I would like to think that Mr. Bennet wanted Lizzy to turn down Mr. Collins because he thought she was too good for him, but there is the possibility that he did it just in spite of Mrs. Bennet or that he was simply uninterested. It makes sense that we should identify Mr. Bennet as the most sensible one because he, the audience, and Austen herself all favor Lizzy, but is he really? There is a side to Mr. Bennet that just seems tired. He seems as though he wants to just sit back and enjoy the little things in life, like making his wife go into a tizzy. There is also the possibility that he just does not care (shocking right?) I can attest from personal experience as the daughter of a man in a house full of women (even our dog is female) that sometimes my Dad just leaves us alone to let us “girl talk” because he is plain and simple not interested in our topics. However, I also know that if a Mr. Collins came around my father would advise me against him. I’m not totally convinced in this opinion, but I think the Mr. Bennet just does not really care that much. All the characters in this book have very human flaws; not one is perfect or completely right. Maybe he is a juxtaposition to Mrs. Bennet; instead of caring too much, he doesn’t care enough.
I am inclined to agree with your reading, Amelia. If Mrs. Bennet cares too much, Mr. Bennet cares too little.
ReplyDeleteMr. Bennet does give us an excellent contrast to Mrs. Bennet, and I am inclined to agree with you as a whole on this topic. The other contrast I think being Lady Catherine, securely rich busybody vs. less secure busybody.
ReplyDeleteThis remains a really interesting topic to think about, especially given our discussion today. Mr. Bennet raises an objection to Lizzy marrying Darcy--but for what seem like legitimate reasons. Of course, at this point, he has been chastened perhaps by the Lydia/Wickham debacle.
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