In Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Austen develops a more obvious tone of social commentary than in her other works. Mansfield Park represents England during the imperial age and Sir Thomas Bertram, the owner of the park, symbolizes the colonies' need to maintain good management of England (Said 87). When Sir Thomas leaves Mansfield Park to visit his colonies in Antigua, his house is thrown into chaos when Tom Bertram introduces new ideas into the house, such as putting on a show. Austen reveals her discomfort with the new commercialized society with her character Fanny Price, of whom Austen has "the satisfaction of knowing that [my Fanny] must have been happy despite everything" because she marries Edmund (Austen 400). Fanny Price embodies the discomfort Austen feels as seen in Fanny's relationships with Mr. Henry Crawford, the new consumerist generation, and Mr. Edmund Bertram, the domestic generation. Two opposing characters in Mansfield Park are Edmund Bertram and Henry Crawford, both of whom represent opposite values. Austen presents Edmund as a hero when Fanny cries of self-pity and loneliness, during her early days, in Mansfield Park. Edmund “in return for such services,” giving Fanny the equipment she needs to write to her dear brother William, “loved [Edmund] better than anyone in the world except William” (Austen 20). Edmund appears in Mansfield Park, the old English manor, establishing a close connection between him and the countryside. Furthermore, Edmund shows great kindness towards Fanny, which makes him, in her eyes, the traditional rustic hero. On the other hand, Henry Crawford does not come from the country with its many pastures; Mr. Crawford comes from the commercialized city, London. When Austen presents... center of paper... Mansfield Park reveals Austen's fear of a changing society, exposed through character, Fanny's inability to choose between Mr. Crawford, the commercialized society, and Edmund, conventional society. The novel ends with Fanny's marriage to Edmund Bertram, the embodiment of a rural hero, showing her retreat into the conservative image of England, the countryside, which is what Austen proposes to society. Austen writes Fanny's marriage to the English country hero, illustrating that she, Austen, does not want society to focus on material gains. Mansfield Park invites society to return to a more pleasant era, during which consumerism is not a primary aspect of society, but domesticity. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Mansfield Park. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2004. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.