Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

'Sparkling Elizabethis set against a backdrop of very unpleasant human

beings indeed.'

The first impressions we get of Elizabeth are given to us by her

father. We become aware of the fact that Lizzy is her father's

favourite and that he feels she is somewhat superior to her sisters.

Mr. Bennet: '...though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy.'

We can see from this that Elizabeth and her father have a special

relationship as he calls her "my little Lizzy" and it also sounds as

though he cares for her a lot as even though she is quite grown up she

is still his 'little' girl.

Mr.Bennet: '... they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but

Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.'

We can see from this that Mr.Bennet feels that Lizzy is much more

sensible and aware than her sisters. He sees Lizzy as being different

from her sisters and other girls.

We also know that Elizabeth is very close with her elder sister Jane.

When Jane was sick, Elizabeth was determined to visit her and she even

walked there as she could not take the carriage. This showed how

strong-minded Elizabeth was and how considerate she was towards her

sister.

Elizabeth: 'I shall be very fit to see Jane - which is all I want' ...

'... the distance is nothing, when one has a motive; only three

miles...'

This also showed how Elizabeth was different to girls of her

generation. Most girls would not even consider walking that distance

as it was not a ladylike thing to do. It showed Lizzy's courage and

determination and that she was not worried about 'getting her

pettico...

... middle of paper ...

...are too good. Your sweetness and

disinterestedness are really angelic; ...'

Charlotte Lucas is realistic. She is sensible in accepting Mr.Collins'

proposal. She sees that by marrying him it will help her economically.

Mr.Bennet is very sweet to Elizabeth and when she returns from

Hunsford he is very glad to have her back.

Mr.Bennet: 'I am glad you are come back, Lizzy.'

Mr.Bennet also seems to manage to cope with his wife, finding a

comical side to her and mocking most of what she says.

I do not entirely agree that Elizabeth is all 'sparkling' nor that all

the characters are 'unpleasant' but the contrast of the different

characters makes the story more convincing. The 'unpleasantness' of

the other characters brings out Elizabeth's great nature and this is

how she appears to 'sparkle' throughout the novel.