Thesis statement:
The narrator handles Mr. Bennet, in Pride
and Prejudice by Jane Austen, with sympathy because of the narrator’s wish
to see him as a developing character, although he may be interpreted as the
non-existing static character that leads to the elopement of Lydia.
The aim of this essay is to discover and expose the complexity of the
character of Mr. Bennet, through character development and revelation, and to
show how the reader is lead to sympathise with the proud character of Mr. Bennet
rather than the prejudiced characters, even though it is the proud characters
of this story that drives Lydia into eloping with Mr. Wickham.
Already in the first paragraphs of the first chapter we are introduced
to Mr. Bennet. We here meet him as he is forced into a dialogue with his wife. The
narrator does not give him a voice in his first utterance in this text. “Mr.
Bennet replied that he had not” (Charlotte Brontë, p.05). He is not allowed to
utter himself before his wife cries at him. “You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.” (05)
We can by these two sentences extract two traits of our character in question.
Firstly, he is not a man of many words, or one might say that his wife speaks
most in their relationship. And it is an indirect presentation by the narrator.
Secondly, when he actually speaks, he speaks with a pungent voice. The use of
the italicized you enforce the
reader’s impression, and it is an indirect presentation by Mr. Bennet himself.
It also confirms the narrator’s previous presentation.
“How so? How can it affect them?” (06) From this indirect presentation
we are presented to how Mr. Bennet behaves before his wife, he teases her. It
is not a very flattering presentation.
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of
quick parts, sarcastic humor, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of
three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his
character. (07)
This is the narrator’s direct definition of Mr. Bennet, the narrator
here clearly shows her affection for Mr. Bennet, she sympathizes with him, and
at the same time makes fun of their relationship, which comes out in Mr. Bennet’s
favour. So already in the first chapter we have a very clear picture of Mr.
Bennet, he is a man of few words, when he speaks he is very sarcastic, and by
today’s standards we would call him a mean person. This is extracted by what
the narrator says, and by what Mr. Bennet says. “You take delight in vexing me.
You have no compassion on my poor nerves” (07). This is said by Mrs. Bennet to
Mr. Bennet, and strengthens the previous assumption about him. To make Mr. Bennet more complex we can see
what he says about Mr. Collins letter: “He seems to be a most conscientious and
polite young man, upon my word and I doubt not will prove a valuable
acquaintance—“(62). Mr. Bennet is not just sarcastic to his wife and daughters,
he seems bored and sees his coming like a good opportunity for some
self-entertainment.
Mr. Bennet is in the situation of not being able to pass on anything to
his girls when he dies, the house and property is entailed to a distant male
heir. “They have none of them much to recommend them----they are all silly and
ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her
sisters.” (06-07) And by what he says about his daughters he seems like someone
not caring too much about their future. As one reads this one must also see the
setting in which he utters himself, and in this setting it is towards his wife
in private. Is he not caring for anyone than Lizzy, or is he teasing his wife?
The second chapter he is one of the first to meet up with Mr. Bingley, so it
seems he does care about his daughters, although he still thinks of them as
silly. So his own actions indirectly reveal him as a man of at least some
compassion. Upon the visit and first
proposal of Mr. Collins he reveals his favouritism of Lizzy by stating: “Your
mother will never see you again if you do not
marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do” (110). The reaction of wild Lydia’s wish to go to Brighton is
somewhat revealing for the character of Mr. Bennet. On Lizzy’s objection to her
going he rejects all her objections by simply saying: “We shall have no peace
at Longbourn if Lydia does not go to Brighton.” (223-224) A simple, and not a very thoughtful, decision
by Mr. Bennet. So the complexity of him unravels by this. This is also confirmed by the narrator’s
direct explication about his unhappy marriage “—all his views on domestic
happiness were overthrown.” (228). This
is followed by the narrators conveying Lizzy’s thoughts about her parents
marriage, and how Mr. Bennet’s actions towards his wife was “so highly
reprehensible.” (228), and his talents, used right, “—might at least have
preserved the respectability of his daughters, even if incapable of enlarging
the mind of his wife.”(229).
The narrator identifies Mr. Bennet’s unhappy marriage, although the reader
most likely has figured this out, and Lizzy’s reflections reveals to the reader
that the ruined marriage, and the following regression of Mr. Bennet’s mind had
not done the girls justice.
By indirect presentation of the character of Mr. Bennet we identify him
as arrogant and sarcastic, towards almost everyone, except Lizzy, but at the
same time we are lead to sympathise with him when we are presented to his wife,
through the direct presentation by the narrator. His action indirectly reveals
to us that he cares about his daughters enough to present himself to Mr.
Bingley. But he is revealed as simple and narrow minded when he lets Lydia go
to Brighton, just to get her away from his own sphere of peace. The direct
revelation of Mr. Bennet’s marriage reveals more of his complexity, or
simplicity. By Lizzy’s thoughts the reader is indirectly presented to the
revelation of Mr. Bennet’s faults as a father. The reader is regaining some of
the sympathy for Mr. Bennet by the last development of his character through
his actions and speech. He acts at once to the elopement of Lydia, and explains
to Kitty that “ If you are a good girl for the next ten years, I will take you
to a review at the end of them” (284), in retrospect of his previous
passiveness towards his daughters actions.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and
Prejudice. London: Penguin Books, 2003.
PS! Remember to cite your work!
