John Dashwood is a character in Sense and Sensibility. He is the only son and heir of Mr. Henry Dashwood and his first wife.[1] He is the stepson of Mrs. Henry Dashwood and the elder half-brother of Elinor Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, and Margaret Dashwood. He is the brother-in-law of Edward Ferrars, Robert Ferrars, and eventually Colonel Brandon. He is married to Fanny Dashwood and has one son, Harry Dashwood.
Biography[]
Upon coming of age, he inherited half his mother's large fortune and soon afterward married Fanny Dashwood, with whom he has a son: Harry. John and Fanny often took their son to visit his great-uncle at Norland Park, where Harry won the elderly gentleman over with his childish antics. John's great-uncle therefore wrote his will so that Harry will be the eventual inheritor of the estate, though John and his father Henry both would have life interests in it. He died when Harry was four years old, and a year later, John's father died too.[1]
On his deathbed Henry begged John to look after his stepmother and half-sisters, who would only have ten thousand pounds between them when he died. John promised,[1] but after Henry's death he allowed himself to be persuaded out of doing anything by his wife.[2] He was nevertheless shocked when Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters moved to Devonshire, a distance too far for him to help move their furniture even if he wanted to.[3]
Personality and traits[]
John Dashwood is described as being rather cold-hearted and selfish. He acted with propriety, however, and was well-respected. If he had married a more amiable woman, he would have been even more respected; as such, Fanny Dashwood was even more narrow-minded and selfish than he was.[1]
Financial Details[]
Upon his coming of age, John Dashwood receives a large sum of money from his deceased mother's fortune. Shortly after he marries Fanny, who brings with her a fortune of £10,000.[4] At the standard 5% rate of return on investments at the time, this would bring £500 a year. He then inherits the property of Norland Park, this increases his finances by £4,000 a year.
Relationships[]
Fanny Dashwood[]
His wife whom he enables. She is the major negative influence on his discussions regarding his deceased father, step-mother and his three half-sisters.
Mrs. Dashwood[]
He treats her with respect, however, doesn’t stop Fanny from disrespecting her, (not his younger half sisters). After seeing that he will not correct his wife on her bad behavior, she begins to dislike him along with his wife.
Elinor Dashwood[]
His oldest half sister. While they don’t share a typical sibling relationship, she is shown to originally have respect for him. She had hope that he would honor their father’s wishes Due to letting his wife, Fanny, disrespect them, she lost respect for him. He admires her skill in art and crafts.
Marianne Dashwood[]
His middle half sister. She, like Elinor, doesn’t have much a sibling relationship with him, but respects him originally, only to lose respect for him when he lets Fanny disrespect them. He believes after her breakup with Willoughby she will “lose her bloom”. He does admire her skill in music.
Margaret Dashwood[]
His youngest half sister.