All of
the Bennet sisters contribute different personalities to the novel. Jane is the beautiful one who always seems to
do the right thing. She is a clear
favorite of her mother. Elizabeth is the
witty one who has courage and always stands her ground. Mr. Bennet favors Elizabeth and claims that
she is the only daughter of his who is not simply a silly girl. Mary Bennet is the middle child who loves to
read books and is a little more obscure than the rest of the sisters. Catherine Bennet is girly and is very silly,
as Mr. Bennet puts it. All of these
sisters appear to be predictable roles that you may find in a family. However, Jane Austin also introduces us with
a fifth sister, Lydia Bennet. Lydia acts
as the wild child in this novel. The
impulsiveness and lustful desires of Lydia's character provides Pride and
Prejudice with a sexy spin that may cause people to believe that there is
more to this novel than romantic fluff.
Although in our culture running off with an army man without being
married does not seem so scandalous, in the 19th century this could have ruined
the Bennet family's reputation. This
scandalous character may be used by Jane Austin to allow her audience to fall
out of love with the Bennet family and fall in love with the idea of Darcy and
Elizabeth living happily ever after.
Darcy was never fond of Elizabeth's family despite his passionate love
for her, and this appalled Elizabeth. I
believe that after Darcy's first proposal, the reader is meant to sympathize
with Elizabeth. However, after the
second proposal, the reader is rooting for Darcy. Perhaps Darcy's initial assumptions of the
Bennets came off as shallow and unmerited, but Lydia's actions proved his point
well. Not only did this prove his point,
but Darcy also made an effort to end this and rescue Lydia from the dreadful
Mr. Wickham despite his clear disproval of their family. This conflict is used to win the reader over
to Darcy's heroism and wisdom. After
Lydia's key role in making Darcy seem so appealing, the audience then is
compelled to root for Darcy and Elizabeth to marry in order to restore the name
of the Bennet family and fulfill the love story.
Kristi,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post, and loved how you analyzed a character who is so important to the story, but is not fully recognized as the essential character that she is. I agree with what you said about Lydia proving Darcy's point when he states that the Bennett family is peculiar and embarrassing. Your blog made me think of scenes within the 2005 movie, where Lydia, Catherine, and Mrs. Bennet were giggling like little girls at the soldiers as they passed through town, and at all the balls and parties the Bennet's went to, there was always a small scene with either Catherine or Lydia participating in a childish act. I believe that within the 2005 film, personally, it was easier to pick up on these immature actions from Lydia, making Darcy's point seem much more valid. While reading, there was so much more to focus on, so Lydia became a background character for me until the end of the novel when she comes close to shaming her family. Thanks for sharing, I definitely agree with you!
Erin Vogt