Hey guys, I remember how one of our socratic seminar questions had to deal with why the characters are memorable in Pride and Prejudice, so I thought it would be cool if we could go a little further into that. Feel free to post your favorite character from the novel and not only why you liked him/her, but also why you felt specifically they were memorable. Here's mine:
I think Mr. Darcy has to be my favorite character, not just because he has an awesome name (Fitzwilliam) but mainly because I think he's one of the more complex and interesting characters in the story. His pride was pretty funny to me at times, just how he thought he was way above everyone else and didn't care what they thought about him, at least he acted that way. I thought it was pretty cool how he paid off Wickam's debts, even though he hated the man; it showed true class. The manner in which he thinks he's above everyone is probably his most memorable trait, but at the same time he's memorable because he does a complete 180 by the end of the book as far as his feelings for Elizabeth goes.
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I think Mr. Bennet is my favorite character. He seems to want to stay away from all of my drama and mess that his wife and daughters cause. Although Mr. Bennet is not always there to support his daughters- in fact he runs to read whenever they get worked up over a situation and may need advice on it. I'm sure Mr. Bennet thinks that they're still young so that they're getting all worked up over things that aren't going to change anything, however they may not have been so worked up about it if he just would have talked them through some of it. Mr. Bennet thought his girls were silly and foolish, which is funny because his wife acted the same way and he married her. Mr.Bennet is my favorite and I don't think I'll ever forget his character because of his constant reading, ha.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth's my favorite character because of her intelligence and wit! I love a woman who can and will speak her mind at the opportune moment and who leaves people, particularly men, dumbfounded or irritated. Elizabeth's love of family and compassion for her sisters is also very appealing to me. Also, she doesn't rub her "smarts" in anyone's face, because I think she is also humble in her knowledge of her superiors. But she doesn't classify superiority by wealth or title, but by character and ability.
ReplyDeleteI think Mr. Bennet was awesome. He married Mrs. Bennet, and that has to take some cajones. All he does is make fun of her and get on her "poor nerves", while favoring Elizabeth and Jane, the sensible ones. This man must have infinite patience, because if I was in his shoes, I would smack that woman around all day and tell the other daughters to start acting like human beings. Now, he was a little less memorable that Mr. Collins, the aloof and completely oblivious man in the story. Some of his lines are just classic and you can't help but remember a goofball like that.
ReplyDeleteSo aloof wasn't the word I was looking for. Scratch it. He's just oblivious and socially awkward.
ReplyDeleteOh no, I’m often indecisive, so I always have trouble picking favorites.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I adore Mr. Bingley for his warm and happy demeanor, Mr. Bennett seems to have the most…patience I have ever seen. He is the one man stuck in a house of shrieking females and decides that the best way to deal with it is to just sit back and ignore it. To an extent. I mean, I loved his sarcasm. However, because he sat back so much, he proved to be kind of useless when the crap hit the fan. Like, oh I don’t know, one of his daughters running off to get married?
Elizabeth! I love how Elizabeth refused to confine herself to fit society's narrow view of the ideal woman. She spoke her mind, relied on wit instead of beauty, and cared endlessly for those she loved. She wasn't without flaws, but she owned up to her mistakes. When Mr. Collins proposed to her, she had the opportunity to live a comfortable lifestyle (and wasn't that supposed to be every female's dream?). Instead of accepting, she declined for the sake of her happiness, and in doing so risked losing what could have been her only proposal of marriage. She stuck to what she believed in, which did in fact cause her to develop a few unfair prejudices, but in the end she made amends for her mistakes and continued living true to herself.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to go with Andy on this one and say Darcy was my favorite character too. I found Darcy to be intriguing with the great amount of growth he experienced throughout the novel’s body. He was initially too proud to act against the prejudice of his class. However, he eventually realized his love for Elizabeth was more important than his pride and the opinions of those in his social strata. I also love that the novel’s title, Pride and Prejudice, is for Darcy’s character. He exhibits these two traits as his pride is displayed prior to his prejudice. Ironically, the titled is not for the novel’s main character, Elizabeth. If the title were to be for Elizabeth it would be Prejudice and Pride, for she exhibited prejudice and then pride. Ultimately, I love the idea of a man, Darcy, putting those feelings for a woman higher than the feelings for himself.
