Elizabeth Bennet

Elizabeth is a spontaneous, high-spirited, vivacious, witty, and warm young lady. She is also a
bright, complex, and intriguing individual who is realistic about life. Unlike her sister ane, she is
not ready to believe that everyone is flawless. She knows the !impropriety" of her father and is
aware that it springs from the unhappiness of his life with his wife. She also perceives the
fickleness of her mother"s temper and her crass social behavior. Even to the point of being
saucy and blunt at times, Elizabeth is not afraid to speak her mind.
#hroughout the novel, Elizabeth"s encounters with $arcy are a battle of adult minds. Elizabeth"s
speeches, crackling with irony, filled with pep, and displaying vibrant humor, exert a magnetic
pull on $arcy. %e recognizes that she is a woman endowed with sense and sensibility, radically
different from most young females that he knows. %e is particularly impressed with her poise&
she is not intimidated by the upper class or overawed by the arrogant $arcy.
Elizabeth"s main flaw is an exaggerated pre'udice. %er first negative impression of $arcy at the
(etherfield ball, )ickham"s tall story about him, and $arcy"s influencing *ingley against ane
fuel her pre'udice. She spends most of the novel truly disliking her future husband. )hen $arcy
proposes to her the first time, she does not even give the offer serious thought before turning
the man down. +ortunately, $arcy is determined and does not give up on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is an honest individual, both to others and to herself. ,nce she realizes the truth about
$arcy, she admits her incorrect pre'udice against him and regrets her previous re'ection of him.
-n fact, she even admits to herself that she is in love with $arcy, but she is realistic enough to
think that she no longer stands a chance with him. )hen she learns that $arcy has saved .ydia
from disgrace, she swallows her remaining pride and states her appreciation to $arcy. %is
response is to ask for her hand in marriage once again. #his time, a much wiser Elizabeth
eagerly accepts.
-n the novel, Elizabeth *ennet proves that she is a woman both particular to her age and society
and yet different from it. .ike her mother, Elizabeth is sometimes prone to outspoken speeches
and impulsive actions& yet, she never disregards the propriety which the age insisted upon for
women. %er keen intelligence, her good sense, and her unconventional charm make Elizabeth
an unforgettable character.
/fter .izzy reads the letter in which $arcy explains the )ickham situation, she spends a lot of
time berating herself for her actions0
She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think without
feeling she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd.
"How despicably ha!e acted"" she cried# ", who ha!e prided myself on my discernment" , who
ha!e !alued myself on my abilities" who ha!e often disdained the generous candour of my
sister, and gratified my !anity in useless or blameable mistrust" How humiliating is this
disco!ery" $et, how just a humiliation" Had been in lo!e, could not ha!e been more
wretchedly blind" %ut !anity, not lo!e, has been my folly. &leased with the preference of one,
and offended by the neglect of the other, on the !ery beginning of our ac'uaintance, ha!e
courted prepossession and ignorance, and dri!en reason away, where either were concerned.
(ill this moment ne!er knew myself." 123.45-467
(otice that sentence at the end, 89#ill this moment - never knew myself8: #hat9s some character
growth, right there. .izzy is admitting that she was 8pre'udiced8 1ahem, title alert70 she let
)ickham9s pretty face and charming manners make up for the fact that he behaved totally
inappropriately, and she let $arcy9s bad manners;which, admittedly, were pretty bad;
convince her that he was actually a bad person.
-n fact, the whole second half of the novel is full of these moments of self-revelation. )hen
.ydia makes some snide comments about )ickham9s new flame, calling her a 8nasty little
freckled thing8 126.4<7, .izzy has to admit that she9s no better than her sister0 although she is
8incapable of such coarseness of expression herself, the coarseness of the sentiment was little
other than her own breast had harboured and fancied liberal=8 126.42-4>7.
/nd then, you know how sometimes you can9t help lying in bed and thinking about all the
humiliating things that you9ve done: 1ust us:7 .izzy has the same problem0 8-n her own past
behavior, there was a constant source of vexation and regret8 12?.4?7. -n plain English, she9s
embarrassed. /ll the time.
