Introduction: In both Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen uses the concept of idealism in contrast to realism to elicit the theme of growth and l effect it has on the characters' points of view. This theme is most evident in the female protagonists: Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility and Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey. Although both characters have an ideal world in mind, their personalities differ greatly. While Marianne imagines the perfect, romantic world, Catherine lives as a heroine and is constantly on the lookout for scary scenes. However, despite this major difference, both protagonists have memorable life experiences and eventually develop their perception from idealism to realism. In other words, although they possess different personalities, both Marianne and Catherine go through similar experiences of maturing from girls with fantasies to women forced to face reality. This then further leads to the question: What is the effect of growth on a person's mindset? Marianne Dashwood's Idealism: The Dashwood family has three daughters: Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret. Among the three, Elinor, the eldest, represents common sense as she has “an excellent heart; her affectionate temper and feelings [are] strong: but she [knows] how to govern them” (Austen 6). In contrast, the second youngest sister, Marianne, is the representation of sensitivity as she is "sensible and intelligent, but eager for everything", she is also "generous, amiable, interesting... anything but prudish" (Austen 6 ). After her father's death, all of Mrs. Dashwood's property is taken away by the eldest male of the family, Henry Dashwood. While Elinor and her mother... middle of paper... profit from our mistakes: that's how we grow. In Jane Austen's novels, Marianne and Catherine are the definition of coming of age. As their stories progress, Marianne and Catherine learn to face new challenges and overcome new obstacles. While there may be heartbreaking moments in their growth process, both characters eventually reach the moment of realization and decide to take off the glasses of idealism to see the world better with the sight of realism. Isn't that the purpose of life? Living trying to find a better definition of “living” and finding a better interpretation of the world we live in? Works Cited Austen, J. (2005). Northanger Abbey. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics. (Original work published 1818) Austen, J. (1995). Reason and sensitivity. New York City: Dover Publications. (Original published work 1811)