Sense and Sensibility
Mrs. Dashwood
The Dashwood sisters’ mother
A warm, romantic widow who loves her daughters and leans on Elinor’s good sense.
Mrs. Dashwood is the widow of Henry Dashwood and the stepmother of John. She is warm, affectionate and enthusiastic, and her romantic nature matches Marianne’s. She is deeply protective of her daughters’ happiness.
When Fanny makes the household at Norland uncomfortable, Mrs. Dashwood accepts her cousin Sir John Middleton’s offer of Barton Cottage in Devonshire and moves the family at once. She tends to indulge Marianne’s feelings, and she looks to Elinor for practical wisdom.
“We shall be completely happy here, my dears, in our peaceful quiet valley.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
At Barton she tells her daughters they will be completely happy in their quiet valley. She is convinced that Willoughby and Marianne are secretly engaged, and she defends his integrity when Elinor doubts him. She is wrong, but the mistake is made out of love.
When Marianne is dying at Cleveland, Colonel Brandon brings her through the night. She is overwhelmed with relief at her daughter’s bedside, and she is happy to see both daughters well married.
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