Sense and Sensibility

The title Sense and Sensibility describes the two separate personalities of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, respectfully. Elinor is always described as maybe having too much sense; she doesn't embrace her emotions or let them show in any way. Even when she faces the threat of losing the man she loves to an undeserving girl, it appears that she is perfectly fine. Marianne, on the other hand, is too sensible. She reacts violently to her emotional situations and does not know how to appear calm or to hide her feelings in any way. If she disagrees with a statement or opinion of someone else, her own opinions burst forth without any control. This often creates embarassment for Elinor, but Marianne doesn't notice her impropriety. Luckily, towards the end of the novel the two girls' personalities calm down. Marianne learns to control her emotions a bit more, and Elinor finally has a reason to show her true happiness. While the girls still remain somewhat the same by the end of the novel, the story is about their struggles with these attributes and how Elinor's sense and Marianne's sensibility end up getting them a happy ending after all.