How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
[Fanny's] diffidence, gratitude, and softness, made every expression of indifference seem almost like an effort of self-denial [...] (33.6).
Fanny is so passive and mild-mannered that she often runs the risk of being misunderstood by those around her. Being passive may seem safe, but it can be just as dangerous as being active.
Quote #8
Susan tried to be useful, where she could only have gone away and cried; and that Susan was useful she could perceive; that things, bad as they were, would have been worse but for such interposition [...] (40.4).
Susan provides a great "what if" contrast to Fanny. We have to question whether or not Fanny would still have been as shy and passive as she is if she had grown up in Portsmouth instead of at Mansfield Park.
Quote #9
Crawford was excessively pleased. If Lady Bertram, with all her incompetency and languor, could feel this, the inference of what her niece, alive and enlightened as she was, must feel, was elevating (34.18).
This is a very funny view of Lady Bertram, who is so passive that she seems like she's sleeping through life. Though both are passive, Lady Bertram's "languor," or bland indifference to everything, contrasts with Fanny's brand of passiveness, which has more to do with her low self-esteem and her shyness.