Do you think that Austen makes it possible to feel sympathy for Mrs. Bennet?

Authors Avatar

Do you think that Austen makes it possible to feel sympathy for Mrs. Bennet?

It is my opinion that in the novel Pride and Prejudice, Austen does not make it possible to feel sympathy for Mrs. Bennet as much as feeling a certain fondness for her and her silly ways. She is a very amusing and lovable character, and this is exactly what makes her so exciting to read about.

From the very beginning, Austen portrays her as a rather silly and superficial woman. Within the first chapter, she paints complete portrait of her character in jut a few lines. “She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.” The reader, at this point, does not know quite what to make of her, until Austen declares, “when she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous” and one immediately falls in love with her. “The business of her life was to see her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news” further conveys how very superficial she is, yet somehow retains the quintessence of being extremely humorous. Mrs. Bennet is one of the principal characters that help set the feel for the entire novel.

Join now!

There lies a sharp contrast between Mrs. Bennet and her husband, who is “so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humor, reserve and caprice,” that he quickly loses interest in his wife after the novelty of being newlywed wears off. He subsequently found ways to amuse himself by frustrating his wife constantly. The reader always takes delight in these tiny conspiracies against Mrs. Bennet. For example, when Mrs. Bennet tried to tell her husband about a very eligible bachelor who had just moved into Netherfield, Mr. Bennet feigned disinterest to purposely aggravate her. He then declares that he ...

This is a preview of the whole essay