Parenting is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. It takes a very special person to be able to handle one child, let alone five daughters, although girls are the easier sex to handle when it comes to child rearing. The Bennett’s would most certainly disagree with the previous statement, having two daughters of great virtue and three daughters who are the spawn of the seven deadly sins. In her novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen exemplifies proper parenting through the ignorance of the Bennett parents. She grants advice to stand by while participating in parenting practices to instill in one’s children a sense of decorum both within the home and out of the home, to never have a favorite child as it can damage the others, and finally, …show more content…
If one were to function poorly in any society, society would be sure to put an end to the terrible behavior that the parents failed to correct, via prison or a psych ward. This is a field in which the Bennett’s struggled. While Jane and Elizabeth have a kosher attitude in all public affairs, their sisters, on the other hand, are very poor with their behavior. While Mary meant well in trying to entertain guests with her piano playing at a party that was not her own, it was an unfortunate snub to the hosts of the party, as they had not asked her to perform. That however, was a mere slight compared to the atrocities that Lydia and Kitty incited at this same event, running amuck with the officers. To Elizabeth, she felt as though “her family made an agreement to expose themselves as much as they could during the evening” (Austen 70). Had Elizabeth’s sisters been taught to behave properly in public, this whole fiasco would have been avoided and the drama that would have occurred later in the novel would have never been. The blame is not entirely the girls’ fault, as it was in fact the parents who did not set the precedent of proper behavior during an outing. Mr. Bennett providing an ok example, flitting from fellow to fellow chatting away, but it was his wife who embedded in their daughters to be tiresome, as it was after all she who rambled on and on about such a match for her Jane and how such a match would for “her younger daughters […] throw them in the way of other rich men” (Austen 68).Being a loud talker and insensitive about who hears ones conversation, Mrs. Bennett should bear the fault entirely of her daughters’ folly, for it was she who provided the poor example, and how could one learn to act accordingly if one’s own mother does not behave prudently for public affairs. Yet Mrs. Bennett is not the only one to blame. According to Diana Frances, Mr. Bennett, “keeps himself aloof, (using his wife’s idiocrasy) as fodder
Throughout the play Bennett reviles Doris’ character by showing her affection to the past, she talks to old photographs of her dead husband, Wilfred, and talks aloud to him. This indicates Doris’ apparent loneliness and how she feels “left behind” by the rest of her generation. When talking about the people she new in the past like Wilfred, she takes on there voice, this shows how she...
The audience will understand that Mrs Johnstone is more capable and has a better understanding of the fact that young boys are sexually curious, and she does not suppress them. As the play continues, we see Mrs Johnston as a more approachable mother, rather than viewing her cruel mother. We tend to sympathise with the difficulty. We see her handle her house full of children with continuous forbearance and with tolerance.
When Sheila begins to challenge the authority of her parents by agreeing with the beliefs of the Inspector, she is referred to as “hysterical”. This trope characterised women as less rational, disciplined, and emotionally stable than men. As a result female characters were coddled and their opinions were undervalued. This can be seen in ‘An Inspector Calls’, as it is used as a form of dismissal. Whenever Sheila is trying to state a point that is against the older generation’s ideology, they ridicule it by linking it with (what was thought to be) a psychiatric illness. This shows that Mr. and Mrs. Birling think that ideas not the same as theirs are literally insane.
Bennett states in his introduction that "forms....dictate themselves" and that material demands to be "written in a particular way and no other". Each of the characters, according to the author has a "single point of view" and none is "telling the whole story". He says that his characters are "artless" and "don't quite know what they are saying". It is true that this is so. We, the listeners, can make conjectures about all of them. Graham's ambiguous sexuality, Susan's alcoholism and Muriel's perverted husband are not revealed directly through any statements made to us. They are hinted at by what is left unsaid or by what is obliquely inferred. In a very real sense, though, this is true to life and Bennett cleverly constructs each monologue to be as realistic as possible. In speaking to an inanimate object - the camera - each character is, so to speak, alone. The audience is not "there", as far as the speaker is concerned. Better still, the camera is like a hidden priest in a confessional. Each person is able to speak quite frankly to the anonymous listener. If we make judgements we have no means of interaction. This is not a two - way process of confidential gossip, for none of the characters expect a reply. Bennett lets his characters reveal themselves openly and we are left to form our own opinions of them. He calls the style "austere" and so it is, for there is no authorial decoration of expression. What each character actually says is all we are given to work on and we must sift the inner meanings for ourselves.
Graham, Miss Ruddock and Susan are all presented as human beings with intrinsic weaknesses that allow Alan Bennett to inflict unhappiness on them. He made Graham a ‘mommy’s boy’ without the mental wherewithal to make it on his own in the big scary World. Miss Ruddock is presented as someone who has the shadow of mental illness hanging over her and has let the rest of society move on without her. Susan is weak of will and lacks the inner strength to do as Ramesh and “take the profit and move on.” (Bennett, 1987, p, 84) Throughout the three monologues, Alan Bennett makes you laugh out loud at times, yet there is real tragedy here too. “However, what remains with the audience is his respect for the neglected characters, and how funnily and inventively he has used the monologue form.” (Turner, 1997, p, 66)
Cathy Linton, daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw, demonstrates traits from her parents. In fact, these very traits can explain a lot about her and her actions. Her mother, Catherine Earnshaw, was born to a more “hot” and strong family, the Earnshaw family. As a child, Catherine was a more masculine girl, asking a whip from her father going into town, and she was always strong and powerful, having strong actions and opinions. Cathy’s father, Edgar Linton, grew up in a fancier house with manners. His family, the Linton family, could be described as “cool” and generally weaker than the Earnshaw family. Together, he and Catherine married to create a marriage of opposite personalities. One side, Catherine, was much stronger and more dominant in the relationship. The other side, Edgar, was much weaker in the relationship, and he ge...
