Nature vs. Nurture

In Fanny’s defense of possessing qualities of a heroine, I think it’s important to consider the idea of nature versus nurture. Both the Bertram girls and Edmund were raised in a consistent household with a more or less stable and well-to-do upbringing. Fanny, Mary and Henry seem to be shuttled around to different places within the novel, in contrast to the residents of Mansfield Park. They have less of a consistent environment to guide them, but rather must rely on their own innate feelings to guide them, whether good or bad. This leaves them with their own ideas and inner qualities to lead them, which turns out well for Fanny and poorly for Mary. We see the virtue in Fanny through her control and thorough thinking through of her actions (though, it’s the boring approach, sure) while we see Mary, who is in a similar yet maybe easier given her status situation than Fanny, end with a less than desirable conclusion, one that shows her true colors. There’s no reason but Fanny’s own reasons to deny Henry and want Edmund, and for this she is rewarded. Similarly, Edmund is in the same environment as Maria and Julia, although they each reach very different endings, all deservingly. Edmund gets happiness for his actions and his choice to pursue Fanny, while Maria and Julia don’t really get what they were after. Maria and Julia succumb to their spoiled, politically-driven environment, while Edmund rises above it. I think there's also something to be said that their "nurturer" is their father, who is a slave-trader and therefore seen in a bad light from Austen, so the nurture he provides does not always yield good results... except with Edmund, because he is his own thinker. When the father is gone, that is when everything falls apart and people are left to their own devices, so the Bertram girls make poor choices because their innate feelings leads them to it, while Fanny remains (mostly) virtuous and Edmund falls victim to the play, but not to the extent that others do, plus he is a guy so he can get away with much more. In terms of the argument of education, I think it’s important to note the nature vs. nurture aspect as well to determine whose side we should be on if we can forgive the hero/heroine for their boringness.