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Pride and Prejudice Character Analysis

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Pride and Prejudice Character Analysis
Mr. Bennet

Although he is an intelligent man and displays a good sense of judgment throughout the novel, such as showing disapproval of Elizabeth marrying Mr. Collins, he also appears to be quite physically detached from the world. While other characters are busy visiting neighbours or going on trips, he is rarely seen outside his library and does not really interact with members of his family that much. Therefore he is also quite emotionally detached from them, as he appears to want nothing more than to be bothered as little as possible by his family. He is quite lazy and apathetic when it comes to dealing with other’s problems and teaching his daughter lessons in life and although his ridicule of people and their problems is amusing, one cannot help but look at his failed responsibilities as a Father. Even when Elizabeth warns him not to allow Lydia to go to Brighton because of the moral danger of the situation, he does not listen to her because he does not want to be bothered with Lydia's complaints.

Mrs. Bennet

From the very first page in the book, it is obvious that Mrs. Bennet’s main goal in life is to marry off all her daughters, preferably to rich and well-known men. From a modern perspective, this sounds incredibly extreme, however in early 19th century England, most women with daughters shared this view regarding the ‘marriage-market’, although probably not as enthusiastically. Having said that, this means the majority of the time, Mrs. Bennet lacks propriety and virtue, showing no concern for the moral or intellectual education of her daughters. This is shown through her joyful reaction to Lydia’s marriage, as she does not see the full picture, such as her daughter’s shameful conduct, how young she is or the worry she has caused her family, but that she has succeeded in marrying one daughter off. It is also quite ironic that her foolish and frivolous personality is the biggest threat to her daughters marrying well, as Mr. Darcy initially shows

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