Robert Ferrar’s Toothpick Case

Robert Ferrar’s Toothpick Case

Accessories

Robert Ferrars is first introduced to the Dashwood sisters while he is making an order for a custom toothpick case. While the Dashwoods wait in line, he takes over fifteen minutes to examine all of the toothpick cases in the shop before finally designing his own made of ivory, gold, and pearls. His obsessive attention toward the toothpick case, at the expense of politeness toward the Dashwoods, reveals his vanity and his superficial nature long before Lucy preys on it. It is a symbol for frivolity, contrasting with his brother’s good sense.

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Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen

Brianna Sumption

Novel