In a letter to her sister, Jane Austen wrote of Elizabeth Bennet, ‘I must confess I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print.’ Do you agree or disagree? Elizabeth Bennet is Pride and Prejudice’s heroine, being the second oldest of the five Bennet sisters, she is both pretty and smart. She is very good at her ability to analyse other people, but can sometimes be wrong. She is able to overcome her own prejudice however by the end of the novel. Elizabeth is one character that has very few thoughts on money and social positions, and because of this is able to rely her own judgements on characteristics and personalities.
Elizabeth is also often upset and embarrassed by the behaviour of her mother and of her younger sisters. Her father is a landowner, but his estate, Longbourn, is entailed away under English law from his children because he does not have a son, and upon his death, Longbourn will be inherited by his cousin, Mr. Collins, a clergyman. Within her neighbourhood, Elizabeth is considered a beauty and a charming young woman, with "fine eyes" to which Mr. Darcy is first drawn. He is later attracted more particularly to her "light and pleasing" figure, the "easy playfulness" of her manners, her mind and personality, and eventually considers her "one of the handsomest women" in his acquaintance. Pride and Prejudice primarily focuses on Elizabeth and her experiences with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy, proud man who, on their first meeting, snubs her at a public dance in her home
Walker plays on Dee's physical beauty to contrast the homeliness of Maggie and her mother. Walker goes so far as to describe her feet as "always neat-looking, as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style" (411). In describing Dee's feet, Walker is giving the impression of perfection from head to toe. Dee's outward beauty has "made her transition from poor farm girl to that of an educated, middle-class black woman possible" (Allen-Polley 11). Needless to say, Dee doesn't seem comfortable with her past and therefore has a difficult time accepting her future.
Charlotte's acceptance of Mr. Collins’ proposal is a prime example; “marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want” (p105)1. Austen makes use of Charlotte's character to illustrate the social norms for women of the time. Charlotte's reaction to Collins' proposal is cleverly juxtaposed with Elizabeth's own values and more romantic views on marriage, as she is offered his proposal first; “You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world that could make you so”(p92)2. Elizabeth's concerns are predominately her overall happiness and mental wellbeing, as opposed to her anxieties about her future financial security. These oppositions of values offer the reader a chance to balance their own views on the sanctity of marriage.
Her honesty, virtue, and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behavior that pervade her class-bound and often spiteful society. Nevertheless, she has a sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments on first impressions. She is perhaps a little selective of the evidence on which she bases her judgments. In the beginning of the book, her closest relationships are with her father; her sister, Jane; her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner; and her best friend, Charlotte Lucas. As the story progresses, so does her relationship with Fitzwilliam Darcy, who belongs to a higher social class than Elizabeth.
Lydia is outspoken and completely self-absorbed, even though she is the youngest of the sisters, which foreshadows the trouble she will get into later on in the story. This contrasts hugely with Elizabeth, who is responsible, grounded and far more reserved. This is shown after the ball at Netherfield, when Jane is displaying her gratification of the admiration she received, and Lizzie “felt Jane’s pleasure” – although Elizabeth is not directly concerned with finding a suitable husband, she is able to empathise with Jane. The main plot is that of Elizabeth and Darcy – there were many prejudices between the two; without Darcy stepping in and forcing Wickham to marry Lydia, they would have remained apart. Lydia is incapable of seeing the shame she brings on the family through running away to be married, as shown in her letter to Harriet; “I can hardly write for laughing.” Her thoughtless attitude to marriage is highlighted here – although she is motivated by love, she hasn’t thought about the consequences of what she’s doing.
Mr and Mrs Bennet are the parents of Elizabeth, Jane, Lydia, Kitty and Mary and have a significant role in raising their five daughters to supposedly be well mannered and to eventually marry a wealthy man who will look after them. Their financial position is not extravagant but they lead comfortable lives. Both of whom are from the upper middle class but admire superior rank to themselves, especially Mrs Bennet, who hopes that one day her daughters will all marry rich bachelors. Their characters are completely different and Austen makes this clear in the novel. Mrs Bennet is a ‘woman of mean understanding, little information and uncertain temper’ compared to her husband who is ‘a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve and caprice’, which could be argued that they are not a good match for each other.
Elizabeth is the second of five sisters and her father’s favorite. Her father is a gentleman and a landowner, but his estate, Longbourn, is entailed away from him because he does not have a son, and upon his death, Longbourn will be inherited by his cousin Mr. Collins, an obsequious and unwise clergyman. Elizabeth is described as being the child that her mother is "least fond" of, especially after she refuses Mr. Collin’s proposal of marriage. She is considered a local beauty and delightful, with "fine eyes", which is the first feature Darcy is attractive by to, but not forms the same reason. He is later drawn more particularly to her mind and personality, and eventually considers her to be “one of the handsomest women” in his acquaintance.
Lady Elliot’s very close lived near them and help with kids by giving them guidance and support. Lady Russell was the widow of a knight and became close friends with Sir Walter but they did not marry. She was well provided for and had no reason to remarry, but Sir Walter didn’t want a new wife for his daughters’ sake. He would do anything for his eldest daughter Elizabeth who was sixteen and very much like him. His other two daughters weren’t so important to him.
Though Heathcliff and Catherine become the best of friends, Hindley does not take kindly to Heathcliff becoming part of the family. When Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw die, Hindley takes over Wuthering Heights and makes Heathcliff a servant, degrading Heathcliff. Meanwhile, even though she truly loves him, Catherine sees Heathcliff as beneath her in society and social class. When Catherine meets Edgar she is impressed with his manners and wealth is then promised to be married to Edgar. It's hard to settle such an intense love with the choice she makes, but somehow she is able to work out the reasoning in her head; “I've no business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn't have thought of it.