In the novel when Mrs Bennet does not get her own way or something goes wrong she starts complaining about her nerves (as shown above). This is attention seeking and she wants sympathy from her daughters.
Jane Austen makes it perfectly clear that Mrs Bennet has a lack of social skills; the reader sees this when she visits Netherfield and has a big argument with Mr. Darcy in Volume 1 Chapter 9; Darcy: ‘…In a country neighbourhood you move in a very confined and unvarying society.’ ‘But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever.’ ‘Yes, indeed,’ cried Mrs. Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a country neighbourhood. ‘I assure you there is quite as much of that going on in the country as in town.’
This is totally inappropriate because she is at a ball and she is just mouthing off. This makes the reader feel really embarrassed for Mrs Bennet, and especially for her daughters.
She also embarrasses her daughters by telling people she is leading them into the paths of young men.
There are several examples of Mrs Bennet being a hypocrite, and contradicting herself: When Lydia runs away with Wickham, Mrs Bennet hates him. A week later they get married and Mrs Bennet decides to like him. Mrs Bennet is also very two-faced about Lucas and Mr Collins; she is nice to their face but can be very nasty about them behind their backs.
The whole way through the novel Mrs Bennet hates Mr Darcy. This starts when he refuses to dance with Elizabeth at a ball, saying that she is not handsome enough for him. Mrs Bennet says! ‘He (Darcy) is a most disagreeable horrid man, not at all worth pleasing, so high and so conceited that there was no enduring him! He walked here and he walked there fancying himself so very great! Not handsome enough to dance with! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given one of your set downs, I quite detest the man! After she has been told that Elizabeth is marrying Mr Darcy she says ‘Good gracious! Lord bless me! Only think! Dear me! Mr Darcy! Who would have thought it!’
Jane Austen makes the reader realise that Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with marriage; this is put under the spotlight early on in the play. Jane Austen does this because it shows Mrs Bennet’s character straight away; this is also shown early on in the novel to show the real importance of marriage in those days. In the opening pages of the book she explains to her husband in excited fashion; ‘My dear Mr. Bennet, have you heard that is let at last?’ ‘…Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs.Long says that is taken by a young man of large fortune…’ ‘…Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!’
Mrs Bennet is so desperate to marry her daughters off, because women in those days did not work so they were not financially independent. Mrs Bennet was hoping they would all marry extremely wealthy men. You almost feel she lives only to marry off her daughters. As she is so desperate to marry them off, she doesn’t mind when Lydia and Kitty flirt with soldiers, most parents would be protective of their daughters. She encourages Jane and Elizabeth to marry well, and you could say her obsession with marriage is purely for her comfort in old age.
Also the quote used for the first section; explaining how Jane Austen creates the idea of Mrs. Bennet being a hypochondriac can be used in this section. The quote helps convince the reader that she is obsessed by marriage because she gets so upset by the refusal of marriage that Elizabeth gives Mr Collins.
Its as clear as anything that Jane Austen has made Mrs Bennet out to be extremely thick, it is obvious to everyone that reads the novel that Mrs Bennet has a lack of intelligence. Jane Austen uses this to good affect creating humour to the novel. Mrs Bennet is scared to use her brains and doesn’t shut up talking. A prime example of her lack of intelligence is when her and Mr Darcy speak; she always misinterprets what he says and twists his words.
‘Her mind was less difficult to develop’ this is a cracking quote which describes how dumb the character of Mrs Bennet really is.
Jane Austen makes it clear to the reader that the relationship between Mrs Bennet and Mr Bennet is based purely on physical attraction, which is become tiresome and financially difficult. The marriage is an illustration of what may well happen between Lydia and Wickham. Mr Bennet is an especially worldly character, while Mrs Bennet herself is very embarrassing and snobbish. It is quite simple to work out why they do not get on.
During the novel Mr Bennet is having a breakdown and Mrs Bennet wants everyone to be sympathetic with her nerves, which is incredible ignorant.
