Mansfield Park
Sir Thomas Bertram
The master of Mansfield Park
The stern, dignified owner of Mansfield Park. He values order and propriety, and he has to learn that he has misjudged his family.
Sir Thomas Bertram is the head of Mansfield Park, dignified and formal. He takes in Fanny as an act of charity but wants her to remember her place. Fanny is afraid of him, and so are his children.
He is strict, but he has a good heart under his rules. He cares about duty and his family's name, and he is proud of William's naval career. His weakness is that he values appearances and wealth too much, and he does not look closely at the characters of the people around him. He wants the best for his children, but he confuses good manners and a good match with good character.
“My dear child... forgive me. You were right in everything, and I was blind.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Sir Thomas sails to Antigua, taking his son Tom, and leaves Edmund in charge. When he returns unexpectedly, he finds his study turned into a theater, orders it dismantled and burns every copy of the play. He is pleased to hear that Fanny refused to act.
He urges Fanny to accept Henry, is angry when she refuses, and sends her to Portsmouth. After the scandals, he sees what he has done, tells Fanny that she was right in everything, and calls her back. He gives his blessing to her marriage to Edmund.
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