time, “he drew out a letter from under the scattered