Henry and Mary Crawford are described as lively attractive personalities with elegant London airs, and often characterised by critics as the anti-hero and anti-heroine.

Henry accompanies his sister, intending to stay at Mansfield for just a few days but finds the local people more congenial than expected and decides to extend his visit.

Mrs Grant sees Henry as a suitable match for Julia, the younger of the two daughters of the wealthy Sir Thomas Bertram, master of Mansfield Park.

[1] Paula Byrne sets this in context, arguing that the "Crawfords are merely the agents of change: the real corruption rests at the door of the flawed custodians of the house, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram and Mrs Norris".

[2] Colleen Sheehan argues that Austen subtly creates the conditions that lead readers to see the Crawfords as morally ambiguous.

"[3] On the family visit to Sotherton Court, Henry transports the five ladies in his fashionable barouche, an upmarket vehicle with seating for four inside and two up top, in its day the equivalent of a modern convertible.

In this highly theatrical presentation, carefully crafted scenario and psychological sophistication interact with puns, allusions and hidden meanings.

[5] Illicit misconduct is suggested from the moment the young people reach a door, temptingly open, 'which led immediately to... all the sweets of pleasure-grounds, [and] as by one impulse, one wish for air and liberty, all walked out'.

Henry, the life and soul of any party or society event, constantly acts; he has many personas but no depth, consistency or identity.

He reprises the role later for Edmund's intended living at Thornton Lacey, though he lacks the consistency to manage effectively his own estate in Norfolk.

[10] At the first suggestion of a theatrical performance at Mansfield Park, Henry, for whom theatre was a new experience, declared he could undertake 'any character that ever was written, from Shylock or Richard III down to the singing hero of a farce in his scarlet coat and cocked hat.

[12] Henry's need to live by imitation is expressed when he considers a career in the Church of England during a conversation with Edmund, and in the Royal Navy after listening to exciting tales of the sea from William Price.

[13] When Henry unexpectedly falls in love with Fanny, he acts out the part of devoted lover, fully inhabiting the role.

Henry shows that he has the taste to recognise that the 'redundancies and repetitions' of the liturgy require good reading (in itself a telling criticism, comments Isabel Brodrick).

She marries Mr. Rushworth, both to escape her family home where she feels stifled under her strict father, and because she is under the mistaken impression that it would spite Henry if she's married—failing to recognise that her status as an engaged woman, that she was 'off-limits' was what had attracted him to her, over her sister, in the first place.

When he complains about Sir Thomas having shut down Lovers' Vows, Fanny expresses firm disapproval, attracting his attention for the first time.

Fanny's uncle, Sir Thomas, is displeased and demands that she marry Henry as he believes this to be a highly desirable marriage and, for her, beyond all reasonable expectation.

Sir Thomas decides to send Fanny back to her own family who live in relatively poor circumstances in Portsmouth, so that she might see how marriage to Henry would be a better option.

However, the shallowness of Henry's feelings are exposed when, having just promised to take care of Fanny's welfare, he is distracted by Mary's ploy to renew his contact with the newly-married Maria.

Her response gets out of hand and leads to an unwanted, adulterous affair, soon uncovered, which brings shame and disgrace on Maria and sabotages her marriage.

Maggie Lane offers a sympathetic interpretation of Henry: "We applaud Jane Austen for showing us a flawed man morally improving, struggling, growing, reaching for better things—even if he ultimately fails.

"[25] Austen's sister, Cassandra, thought Fanny should have married Henry, but despite their arguing about the matter, Jane stood firmly.

Some commentators like Thomas Edwards disagree, believing that if Fanny had accepted Henry, the narcissistic regency rake would have lost interest and turned his attentions elsewhere.