Jane Austen portrays Anne Elliot as a remarkable romantic heroine in her novel Persuasion. Anne is a woman who lost her bloom early, but is able to recapture her youth as she finds inner beauty and worth. Unlike Austen's previous heroines, Anne has a romantic past, which occurs prior to the beginning of the novel. Austen allows us pieces of preceding events through Anne's memories provoked by a former lover's sudden return. Anne is able to capture the eye of more than one man: Captain Wentworth, the past lover, and Mr. William Walter Elliot, a new wooer. Family plays a vital role in Anne's life. She, in a sense, is part of two very different households: her father and Elizabeth, both materialistic and vain, and her "second family", the Musgroves and company in Uppercross. Anne becomes a well-rounded woman with a clear, consistent mind, firm morals and knowledge of who and what makes her happy. The development of these attributes is expressed through her personal growth and relations with suitors and family.
Anne's personal development takes place over many years. When the novel begins, Anne is twenty-seven years old. She is already a mature woman. Austen gives the reader a short recap of past events regarding Anne's short-lived engagement to Frederick Wentworth. Information about her previous feelings and emotions is expressed through her memories. Upon comparing Anne's behaviour before the engagement was broken off and her conduct and emotions after the breakup, it is clear that she has developed extensively and found happiness within herself. At nineteen years old, Anne is young and inexperienced. She puts faith in the judgement of her trusted companion Lady Russell, who acts as a mother figure to her. As a result, a high 'value for rank and consequence' is thrust upon Anne. Lady Russell's intense opposition to the union is more than Anne can handle: "Young and gentle as she was, it might yet have been possible to withstand her father's ill-will...but Lady...