There are so very many aspects of this novel that I would like to look at more closely because of my new found love for it and its characters. However, there is one character I feel I must express my feelings on because my opinion of him has been put to the test and changed several times throughout the novel. One can not deny that in the beginning of the novel Austin sets of Mr. Bennet to be someone that readers are meant to side with; she does this by making him inclined towards Elizabeth: "I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy." Not only does his favoritism of "Lizzy" cause us to like him more, but his natural humor and wit are entertaining and make for some fantastic moments int he novel (particularly when he interacts with Mrs. Bennet). Therefore, due to these factors Mr. Bennet has been a favorite character of mine: until these last few chapters of the novel.
I had developed some conflicted feelings about him when the issue with Lydia arose and Mr. Bennet did not seem as worried about it as he should be, nor did he act with any sort of emergency or determination (unlike the Gardiners). Of course, his non-action in the Lydia crisis was not enough to completely deter me from his character, he was still witty and amusing when he came on the scene. However, there came an instant where I knew I could never forgive Mr. Bennet. The moment I read the line when Mr. Bennet announced: "'I admire all my three son-in-laws highly'. . . 'Wickham, perhaps, is my favorite'." At that very instant I wanted to throw the book at the wall, HOW IN THE WORLD COULD HE BE YOUR FAVORITE?!It utterly boggled my mind that when he had two of his most well behaved and beloved daughters marrying very respectable men, and not just for money but for love, he could still utter that he favored Wickham. In class we briefly discussed how Mr. and Mrs. Bennet is, most likely, a loveless marriage and that this could be a reason he favored Wickham and Lydia's, they married for the same reason they did. Yet, I still can not see how any respectable/good father, what I originally believed Mr. Bennet to be, could say he favored the scoundrel who almost ruined his daughter and family name over two highly respectable gentlemen. Therefore, I am wondering what the rest of you think. What do you make of Mr. Bennet? Did your feelings about him change as mine did? Do you have any other possible explanations for his ridiculous favoritism of Wickham?
I agree completely, when Mr. Bennet exclaims that he likes Mr. Wickham the most I was very troubled by that. Mr. Bennet likes Wickham more than Darcy, which baffles me. Honestly, Mr. Bennet is just an okay character. He is never really "there" to me. He just comes in to the scene to say a witty comment every now and then. To me, Mr. and Mrs. B are alike sometimes if you pay close attention.
ReplyDeleteAt first I wondered if Mr. Bennet was being sarcastic in saying that Wickham was his most valued son-in-law, but in looking back over pages 214-215 in our Norton Critical Edition, we can see how Mr. Bennet is so very (and awkwardly!) appreciatory of Wickham:
ReplyDelete"He simpers, and smirks, and makes love to us all. I am prodigiously proud of him, I defy even Sr. William Lucas himself, to produce a more valuable son-in-law."
It is interesting that Mr. Bennet uses such language as "valuable" in describing Mr. Wickham, considering this new son-in-law is actually terribly paid off and costing the Bennets and Darcy loads of money to keep him in-line. Not only is Wickham a succubus of money, but he also is one of the greatest contributing factors in readers' diminishing opinion of Mr. Bennet. I agree with Chloe in that I gradually become more disenchanted with Mr. Bennet as the novel progresses.
I think Mr. Bennet's comments about Wickham show how he once again checks out, so to speak, and sees everything as a joke. It's perfectly within his character, yet one might expect a bit of growth for him after the disastrous Lydia debacle.
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