Introduction to Characters in Pride and Prejudice
A good reading of the characters in Pride and Prejudice in terms of understanding their sketches shows that Jane Austen’s art not only lies in creating natural and down-to-earth real characters but also in demonstrating the qualities that real human beings possess. Her wonderful capability is almost equal to great English writers in making her characters look like real human beings, having shortcomings, strengths, and idiosyncrasies. As a lady of good upbringing, she is not only conscious of the role of minute social mannerisms but also the violation of the accepted norms and values. Though she has confined herself to the country people, she has also sketched yeomen and laborers as ably as she has done other characters. It is also that characters have been created in such a way that the audiences or the readers never know what is going to happen next with which character on account of his action. In this lies the real art of the writer in the making and breaking of the impression of some specific characters. The art of Jane Austen of creating characters in Pride and Prejudice lies in showing good characters doing bad actions and bad doing good actions, making the readers shift their sympathies, liking and disliking simultaneously. Jane Austen’s talent for creating unique and real human characters in Pride and Prejudice lies in creating individuals with specific traits, their revelation through their own conversations, and their exposure through comparison and contrast to other characters.
Special Character Traits
Almost all characters in Pride and Prejudice have their special character traits, which make them unique and stand out amongst the others of their ilk. Just take the example of a typical wife, Mrs. Bennet, who is not only self-indulgent but also vacuous, is always busy finding matches for her daughters. In the opinion of her husband, Mr. Bennet, she is “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper” (Austen 04). She is a butt of jokes for her husband due to her idiosyncrasies and ignorance, while Mr. Bennet is highly entertaining. He was 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” (04). As a father of five girls, he perhaps shirks their company and lives mostly in his library, but he dares to take up the blame when he could not find Lydia and Wickham in London after their elopement, stating “No Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame” (91). In fact, such a confession of one’s negligence is quite rare even in real life. But it is still real in Austen that despite disparaging Mrs. Bennet, he owns the blame that he could not take care of Lydia’s rash behavior in the case of going fast to marriage. Though Austen has not blamed any other male character, it is typical of her that she has made her character speak out. Even her best characters have their own specific traits such as Elizabeth, of which Austen has a great liking as she has mentioned about her in her letter written to her sister (Austen 1995). She is not only witty and intelligent but also quick in learning and fast in entertaining others with her humor. She has “something more of her quickness than her sisters” (04) as her father likes her for this. Austen adds that “she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous” (08). Austen is not limited to these characters only, for each character in Pride and Prejudice has a peculiar habit and a character trait, which highlights Austen’s art in making all of them real. It is also that they have not been repeated anywhere even in other novels. Despite keeping their individualities intact, she has made them universal in which lies her uniqueness because this is what makes a character memorable and close to reality. Her comprehension of the nature of her characters shows what they are such as Wickham is an unprincipled ruffian, Mr. Bennet is a humoros father, Mr. Darcy is a priggish but thoughtful young man, Elizabeth is a sagacious lady, Mrs. Bennet is a typical mother of girls, and Lydia is a silly and stupid girl.
Conversational Style of Characters in Pride and Prejudice
A person is best known through his / her conversation. Until he speaks, nobody can tell what sort of a person he/she is, how he/she would react and nothing can be predicted about him/her. Perhaps, Austen has this evaluative paradigm in mind when she revealed most of her characters in Pride and Prejudice through their conversation. This makes her portrayal of characters even more realistic and closer to reality than through any other act. Although they seem perfect characters like Elizabeth and Darcy, they are not liked or idealized in such a way that the people start making them paragons of virtues. Therefore, wherever any of her characters speak, he or she speaks with special reference to her own qualities and traits. The conversation between Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet reveals the characters of both in that one is empty-headed and obsessed with the idea of getting her daughters married, while the other is a well-read person, having an eye on the situation around him and a ridiculous outlook of his wife. Referring to her nerves he states, “I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least” (04). This shows that he always sees the funny side of life in his wife. Similarly, Elizabeth and Darcy are always on bad terms in their conversation but ultimately know each other after they are exposed through their dialogues with each other. Letter writing of Collin and Lydia reveals their characters, while Elizabeth is mostly exposed through her careful way of speaking. As the best exposure is self-exposure, at least two of Austen’s characters find themselves or discover themselves; Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth. The former confesses his fault for his carelessness toward Lydia. He confesses it when he returns from London after not finding them. However, the case of later is different as she could not judge Mr. Darcy and says that she has merely “gratified [her] in useless or blameable distrust” (122). It could be said that though this is a self-discovery, still it is in the hands of Austen to put it into the mouths of her characters in Pride and Prejudice. Another important point is that several characters talk about other characters with somebody else. This also exposes their thinking about others and reveals other characters. This technique is very useful in that it reveals how a character thinks about the other ones, such as Darcy and Elizabeth think quite contrary to each other and comment against each other when they are talking to others.