In analyzing Charlotte's "strategic" and almost desperate marriage to Mr. Collins, one can see how little freedom women in this society have. Marriage is not an option; it is a necessity. Women are expected to marry while still in their late teens or early twenties to a man, preferably wealthy, and of good standing in society. If that type of marriage is not attainable, then the girl is doomed to a life of poverty and despair. Reputation and wealth are two forces that drive the Bennett family.
Mothers in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility "I can no more forget it, than a mother can forget her suckling child". Jane Austen wrote these words about her novel, Sense and Sensibility, in a letter to her sister Cassandra in 1811. Such a maternal feeling in Austen is interesting to note, particularly because any reader of hers is well aware of a lack of mothers in her novels. Frequently we encounter heroines and other major characters whom, if not motherless, have mothers who are deficient in maturity, showing affection, and/or common sense. Specifically, I would like to look at Sense and Sensibility, which, according to Ros Ballaster's introduction to the novel, "is full of, indeed over-crowded with, mothers" (vii).
England, under James 1st rule was a vastly altered period compared to our now modern society. So many of the values held during this time, have now been discarded and forgotten. Jane Austen grew up in the Romantic period and experienced a world which was divided, whether through education, class, status, fashion, abilities, gender and etiquette. Her novel, Pride and Prejudice is counted as one of the great classics of English Literature. Austen engrosses readers to live in her world for a time and experience a society filled with matchmaking, romance, marriage and gossip. Every one of her characters is so distinctive and has a clearly outlined caricature. Each of their diverse values conveys a different thinking of the time. Pride and Prejudice is preoccupied with the gentry and most of the social aspects which consumed these people’s lives. There were so many expectations of how you would behave in public, but of course not all of these were upheld. Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mrs Bennet and Charlotte Lucas are four characters which keep such strong beliefs about the social norms. These characters are expressed so descriptively and through their personalities readers can learn just how the numerous social standards were received.
Already, the reader can see Charlotte’s tactful ways, her use of the words “disposition” and “parties” almost makes marriage seem like a business transaction one of comfort not love. Also, Charlottes places the disposition as the subject of the sentence where the parties are not in direct conversation with one another. Specifically, the parties are ever mentioned as object of prepositions as seen in “of the parties” and “to each other” suggesting that they are not of true importance rather their marriage is. Charlotte speaks more to the general attitude of the period, the plain desire of being married. In the same conversati...
In 1813, a woman’s main goal was marriage. Females wanted to find a man who could provide for them and take care of them; not all women wanted love. Many were fine with living on a wealthy estate and living in an upper-class manner. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel about the Bennet sisters, five girls whom, in the time of 1813, are all unmarried and are looking for husbands. The central conflict is based around two young women, the eldest of the five Bennet daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. The girls have their similarities and differences, and can be compared and contrasted in many ways; in terms of which is stronger at handling the pressure of relationships, context clues give a valid answer. What the reader must interpret for his
Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice portrays varying attitudes to marriage. "The intricate social network that pervades the novel is one that revolves around the business of marriage". Through her female characters the reader sees the different attitudes to marriage and the reasons that these women have for marrying. These depend on their social status and their personal values. The reader is shown the most prevalent and common view of marriage held by society in Austen's time, and through the heroine, a differing opinion of marriage is explored. We are shown how marriage is viewed by the very wealthy and the values they emphasise in marriage. Through the characterisation of these women and use of irony, Austen has influenced the reader's opinions on the characters attitude about marriage and that of their contemporaries.
Austen was raised in an unusually liberal family where her father was a part of the middle-landowning class. They had a moderate amount of luxuries, but were not considered well off. Unlike many girls of her time Austen received a fairly comprehensive education. She received this mainly through the undivided support of her family. Austen and her sisters, like most girls of their time, were homeschooled. Austen’s zealous parents encouraged the girls to play piano, read and write. Her parent’s encouragement led to her interest in writing. Austen’s father housed an extensive library filled with books which kept Austen occupied for years (“Sense and Sensibility” 119). Through her observant nature and passion to read and write, Austen was able to eloquently write of the many “hidden truths” of social and class distinction during her time. They included daily societal changes some of which foreshadowed future societal leniency. Familial support also extended societal norm of marriage. Her parents attempt...
The roles of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice are contrasted between a father who cares about what’s inside of people and a mother who only worries about vanity and appearance. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s parental guidance is unique to their personalities. Because of their two opposing personas, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s ideas of marriage are contradictory for their daughters; Mr. Bennet believes in a loving respectful marriage whereas Mrs. Bennet values a marriage which concerns wealth and social status. Their aspirations for Lydia, Jane, Mary, Kitty and Elizabeth mirror their conflicting ideologies. Mr. Bennet seems to have a quiet deep love for his daughters while, on the contrary, Mrs. Bennet’s love is over-acted and conditional. Both parents help to shape their daughters’ characteristics and beliefs: Lydia reflecting Mrs. Bennet’s flighty and excessive behavior while Elizabeth inherits Mr. Bennet’s pensive and reflective temperament. Looking past their dissimilar personality traits and contradicting convictions, both parents hold the family together and play an integral role in the household structure.
Mrs Bennett has a driving force in her behaviour to marry her daughters to wealthy men, who were financially stable and socially accepted, so her liking to Mr Bingley is reinforced by his interest in her eldest daughter Jane.