Pride and Prejudice Character Analysis Mr. Bennet Mr.

Bennet is an important character in Pride and Prejudice that does very little. He is the husband of Mrs. Bennet and the father of Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Kitty, and Mary Bennet. He starts off as sort of a dry witted distraction for readers but, as his true personality reveals itself, he warps into a potentially disliked character. He is very static, refusing to leave the house. He does not enjoy being around other people. For that matter, he utterly hates being around his own family. He believes them to be ridiculous and difficult to live with. He, being the intelligent type, would much rather spend his time holed up in the library reading a book. Because of her also greater intelligence, he is closest to Elizabeth. He reacts to their problems by withdrawing from his family and assuming a detached attitude. This behavior is punctuated by bursts of sarcastic humor, usually in the form of dry wit. Initially, his sarcasm and selfishness in the face of his familys hysterical behavior make him a character that can be sympathized with, but, though his humor remains likable throughout, respect for him is lost as his apathy has a great price. Detached from his family, he is a weak father and, at critical moments, fails his family. He is not there to help during times of crisis and leaves all of the work to other people.

Mr. Bennet is, in the beginning, a character whose actions can be understood. As the readers knowledge of his personality evolves, he becomes less so. He is funny, but, at the same time, he is an apathetic, uncaring, lazy, irresponsible, and weak man and father who enjoys

ridiculing people for their problems, rather than helping with them. Ultimately, he would rather withdraw from the world than actually live in it.