The Bingley Sisters are another good example of the social satire in pride and prejudice; Jane Austen shows this through their pride and arrogance. Both Bingley sisters are enormously snobbish and stuck-up. Caroline Bingley in particular scorns the Bennet family for their extreme lack of sophistication because they had relations in trade; Caroline Bingley bears inordinate disdain for Elizabeth’s middle class family for this reason. We soon learn that the Bingley Sisters “Were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed in their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade” This is a direct example of irony and satire because although the Bingley sisters criticise The Bennet’s, trade is actually the source that created the Bingley’s wealth; as their ancestors were in trade. The satire shows the snobby nature of the Bingley sisters and that they criticise others for the things that they too share. The Bingley sisters are very aware of what society expects of them and act in an improper and offensive way towards people of a lower rank. Caroline Bingley is superficial and selfish; she has all of Darcy’s class prejudice, but none of his respect and virtue. She pretends to be a friend of Jane’s but is extremely bad mannered towards her when she goes to visit in London. Throughout the novel she is constantly trying to win Darcy’s affections, she tries to prevent Darcy’s attachment towards Elizabeth by constantly ridiculing the poor manners of Mrs Bennet and her personality. They are both very snobbish, but are shown to be not as high as they think to be. This is another example of the irony in Jane Austen’s writing, The Bingley sisters are being gently mocked because of their attitude towards the Bennet’s because; their ancestors are in trade, when the Bingley’s ancestors were too in trade.
Mr Collins is too a satirised character, because he displays such a flattery for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, he praises her excessively. I think that Jane Austen shows Collins as a very comical character because has shows a personality mix of obsequiousness and pride. Mr Collins is a pompous and a generally idiotic clergyman who stands to inherit Mr Bennet’s property. Mr Collins own social status is nothing to boast about, but he takes great pains to let everyone know that Lady Catherine de Bough is his patroness. Mr Collins is very much aware of social class and status, and is seen as social climber, he is a classically represents what Jane Austen hated about the clergymen of her time.
Jane Austen makes Collins look very ridiculous seeing as he is a clergyman, but meanwhile is a very materialistic man. He tries to come across as a humble man, when in actual fact he has a very materialistic outlook to life, he values only the quantity or size of a house. This make him looks incredibly stupid, because he is meant to be a man of the church, but is unbelievably lacking in Christian spirit. Collins is a great example of how Jane Austen uses her character to portray satire, because he is a man who is constantly aware of society and what people think of him, this is what makes him proud. Meanwhile he also tries to put on a front that he is a humble man, who cares for people. Society has made Collins into a man who constantly feels the need to please everyone around him; this makes him a completely false character. Jane Austen uses Collins as a satirical tool to show a form of ridicule and sarcasm, he is a great object of the social satire of that time. Mr Collins is a mixture of obsequiousness and arrogance, self-importance and modesty, makes him appear as a fool. Collins is silly and conceited who is completely filled with praise and astonishment for Lady Catherine de Bourgh in every aspect of life that he has forgotten his own morals and duties. I think that Jane Austen uses Mr Collins in particular to satirise the image of the clergy during her period, especially in his lack of Christian spirit revealed in the letter sent to Mr Bennet about the news of Lydia’s fall. Jane Austen uses Collins as a satirical tool to expose what many people of the clergy were like during that period.
Wickham is another good example of how Jane Austen uses her characters to bring out the satire of that time. Wickham is initially shown to be a good amicable man; he had the appearance of goodness and virtue. He is stylish and handsome and therefore is extremely attractive to the young ladies of Meryton, he displays “all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address” His true nature begins to show itself later in the novel, due to several revelations about his past. I think that Jane Austen uses Wickham’s character to warn that good looks and politeness may hide what is very unpleasant about someone’s character. She shows Wickham as an example that some people may not appear what they really seem to be.
Mrs Bennet is too a very much satirised character by Jane Austen throughout the novel for her shallowness. Society has put a burden on Mrs Bennet’s shoulders that she must marry off her five daughters whatever the cost. She is a foolish, frivolous woman. Mrs Bennet isn’t very intelligent the issue of marrying off her daughters at any cost permanently distracts her. She lacks all sense of virtue and has no real concern for the moral or intellectual education of her five daughters. Mrs Bennet is in a society, which demands that very decent woman should be married, which has made Mrs Bennet into what she is. From the beginning of the novel, we can see that Mrs Bennet’s sole obsession is to marry off her daughters. She is more concerned with marrying daughters preferably into money rather than happiness. Jane Austen is using Mrs Bennet to show what society had turned many mothers into.
Overall I think that Jane Austen has used many of her characters as satirical tools, to criticise the society of her time. She used it to show what she didn’t like about the society. Jane Austen does use characters like Elizabeth Bennet in a positive way to expose the satire used in many of Jane Austen’s characters. I think that Elizabeth Bennet is like a reflection of Jane Austen; she uses Elizabeth’s character to express her ironic views about the society of that time. I think that Jane Austen was very much like the character Elizabeth in her time; this can be seen in what Elizabeth says,
"I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can." There is a lot of witty play of language in many of Elizabeth’s conversations, especially between characters like Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Darcy.
Many of Jane Austen’s comments of the characters and her views about society are made through gentle mocking irony throughout the novel. Jane Austen's sense of humour and intelligence allowed her to show the reader the, "follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies," of her characters. The way she writes about characters such as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Collins, the Bingley Sisters and Mrs Bennett are good examples of this. She also does so without being unreasonable, as she laughs not at them, but at what they do. The main object of satire in the novel is the mercenary and the ignorance of the characters.
In the novel Jane Austen has used satire to denounce the elements of marriage and society that she has predominantly found distasteful. These are the conclusions of her observations of the people in her time.
