In this novel, the Gardiner’s are the Bennets’ connection to London. This is a very significant role as it develops the story. After months of being absent from netherfield, the Bingley’s and the Bennets’ relationship seemed to have stopped but since the Bennets had relatives living in London, the story was able to develop, when Jane visited Caroline Bingley and came to the realization that she was ‘deceived in miss. Bingley’s regard for [her]’. The Gardiners also helped Elizabeth’s relationship develop with Mr. Darcy Bored from the life at Longbourne; she was very pleased when she was invited to go on a trip with her aunt and uncle. They travel to Derbyshire where Mrs. Gardiner spent many years of her childhood, and on one of the days the Gardiners suggest they go visit Pemberley, home of Mr. Darcy. When Elizabeth and Darcy accidentally meet at Pemberley, Elizabeth sees a completely different side of Darcy, he has become more gentlemanlike. We first see that Mr. Darcy has changed, around Mr. Gardiner. After greeting Elizabeth, Darcy invites Mr. Gardiner to go fishing with him in his lake. This is important, as it is the first time that Darcy seems to put status behind and looked at the person, since Mr. Gardiner is a man below Darcy’s status yet we see Mr. Darcy conversing with Mr. Gardiner. This is a real change because before status was very important to him as he pointed out when asking Elizabeth for her hand in marriage. Mrs. Gardiner tells Elizabeth that does not seem so bad and has great manners. And Elizabeth is just as surprised. This was when Elizabeth’s view on Darcy began to change a great deal. This shows that without the Gardiners, Elizabeth’s feelings towards Mr. Darcy may never have changed.
Another crucial role the Gardiners’ play in this novel is when Lydia, Elizabeth’s youngest sister, elopes with Wickham to London. When the Bennets finds out Mr. Bennet goes to London in search of his youngest daughter. Meanwhile Elizabeth is still in Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle when she receives the news of Lydia. When Darcy visits Elizabeth, he finds her in a terrible state. Elizabeth explains what has happened and she blames herself for not telling her father what kind of a man Wickham really was. Hearing this news seems to shock Darcy and he leaves. When Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner comes back from their walk they leave immediately for Longbourne so Mr. Gardiner could assist his brother in law in his search for his daughter. After Elizabeth returns to Longbourne her father returns from London as well, leaving Mr. Gardiner in London. Then Mr. Gardiner tells the Bennets that he has found out that Wickham has a debt often thousand pounds and that he has paid of his debts in order for Wickham and Lydia to get married. However, later on, when Lydia visits her family after her marriage to Wickham, Lydia leaks out that Mr. Darcy was Wickham’s best man. Eager to find out why this was, Elizabeth wrote a letter to her aunt and her aunt replied her letter saying, that Mr. Darcy had come to see Elizabeth’s uncle and was eager to pay for all of Wickham’s debts but Mr. Gardiner had to take the credit for this. This part of the novel shows that without the Gardiners, Darcy would not have had the chance to take out this act of generosity and Elizabeth would not have known of Mr. Darcy’s true kindness. J. Austen must have made the character Mr. Darcy goes to the Gardiners for two reasons. Firstly, they were situated in London and that was where Darcy, Wickham and Lydia were and the Gardiners were trying to sort out the problem between Lydia and Wickham. Secondly, his character is known for judging other characters such as Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bennet, pointed out in the letter he wrote to Elizabeth, this would mean that he must have trusted the Gardiners to keep their word and not gossiped about what had happened and believed that they had their nieces best interests at heart.
From the author’s point of view, J. Austen is known to put characters in novel that are quite normal so that other characters can be compared to them to see how ridiculous or outrageous they are. In this novel the neutral characters are Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. They are an example of a married couple that is well mannered and intelligent. J. Austen has also been known to have relatives who are a contrast to each other. Mr. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet’s brother, yet he has a completely different personality to his sister’s, just like Elizabeth has with her sister, Lydia. J. Austen liked showing that even if you are related to someone; it didn’t necessarily mean you were exactly like them.