Colorful Characters in Pride and Prejudice
It is also that the characters in Pride and Prejudice is a gallery of characters, Jane Austen has put several characters in comparison and contrast to others. This technique highlights their strengths and weaknesses, making them prominent or likable to the readers or vice versa. Their comparison and contrast also balance the character of one person and accentuate that of the others. Mrs. Bennet is well known for her being a butt of ridicule from her husband but Lady Catherine is also there, who not only balances her but also sometimes makes her look a serious thinking lady, because of the latter’s proud and arrogant behavior when meeting others. Similarly, the arrival of Darcy makes Bingley looks pale in his presence, while he proves a foil for him. On the other hand, Wickham serves as a contrast to both of them. Whereas Darcy is a cold type of person, very serious, guarded, and a fatherly figure because of being a distinguished person, Bingley, in comparison to him, seems quite naïve and simpleton. Similarly, whereas Lydia is a romantic and stupid in worldly affairs, Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth, just proves very pragmatic. She immediately accepts the proposal of Collins, as she knows, once gone is always gone. However, Jane Austen is not limited to this. She has also presented somewhat three-dimensional characters which makes it easy to understand how a person could be of varied nature at the same time as it happens in life. There is no prediction about any person in real life. In fact, Jane Austen has used a three-dimensional technique that is to use conversation, the point of view of others, and also her own description apart from the actions of the characters themselves. For example, Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet have been described at the end of the first chapter but not before they have revealed themselves through their lively conversation, while Mr. Bennet also reveals his inner goodness of heart through his actions when he tells her that he has already met Mr. Bingley.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Jane Austen’s characters in Pride and Prejudice are as intricate as other living human beings are because they have been taken from the everyday life of the English countryside gentry. They reveal her minute and comprehensive observation of human nature so that she could depict that in her characters. None could deny that there are no mothers like Mrs. Bennet, no haughty and arrogant ladies like Mrs. Catherine, no sagacious but down-to-earth realistic girls like Elizabeth, and no flirts like Wickham. However, it is her art that she has put every character at the right place with specific character traits, mannerisms, virtues, and vices to play a specific role in the romantic maze of “Pride and Prejudice.” Not only do they expose themselves but also expose others, and reveal their natures through actions toward others and toward themselves. In fact, Jane Austen has done nothing else to pick up real-life characters and wrap them into her own philosophy of the pursuit of conjugal life.
Works Cited
- Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Project Gutenberg Electronic Texts. 2004. Online.
- Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters .ed. Deirdre Le Faye. Oxford University Press. New York. 1995. Print.
Questions:
- How does Jane Austen use a blend of natural and idealized traits in her characters in Pride and Prejudice?
- In what ways do the characters in Pride and Prejudice represent the authentic human experiences and emotions of their time, despite being fictional creations?
- Explore the concept of character foils in the novel. How do characters like Elizabeth and Jane, or Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham, serve to highlight different facets of human nature and society?
- Discuss the role of social class and status in shaping the characters in Pride and Prejudice.
- How does the character development of key characters in Pride and Prejudice contribute to the overall themes of personal growth and self-awareness in the novel?