*ut a little embarrassment turns out to be a good thing, since .izzy learns to temper her
behavior a little bit;not when in comes to important things, like being true to her own
convictions about what9s right;but when it comes to things like paying attention to her future
husband9s feelings. /fter they9ve finally cleared up all misunderstandings, she9s dying to tease
him about *ingley, but stops herself0 8she remembered that he had yet to learn to be laughed
at, and it was rather too early to begin8 1>5.<37.
@ood move, .izzy.
Fitzwilliam Darcy
#he son of a wealthy, well-established family and the master of the great estate of Aemberley,
$arcy is Elizabeth"s male counterpart.
)hile Elizabeth is the symbol of pre'udice in the novel, $arcy embodies the element of pride,
which is clearly established in him from the very beginning of the book. %is arrogant ways make
him unpopular and misunderstood, even though he is envied for his good looks and wealth.
Elizabeth takes a particular disliking to him for his haughty rudeness when he initially says that
he is not interested in her at the ball. )hen she learns that he has advised *ingley not to pursue
a relationship with ane, she is further incensed at the man. -t is not surprising, therefore, that
when $arcy proposes to Elizabeth, he is turned down, especially since his offer was made in a
haughty and condescending manner. Elizabeth"s refusal 'olts his pride and sets him on a course
of self realization.
)hen Elizabeth visits Aemberley, she discovers a different side of $arcy. She is impressed with
the taste and refinement of his home. %e is obviously a cultured and intelligent man. +rom the
housekeeper, she also learns that he is a generous landlord, a kind master, and a devoted
brother. .ater in the novel, it is revealed that he is the only son of aristocratic parents and that at
a very early age he had to take up family responsibilities which made him independent and
conceited.
$arcy"s love for Elizabeth is clearly a conflict for him between head and heart. %e thinks he
should not love her because of her lower social position and her crass family& but his heart is
attracted to her beauty, her sensibility, her independence, and her vivacity. )hen he proposes
to her the first time, he is sure that she will accept. *ecause of her re'ection, $arcy undergoes a
metamorphosis from an insolvent aristocrat to a kind, down-to-earth soul. ,ut of his love for
Elizabeth, he silently rescues .ydia by 8buying8 her marriage to )ickham. .ater, he is even kind
and courteous to her parents. -n summary, $arcy becomes the perfect picture of a thoroughbred
gentleman and the ideal husband for Elizabeth.
was taught what was right, but was not taught to correct my temper. was gi!en good
principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. )*+ was spoilt by my parents, who,
though good themsel!es )*+ almost taught me to be selfish and o!erbearing# to care for
none beyond my own family circle# to think meanly of all the rest of the world# to wish at
least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own. 1>5.B<7
-n other words, his parents encouraged him to think that he was pretty special, and that he didn9t
need to be, well, a gentleman0 he didn9t need to be 8liberal8 in this thoughts;which doesn9t, in
this context, have anything to do with funding social programs. -t means to be generous and
open-minded toward other people. /s )ickham says earlier to .izzy, $arcy can be 8liberal-
minded, 'ust, sincere, rational, honourable, and perhaps agreeable8 143.<?7, in the right
company. #hanks to .izzy9s 8lesson8;which $arcy calls 8hard indeed at first, but most
advantageous,8 $arcy has been 8properly humbled8 1>5.B<7. %e9s learned to be a gentleman to
everyone, which means that, 'ust as Elizabeth is ready to make the right marriage choice, $arcy
becomes the right marriage partner.
Mr. Bennet
Although Mr. Bennet is basically a sensible man, he behaves strangely because of his disillusionment
with his wife. Living with Mrs. Bennet has made him somewhat bitter and cynical. Trapped in a bad
marriage, he makes life endurable for himself by assuming a pose of an ironic passive spectator of life,
who has long ago abdicated his roles as a husband and a father. Once in awhile, he comes out of his
ivory tower to amuse himself by pestering his foolish wife or making callous remarks about his
daughters. e reality, he is !uite fond of his children, particularly "li#abeth, who he finds sensible and
witty.
