An Analysis of the Necessity of Fanny's Marriage in Mansfield Park

In the last chapter of Jane Austen's third novel, Mansfield Park, Fanny Price, the heroine, married her cousin Edmund Bertram. In the context of British society in the early 19th century, Fanny's marriage had a strong symbolic meaning:through mar-riage, Fanny was legally accepted by Mansfield Park;at the same time, she was also given an opportunity to temporarily escape from the oppression from the parents of Mansfield Park (although she could never escape from the control offeudal system);the ac-ceptance of Fanny was a reflection of the efforts of the gentry (represented by Sir Thomas Bertram, Edmund's father) to ameliorate slavery when it was declining.