Henry would make a fantastic lead in a modern-day romantic comedy movie.

As in so many movies, Henry

does the classic "I'm going to make this nerdy girl fall in love with me for a laugh" routine, that quickly
turns into the equally classic "Oh no, I've actually fallen in love with the nerdy girl and now she doesn't
believe I love her" plot. But if things had continued in this vein, Henry would have won the girl and would
have taken the role of Prince Charming opposite Fanny's Cinderella. Henry really does seem to want to
rescue Fanny, which is a large part of his attraction to Fanny:

"Yes, Mary, my Fanny will feel a difference indeed, a daily, hourly difference, in the behaviour of every
being who approaches her; and it will be the completion of my happiness to know that I am the doer of
it." (30.32)

Henry's desire to rescue Fanny combines with the fact that Fanny is extremely hard to get – a challenge
that makes her irresistible to Henry, who always loves to be doing something.

Unfortunately for Henry, his love story took a really sharp turn...off a cliff. Because Henry doesn't get the
girl in the end. Instead, Henry seems to have gotten confused about what sort of plotline he was in, and
jumped ship to a Lifetime movie that involves scandals, affairs, and adultery, co-starring Maria Bertram.

Henry, the Man in Need of a Savior

Despite his bad behavior, Henry is extremely likable for the most part. He's so close to being an all-around
great guy. He's got potential, but he's not quite there yet. And it's very easy to root for him and to hope
that he'll actually win Fanny over. That's not to say Henry doesn't have some serious flaws. He's vain and
arrogant and he has way too much fun manipulating other people. As Lady Bertram points out, Henry is a
really great actor (34.19). Great actors may be entertaining to watch, but ones like this guy might not be
the best people to marry.

Even before the scandal with Maria, Mary Crawford notes her concerns about her brother's behavior. As
discussed in Mary's "Character Analysis," the Crawford siblings were raised by Admiral Crawford, who is
described as "a man of vicious conduct" who is currently living with his mistress (4.15). Mary considers the
Admiral a bad role model for her brother. She states this to Henry clearly:

"My dearest Henry, the advantage to you of getting away from the Admiral before your manners are hurt
by the contagion of his, before you have contracted any of his foolish opinions […] You are not sensible of
the gain, for your regard for him has blinded you; but, in my estimation, your marrying early may be the
saving of you. To have seen you grow like the Admiral in word or deed, look or gesture, would have
broken my heart." (30.27)

Notice how Mary says that marrying will be the "saving" of him. She thinks he needs to be rescued, and that
Fanny is exactly the woman to do it. She reiterates this sentiment again after the Henry-Maria scandal
becomes public, telling Edmund that Fanny "would have fixed [Henry]; she would have made him happy for
ever" (47.21). Clearly Fanny is positioned as Henry's savior, but Fanny doesn't want the job.

Both Mary and Mrs. Norris believe that if Fanny hadn't refused Henry, he would have had no reason to end
up having an affair with Maria. They blame Fanny. Though the narrator blames Henry's vanity for his
disastrous affair with Maria, it seems that Henry's real problem is his restlessness, and maybe even his poor
role models. The same energy and desire to be busy that drove him to pursue Fanny in the first place also
encouraged him to have an affair with Maria.

[He] went off with her at last, because he could not help it, regretting Fanny, even at the moment, but
regretting her infinitely more when all the bustle of the intrigue was over. (48.19).