Throughout the novel, Mr. Bennet proves he is an insensitive father. is wit, though enlivening, is
disturbing because of its cynicism$ unfortunately, it is often turned on his daughters. %hen &ane is
'ilted in love, he speaks of it in a very light manner, saying it is an unavoidable occurrence, which
distresses &ane even more. e is not concerned about Lydia(s inappropriate behavior and allows her to
go off to Brighton, in spite of "li#abeth(s warnings to him$ his negligence on this account leads to
Lydia(s elopement. This incident shocks him out of his complacency, and for once he seems genuinely
worried about one of his children. e even goes to London to search for his daughter$ unfortunately,
he soon allows Mr. )ardiner to replace him. %hen "li#abeth announces her engagement to *arcy, Mr.
Bennet seems genuinely concerned, for he still believes *arcy to be arrogant and rude$ he does not
want his daughter to enter into a miserable marriage like his own. %hen he learns of *arcy(s
goodness and "li#abeth(s true love for him, Mr. Bennet blesses the union. At the end of the novel,
however, he is not a greatly changed man$ he is still in his ivory tower, trying to escape the inanity of
his wife.
Mrs. Bennet
Mrs. Bennet is described by the author as +a woman of mean understanding, little information, and
uncertain temper.+ ,n her youth, her beauty won her a husband, but she could not sustain Mr.
Bennet(s interest for long because of her crude behavior. As the novel opens, she has one purpose in
life - to find acceptable husbands for her oldest three daughters.
Mrs. Bennet is loud and gauche as is illustrated in her behavior at .etherfield. %henever she opens
her mouth, she seems to make a fool of herself. er vulgar social behavior becomes a ma'or deterrent
for Bingley and *arcy in the pursuit of her daughters. ,n addition to her crass behavior, Mrs. Bennet is
not very intelligent or sensible. /he is given to hasty 'udgments and fluctuating opinions. Throughout
the book, her opinions of people swing between abhorrence and admiration, as seen in her changing
feelings for Mr. 0ollins, %ickham, Bingley, and *arcy. Of course, much of how she 'udges them is
based on whether or not she believes they will become her sons-in-law.
Like her husband, Mrs. Bennet fails miserably in her role as a parent. /he fails to understand the
sensibilities of &ane and "li#abeth, and often embarrasses the two girls with her indiscreet behavior
and hurtful remarks. /he ridicules &ane for her love for Bingley and wants "li#abeth to marry the
horrid Mr. 0ollins. er permissiveness with Lydia leads to her living with %ickham outside of marriage.
Mrs. Bennet(s reaction to the elopement is to go into hysterics and hide herself in her room. /he is
incapable of holding the family together in a moment of crisis$ in fact, she 'ust makes matters worse.
,n the end, Mrs. Bennet gets e1actly what she has desired$ her three eldest daughters are married.
/he, however, remains the same gawking, vulgar and foolish woman.
Jane Bennet
&ane is the beautiful, charming, and subdued sister of "li#abeth. ,n fact, she is so gentle and kind that
she genuinely and naively believes that everyone else in the world is the same. "li#abeth even tells
her that +you never see a fault in anybody. All the world is good and agreeable in your eyes. , have
never heard you speak ill of any human being.+ er attraction for Bingley is instant, for she sees him
as a simple, unassuming man and a perfect mate. /he is greatly disappointed when Bingley seems to
lose interest in her, but she patiently waits for him. At the end of the novel, the good &ane is rewarded
for her patient endurance when Bingley proposes to her.
Bingley
A promising young man endowed with wealth and social ease, Bingley is the owner of .etherfield.
2nlike *arcy, he is very popular with everyone because he is gentle, kind, and amiable, and his
manners are socially pleasing. is love for &ane is instant and pure$ unfortunately, he is at first
discouraged from pursuing a relationship with her.
At times, Bingley seems a bit weak, lacking self-confidence. e lets himself be manipulated by his
friends and his sisters. *arcy acts like an adviser, philosopher, and guide to him, leading him away
from his attraction to &ane. 2nfortunately, Bingley always places a great premium on *arcy(s sense of
'udgement and follows his advice, almost without !uestions. On the whole, Bingley is a very simple,
uncomplicated character. "li#abeth Bennet correctly depicts him as a man who is 3very easy to
understand(.
#hemes