Mary Musgrove
Mary Musgrove, the youngest daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, is a woman defined by her hypochondria, her petty pride, and her constant sense of grievance. Born on November 20, 1791, she married Charles Musgrove, the eldest son of a substantial country family, on December 16, 1810, an alliance that gave her a certain artificial importance but which she forever measures against the superior rank of her father's house. Her character is a study in the limitations of a mind without resources, inheriting a considerable share of the Elliot self-importance without the elegance or understanding of her sister Anne.
Life at Uppercross and Domestic Character
Mary's life at Uppercross Cottage is a round of imagined ailments and perceived slights. She is prone to lying on a faded sofa, declaring herself too ill to speak, yet she can be roused from her languor by a proposed walk or a dinner party. Her complaints are constant and theatrical: she is neglected by her husband, crowded in a carriage by her in-laws, and slighted by the precedence given to others. She has no resources for solitude, and her spirits sink completely when she is not the center of attention. Her management of her two sons, Little Charles and Walter, is ineffectual; she finds them unmanageable and is quick to hand them over to Anne, who has a far better influence over them. Charles Musgrove, her husband, is civil and agreeable, superior to her in sense and temper, but he does little with zeal but sport, and their marriage is marked by frequent small disagreements over money, the children, and her constant need for sympathy.
Relationships and Social Jealousy
Mary's relationships are governed by a narrow, watchful pride. She looks down decidedly upon the Hayters, her husband's cousins, and is mortified by the connection, declaring it unpleasant to have such relations. She is intensely jealous of her place in society, insisting on precedence over her mother-in-law at dinners and resenting any perceived slight. Her attitude toward her sisters is similarly self-centered: she is unsisterly to Anne, treating her as a useful nurse for her children and a companion for her own complaints, while she envies Elizabeth's position and is quick to report any gossip that might diminish Anne. She is delighted by the prospect of Captain Wentworth marrying either of the Miss Musgroves, but she prefers Henrietta, as it would put an end to the pretensions of Charles Hayter, whom she considers an improper match. Her conversation is a stream of petty grievances, from the noise of her children to the inadequacy of her servants, and she is perpetually convinced that she is the last of her family to be noticed.
Narrative Role and Thematic Significance
Mary serves as a foil to Anne, embodying the selfishness and lack of self-awareness that Anne has transcended. Where Anne is patient, perceptive, and self-denying, Mary is impatient, obtuse, and self-aggrandizing. Mary's constant complaints about her health and her place in the world highlight Anne's quiet fortitude and her genuine usefulness. Mary's Elliot pride, which she displays openly and without grace, is a debased version of the family vanity that Sir Walter and Elizabeth exhibit more grandly. Her marriage to Charles Musgrove, while not unhappy, is a practical alliance that has not improved either party, and her inability to see beyond her own narrow concerns makes her a figure of mild comedy and persistent irritation within the novel's social world. Her final satisfaction at Anne's engagement is characteristically self-congratulatory, as she flatters herself with having been instrumental to the connection, and she consoles herself that Anne, after all, has no landed estate.
