We have all had that friend. The one you thought was your friend, that was cooler and more experienced. But in reality, this person, wasn’t in any way a real friend. This friend always knew; who liked who, and what to wear, and the fun places to go. And yet, when you went with them you managed to get hurt or find yourself in trouble. For Catherine this was the opposite to her ‘heroine’, a worthy villain, cunning, and as two sided as they come. Isabella Thorpe. While I’d like to call out the creepiness of John Thorpe, or the suspicious acts of the General, we all know who the real enemy is. Masked as a friend, Isabella parades about with Catherine, as if teaching her all these high society lessons. While in reality, Isabella was far more interested in money(Or boys or recent gossip), rather than Catherine’s desires or well being.
Again, I would like to grant a villainous title to the men of the novel. Austen’s early use of mansplaining, overwhelming male arrogance, and manipulation, all create characters that make the swooning ‘hero’(Henry Tilney), look that much more interesting, kind and patient. John Thorpe is not only a show off, but also an aggressive one. Pushing Catherine to dance with him, to ride in the carriage with him. Hell, to marry him even! At one point, he lies to keep Catherine away from Henry Tilney. While John’s manipulation is very abrupt and known to the reader, becuase it is hard to not see. It is much easier to hide and ignore Isabella’s manipulation of Catherine.
Isabella’s pressure pressed upon Catherine in a different way. She is so kind to Catherine it almost feels fake, and that’s because it is. She becomes closer to Catherine to get closer to her brother. And continues to be Catherines friend, all the while still flirting with her brother and other suitors.After finally getting engaged, to Catherines innocent surprise, Isabella is shocked at the Morland worth and all bets are off.
This is not the first or only hint that Isabella is superficial. She is a mommy’s pet, and one who is good at being a rotten teen girl. Her position as Catherine’s best friend gives her lots of influence over Catherine. She knows this and abuses it. She fully understands that Catherine is oblivious and uses this too to her advantage. It just adds fuel to her fire.
Where Catherine is a wild girl with crazy imagination and thought. Isabella is a girl who likes to be on top, and control the drama with chaos around them. Catherine is so malleable, Isabella almost can’t help herself. Catherine’s plain jane existence, seems small to the exciting, fun life Isabella had; going to balls, dancing with tons of boys, being courted by many. All of this was new, and beautiful to Catherine, and a ploy to Isabella.
Brit Lit 2020 