When Willoughby learned of Marianne's potentially fatal
illness, he rushed straight from London to Cleveland. His intention of coming to speak
with Elinor was to "obtain something like forgiveness" (Ch. 44). Willoughby confessed
that his first motive for getting to know Marianne and the Dashwoods was to give himself
something nice to do while in Devonshire. Marianne's attentions played on his vanity,
making him even more vain, but his only intention was to flirt with her without ever
"returning her affection." He further confessed that the main reason he had no intention
of returning her affection is that he had always been extravagant and that he had many
debts, thus he planned to marry a woman with a fortune to ease his debts. Marianne was
poor, therefore, he knew he was only being vain and selfish by indulging in her
attention. However, he also confessed that despite his intentions, he did fall in love
with her. He told Elinor that he had intended to propose to her, but then his wealthy
cousin, Mrs. Smith learned of his affair with Colonel Brandon's charge and disinherited
him when he refused to marry Eliza.
He openly regretted his affair
with Eliza, wishing it had never happened. Eliza had passionately flirted with him, and
for a short time he returned her affections, leading to Eliza's fallen
state.
He also spoke passionately about how much seeing Marianne
before he left for London and receiving her letters broke his heart, but his love for
her could not overcome his "dread of poverty."
Mostly in his
conversation, he asks Elinor to have pity on him and his situation, particularly to pity
the fact that while being in love with Marianne, he was forced to marry another woman.
However, Elinor makes the excellent point, that he was still wrong; he made his own
choices. His speeches to Elinor helped to show us that he did not just use Marianne,
that he truly did care, but we must still blame him for his immoral, extravagant choices
and his lack of principles and propriety.
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