ReplyDeleteI have two favorites. Elizabeth and Darcy...naturally. I love Elizabeth because she isn't afraid to speak her mind. She knows what she wants and how she feels and she has no reservations in expressing that. I love Darcy because he is very selective of those he likes. He doesn't like any of the Bennet's with the exception of only Jane and Elizabeth, and still he pays Whickam's debt in order to protect her family from the criticism that would have come from Lydia's disgraceful marriage had he not paid to cover the scandal. Darcy does this without telling Elizabeth what he has done to save her family's reputation. To me I think this shows how much he cares for Elizabeth, because he did it for it, and also that he wants Elizabeth to fall in love with him, not because of this action, but instead because she actually loves HIM. It is, as Mr. Bruno pointed out, classy. He did everything he had the power to do to win Elizabeth's affections and didn't even tell her. She was of such a lower social rank that he was and he was able to disregard that fact despite his incredible pride. He is the ideal man.
ReplyDeleteDarcy was my favorite because he does what he has to get what he wants. He proves to Elizabeth that he's not really a jerk, and show that his feelings are sincere. I also agree with Renee about Elizabeth not fearing to speak her mind. I wish more people would do that. For whatever reason, I liked Mr. bennet in the beginning just because his quick remarks he would make back to his wife, reminded me a little bit of my dad, so it provided me with a little chuckle.
ReplyDeleteAs many have already said Mr. Darcy is definitely my favorite. I love that he doesn't expect or want any admiration and praise for paying off Mr. Wickhams debt. The fact that he did it without anyone knowing and was content with letting people judge his character on how he interacted with them is amazing. I love what Renee said about how he wanted Elizabeth to fall in love with him by getting to know him and his personality without knowing the acts of kindness he had preformed. The transformation that his character did go through is inspiring to, I think, anyone that reads the book. It makes you look at yourself and want to become that much better, as he did.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, they are all so lovable. It's hard to choose just one, they all have their moments that just make them shine in their own way.
ReplyDeleteLike when Elizabeth says no, to Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy! She definitely has some sort of confidence to do that, or she was just being stubborn. I wonder what would have happened if Mr. Darcy proposed first. Mrs. Bennet and the younger sisters were utterly ridiculous, they were so self-absorbed it was hard not to laugh and love them in someway. Mr. Bennet quick remarks remind me of so many people I know. Mr. Darcy's pride and change made him a definite favorite...
How am I supposed to choose out of these characters, whose traits are just too appealing?
Elizabeth is definately my favorite character. She goes against the roles society places on women and follows her own path to ensure happiness. She chose risking what could have been her only chance at marriage for a chance to marry for love and follow her own beliefs.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite character was Elizabeth simply becuase she was very outspoken. That's something that I personally wish to work on. I'm involved in out of school activities that put me on the spot to be an "outgoing" person, but I admired the fact that Elizabeth stood up to her mother when it came to marrying Mr. Collins and she always spoke her mind. I think sometimes that would get me in trouble, but I wish I had her energy and courage to always be true to myself and not be shy about voicing my opinions.
ReplyDeleteAfter considering each of them, I chose Elizabeth as my favorite character. As many have said already, Lizzy was a fiery woman, and steadfast to what she believed in, and very unafriad to tell the world. I think we all have an inner Elizabeth, that cannon inside of us ready to explode, and hardly ever on ceasefire-mode. But she wasn't all fire and brimstone, she had a strong heart and a will that, quite literally, blew the male-dominant social stereotype out of the way. I think she's admirable, and certainly worth modeling after. Hell, to think such a "strength" could come from a... woman. :D
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