Humor and laughter appear frequently in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but underneath the surface the humor often depicts an ongoing anxiety and issue the character faces throughout the novel. Mrs. Bennet would frequently denounce the protagonist, Elizabeth 's love interest Mr. Darcy and his personality however the moment Mrs. Bennet hears of the engagement between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy she boasts about her profound love for Mr. Darcy, his personality and his money resulting in a humorous contradiction. The humor detected in the particular scene of Mrs. Bennet praising Darcy helps elicit the true anxiety Mrs. Bennet has throughout the novel and the extent to which she is willing to go to ensure her daughter’s hand in marriage. First,
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Bennet becomes increasingly obsessed with marriage that she prioritizes Jane’s possible relationship with Mr. Bingley over Jane’s health. During the Netherfield Ball Jane and Mr. Bingley dance frequently and following the ball Jane receives a letter inviting her to Mr. Bingley’s estate. Mrs. Bennet views this invitation as an opportunity to ensure that the relationship between the two blossoms and therefore insists that Jane’s journey to Mr. Bingley on horseback through a torrential downpour which ultimately gives Jane a terrible cold. Austen writes, “Oh! I am not at all afraid of her dying. People do not die of little trifling colds. She will be taken good care of. As long as she stays there, it is all very well.”(Austen, p.21). Mrs. Bennet’s role as matchmaker to ultimately surpasses any other motherly obligation. In her eyes Jane’s illness is a blessing because she will now have to engage with Mr. Bingley. Unfortunately Mrs. Bennet focuses exclusively on marriage possibilities and ignores any faults in her plan. With Mrs. Bennet alacrity she fails to realize that her plan is embarrassing for both Jane and the entire Bennet family because now the extended Bingley family can think less of the Bennet’s social class. Mrs. Bennet feels as though she does not need to be socially correct as long as the end results in the marriage of her …show more content…
Towards the end of the novel a humorous scene occurs when Mrs. Bennet completely contradicts herself while discussing how ecstatic she is about Mr. Darcy joining the family contrary to earlier where she claimed he was extremely distasteful. The scene ultimately evokes humerous feelings as well as more serious feelings revolving the actuality of the common theme throughout the novel of a mother 's unwavering desire to marry off her children. The conscious theme first appears when Mrs. Bennet forces Mr. Bennet to secure an invitation for her daughters to the Netherfield Ball in hopes of them finding love with Mr. Bingley. Second, Mrs. Bennet proceeds to prioritize the faintest possibility of marriage over the safety and health of Jane. Last, Mrs. Bennet is content with overlooking her Lydia’s wrongdoings because the child was married and therefore helped Mrs. Bennet accomplish her goal. The explicit theme through the novel culminates during the humorous scene where Mrs. Bennet contradicts every averse comment she’s made about Darcy because marriage overrides all. The comic scene helps highlight the underlying message in the novel because the clear contradiction made by Mrs. Bennet clearly outlines how far she is willing to go in order for her daughters marriages to become successful. Mrs. Bennet’s character is presented in a less serious manner
Bennet becomes increasingly obsessed with marriage that she prioritizes Jane’s possible relationship with Mr. Bingley over Jane’s health. During the Netherfield Ball Jane and Mr. Bingley dance frequently and following the ball Jane receives a letter inviting her to Mr. Bingley’s estate. Mrs. Bennet views this invitation as an opportunity to ensure that the relationship between the two blossoms and therefore insists that Jane’s journey to Mr. Bingley on horseback through a torrential downpour which ultimately gives Jane a terrible cold. Austen writes, “Oh! I am not at all afraid of her dying. People do not die of little trifling colds. She will be taken good care of. As long as she stays there, it is all very well.”(Austen, p.21). Mrs. Bennet’s role as matchmaker to ultimately surpasses any other motherly obligation. In her eyes Jane’s illness is a blessing because she will now have to engage with Mr. Bingley. Unfortunately Mrs. Bennet focuses exclusively on marriage possibilities and ignores any faults in her plan. With Mrs. Bennet alacrity she fails to realize that her plan is embarrassing for both Jane and the entire Bennet family because now the extended Bingley family can think less of the Bennet’s social class. Mrs. Bennet feels as though she does not need to be socially correct as long as the end results in the marriage of her …show more content…
Towards the end of the novel a humorous scene occurs when Mrs. Bennet completely contradicts herself while discussing how ecstatic she is about Mr. Darcy joining the family contrary to earlier where she claimed he was extremely distasteful. The scene ultimately evokes humerous feelings as well as more serious feelings revolving the actuality of the common theme throughout the novel of a mother 's unwavering desire to marry off her children. The conscious theme first appears when Mrs. Bennet forces Mr. Bennet to secure an invitation for her daughters to the Netherfield Ball in hopes of them finding love with Mr. Bingley. Second, Mrs. Bennet proceeds to prioritize the faintest possibility of marriage over the safety and health of Jane. Last, Mrs. Bennet is content with overlooking her Lydia’s wrongdoings because the child was married and therefore helped Mrs. Bennet accomplish her goal. The explicit theme through the novel culminates during the humorous scene where Mrs. Bennet contradicts every averse comment she’s made about Darcy because marriage overrides all. The comic scene helps highlight the underlying message in the novel because the clear contradiction made by Mrs. Bennet clearly outlines how far she is willing to go in order for her daughters marriages to become successful. Mrs. Bennet’s character is presented in a less serious manner