Pride and Prejudice Research Paper

Even the most perfect people have flaws. Many try to hide them, while others aren't afraid for people to see who they truly are. At first glance, one might appear to have it made. However, that person may just be hiding an insecurity of theirs. In Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, negative traits are most prevalent in Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr. Bennet and Caroline Bingley.

Mr. Darcy is an arrogant, prideful man. He is also very egotistical. Elizabeth's first impression of Darcy was that he was haughty. At the ball, Bingley insists that Darcy should dance with Elizabeth Bennet. He declined and said "she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me" (Austen p.13). It is here where Elizabeth beings to conclude that Darcy is a very cocky man, thinking that he considers himself to good for her. Having an egotistical personality also effected what others thought of Mr. Darcy. When Darcy proposed to Elizabeth for the first time, she rejected him. This was insulting to Darcy. He was angry and shocked because he thought any woman would want to marry him because he was wealthy, successful and of great social status.

Mrs. Bennet is a very obsessive mother. She is also foolish and loves to boast about her five daughters. Mrs. Bennet's main aspiration is too get all of her children married. This is her primary worry and as the book progresses, it is evident that she is engrossed in the idea that her daughters will be married into a wealthy family. In addition to that, Mrs. Bennet is very self-conscious. She wanted others to think of her as being a part of a perfect family. Having her daughters married would show others that Mrs. Bennet was a successful mother. She is also inconsiderate of ones feelings. She does not care if her daughters are happy with their own marriage or not. For instance, when Elizabeth declines Mr. Collin's marriage proposal, Mrs. Bennet goes chaotic and demands Elizabeth to accept the proposal (Austen p.110). All together, Mrs. Bennet proves to be an insensible woman by the way she treats her daughters. "Elizabeth's mother, a vain, silly woman who is often a source of embarrassment to her daughter, is also an object of Darcy's scorn" (Lorenz). Mrs. Bennet was not a positive influence on her family.

Caroline Bingley is manipulative and is jealous of others. She also can be considered a hypocrite. Eventually, she finds that Darcy has a preference towards Elizabeth and therefore becomes unfavorable of her. Caroline secretly wants to keep Darcy to herself because she knows what Mr. Darcy is capable of offering her if they were to be married. At the beginning of the novel, Miss Bingley pretended to be friends and acted very amiable towards Jane. Later, her true character is visible when she sends a letter to Jane Bennet regarding Mr. Bingleys new love interest. "My brother admires her greatly already, he will have frequent opportunity now of seeing her on