Elizabeth Bennett, the Main Character
Elizabeth, Bennett's second daughter, is the main character in the Pride and Prejudice book. The book makes use of the character in a number of ways to develop the subject of pride and prejudice. (Austen & Bloom 20). She conveys a lot about her personality just by the way she carries herself during the discussion. It is crucial to delve deeply into her personality traits and comprehend how crucial she is to the novel's storyline.
Elizabeth's Clever Nature
Elizabeth Bennett is portrayed in the book as being clever. In almost all of her conversations, she is noted to be keen at picking the right choice of words and knows what she is expected to say at any given time as opposed to the other children in her family. It is because of her quick-witted nature that makes her a darling to her father. The novel shows that she is closer to the father more than she is to the mother.
Elizabeth's Loving Nature
Elizabeth Bennett is loving. The trait of love is brought out in different instances within the novel. As stated, Elizabeth is close to the father, and it is all because of the love that is within her. Elizabeth equally has love for her family members. When her sister, Jane Bennett, fell sick, she took the initiative and abandoned all her tasks and went to see her. She puts aside her pride and puts her family first. To her, there are limits to pride, and she had to leave the social status that she deems herself to be in just to take care of her family, especially her sister Jane.
Elizabeth's Principled Nature
Elizabeth Bennett is principled. On matters relationship and marriage, she is used as one of the individuals who vets the suitors who come to her father's place to seek her hand in marriage. Bloom quotes, “She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her (Austen & Bloom 70)”. One of the people who she quickly turns down is the clergyman who seeks to inherit Mr. Bennett's property after he is dead. In the society that these individuals live in, it is expected that the family property has to be inherited by a male individual. It is quite unfortunate that Mr. Bennett does not have a male child who can inherit his property. Elizabeth seeks the clergyman’s proposal as a mockery and quickly turns him down.
Elizabeth's Rejection of Darcy's Proposal
Elizabeth's principled nature is equally seen when she turns down Darcy's proposal. She argues that the individual is quite cynical, arrogant, and unpleasant and there is no way in which they can meet whatsoever. She equally tells him that it was imprudent for him to steer Bingley away from her sister, Jane. Ideally, she had a strong argument against turning down Darcy's proposal. She says "I thank you again and again for the honor you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible (Austen & Bloom 83)". The chances are that accepting the proposal would separate her from the family members especially from her sister who she values as presented in the plot of the story. Although she has a wrong impression of Darcy, her arguments carry a lot of weight, and she is right not accepting his proposal.
Elizabeth's Prideful Nature
Elizabeth is quite prideful. Right from the beginning of the story, the author describes him as an individual who took her time during conversations and would only speak knowing that what she has said is right. Her prideful character is also seen in the manner in which she vets the people who come to seek her hand in marriage. It is quite evident in the manner in which she vets the clergyman, Mr. Collins, and Darcy who wanted her hand in marriage (Bloom 30). The author uses the character to create the theme of pride and prejudice that runs throughout the novel.
Elizabeth's Judgmental Nature
Elizabeth Bennett has been brought out in the novel as a very judgmental individual. Often, we do not get the right impression of the people we meet if we judge them on the same day we meet them (Jones 93). However, Elizabeth does not believe in this; she feels that a person's character is seen the very first-day people meet, and she has never been wrong about it. Most of the people she has met and judged turn to behave exactly as she has judged them. Her level of accuracy in judging people brings out her intelligence. An assertion of her intelligence is seen in Widger’s quote that ‘Nevertheless, her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray (Widger).’
Elizabeth's Observative Nature
Elizabeth is so much observative on what is good, and she has been able to discern wisdom and foolishness (Widger). One would think that because she is prideful and boastful, she would not put up with the people who know no wisdom in the society (Jones 95). It is however not the reason; she notably observes the people she associates with and knows the kind of people who are worth. She uses her trait of observation to identify the problem between Lady Catherine and Bingley (Austen 40). The former is disapproved, and the latter admires Elizabeth's sister; an admiration that leads to marriage.
Elizabeth's Ambitious Nature
The plot of the story creates a situation where Elizabeth is depicted as an individual who is ambitious and knows what she wants with her life (Austen 43). Most of her sisters have gone through a lot of misfortune in their quest to find husbands and the people who can love them well (Austen 45). The case of Jane and Bingley is one of the examples. She describes Mr. Collins as a foolish individual and would not want to be in any relationship with him. It is her intelligence that prevents her from making rash decisions about issues concerning marriage. One of the reasons why she could have been having problems with her mother is the pride that she had when men approached her to seek her hand in marriage. After two attempts, Elizabeth gives in to Darcy’s proposal. Her ambitious nature makes it possible for her to settle for a worthwhile relationship.
Elizabeth's Book Smart Nature
Elizabeth Bennett is equally book smart, and she spends most of her time reading. Perhaps, she has gathered much of her intelligence from reading the large varieties of books (Jones 110). One can only be proud if there is something unique in them. In this case, her reading habit has created addiction, and that could be the reason why she knows how well she is supposed to talk and associate with people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the author of the novel has used the character to create the theme of pride and prejudice. The main character is quite intelligent and carries herself out in an orderly manner. Additionally, she is prideful and would not accept any proposal she receives (Moler 183). Her ambitious nature is also evident because she has no time for any man who would want to mess around with her as seen in the case of her sister, Jane. Her observative nature makes it possible for her to identify what is going on around her and react to it.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane, and Harold Bloom. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Philadelphia, Pa: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004.
Austen, Jane. Pride and prejudice. Vol. 1. Artisan Shoppe, 2017.
Bloom, Harold. Elizabeth Bennet. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004
Jones, Darryl. "Pride and Prejudice." Jane Austen. Palgrave, London, 2004. 93-112.
Moler, Kenneth L. "Pride and Prejudice." The Hero's Journey(2009): 183.
Widger, David. "Pride And Prejudice." 2017, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1342/1342-h/1342-h.htm.Todd, Janet M. Jane Austen in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
