Both protagonists in Jane Austen’s, Persuasion, and Laurence Sterne’s, Sentimental Journey, suffer from identity complexes. Although the narration differs, the characters are highlighted by the theme of Appearance Versus Reality. One can argue that their action and reasoning do not always align with their emotional experiences. Beneath the outer surface are conflicting desires and views that cause them difficulty in understanding their own true nature and their interaction with others.
In Persuasion, Anne finds herself stretched between the wishes of society and that of her own heart. In Chapter VII, she claims that her desire to go to the outer door is simply to view the weather and “to see if it rained.” (Austen 165) Although this is her reason, can she possibly “suspect herself of another motive?” As the reader, we are aware of her innermost desires due to free indirect discourse in the novel and know Captain Wentworth is the real reason. She fabricates other motives to conceal the truth of her action. Essentially, she must control all the emotions and feelings that erupt inside of her with this calm lady-like veneer in order to conform to the expectations from society and those around her. Although she can try doing this, “one half of her should not be always so much wiser than the other half.” She too can act impulsively by the heart when “she was sent back” at the sight of Wentworth’s entrance. She is overpowered by feelings that are “bewildering” yet mixed with “agitation, pain, pleasure.” Such extreme emotions are the result of a woman whose thoughts and emotions have been repressed for all these years. They almost make no sense. Just the mere sight of him causes opposing feelings of “delight and misery”. This idea of contradiction highlights the conflict she has with herself.
Such paradoxical emotions are also present in Sentimental Journey through Yorick. When left alone, he tends to overthink such as the scene with the Madame de L where his innermost feelings erupt (Sterne 19). When left alone with her in the chaise, we see his multifaceted personality where his morals and desires clash. His way of justifying the motive is viewing her as a “distressed lady” where in a subtle way, he is actually helping her by sharing his affection. He openly admits “every dirty passion and bad propensity” that are his weaknesses. These conversations with himself show how vulnerable his sexual impulses tend to make him. The fact that he is plagued by avarice, caution, cowardice, hypocrisy and pride reveals how conflicted his desires are although he tries to portray this image of being morally good. It deals with class, public image to the church and this French world. Even after all this self-questioning, he usually acts “from his first impulse.” These thoughts “serve no purpose” and it does not change his actions.
As a result of both situations, we see how their character traits tend to overlap. They are both concerned about their public image where they have developed this mechanism of creating other motives to mask their subconscious feelings. While Anne upholds her image more rigidly, Yorick admits that he is a man with faults and far from this virtuous, sentimental man he tries to be. Such openness is the benefit of first person narration. On the other hand, where free indirect discourse does allow a sneak peek into the actual voice of the character, we are limited to how much is revealed. They struggle with the desires of their heart and what their mind tries to read about the situation in relation to the views of society. They must deal with conflicted thoughts and emotions that sometimes overwhelm them. On the surface they may appear calm, but underneath is a stream of overwhelming thoughts of love. Yorick yearns to be love and be loved by women. Likewise, Anne desires to rekindle her passionate love with Captain Wentworth. While Anne may be successful in the end, Yorick remains a mystery.
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