I already touched on this topic a little in class, but now that I have finished the book, I would like to raise the question again and add a few of my own comments. After the engagement of Mr. Bingley and Jane, Austen mentions in chapter 60 that "Miss Bingley's congratulations to her brother, on his approaching marriage, were all that was affectionate and insincere. She even wrote to Jane on the occasion, to express her delight, and repeat all her former professions of regard. Jane was not deceived, but she was affected; and though feeling no reliance on her, could not help writing her a much kinder answer than she knew she was deserved" (362). This quote, along with Jane's previous behavior in the novel, characterizes her as someone whose kindness is actually her weakness. I've always heard the phrase that "sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing", and I think that heavily applies to Jane here. My question that arises from this fact is, "Why would Austen fail to have Jane overcome her people-pleasing/overly optimistic tendencies?"
Perhaps it is because she merely wishes to please her future husband by being cordial with his relations, or perhaps Austen wanted to make Jane as opposite from Elizabeth, who calls Lady Catherine's arguments "frivolous" and her application "ill judged" (338), as possible. But, if the former is truly the case, why would Austen make her see only the good in everyone throughout the entire novel?
For example, in relation to Lydia's elopement with Wickham, Jane states, "I comfort myself with thinking...that he certainly would not marry Lydia, if he had not a real regard for her" (288). Jane would do no real harm to herself nor to any other character by believing the objectively more realistic outcome that Wickham just married Lydia for the bribe money that he was expecting to and/or did receive. Jane at this point in the novel knew that he had been essentially bribed into marriage, yet she still wanted to see the best in him even though every other member of her family (except maybe her mother) was more realistic in the matter.
In my opinion, Austen made this character choice for Jane partially because she wanted her to so deeply offset Elizabeth's character, but also because Jane's almost childlike optimism adds to her demureness and ladylikeness as a 19th century English woman. If she were to be prejudiced like Miss Bingley or even like Jane, it would not only make her unlikeable to the readers but also improper to any "gentlemanly" future husbands, even if her prejudices/opinions were technically and factually correct.
Throughout the novel, the audience can see that Jane and Lydia are Mrs. Bennet's favorite daughters, and Elizabeth is her father's child through and through. We can even see this when Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, and she refuses because she doesn't like his personality. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Bennet states, "... I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children'' (Austen, 109). A major reason why Mrs. Bennet takes huge care of Jane is because of her people-pleasing tendencies. I agree with the points that Austen keeps Jane overly optimistic to contrast Elizabeth's confrontational manner, and I never thought of the point of view of how it could relate to the real world of women in the 19th century. But to add on, having the parents have their favorites adds depth to the story and Mrs. and Mr. Bennet's actions toward the girls. If Mr. Collins were to propose to Jane (ignoring the fact that Mrs. Bennet said no to him because she was reserved for Mr. Bingley), I believe that Jane would have said yes to him, unlike Elizabeth, so that she could make her mother happy. If Jane weren't so kind, Mrs. Bennett would not take an interest in her. I think Austen also kept the eldest daughter so gentle-natured so it would not ruin the balance between Mrs. Bennet and Jane throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between Jane and Elizabeth is certainly interesting. As you pointed out, Jane is closer to the ideal of a lady in this time period, which contrasts her heavily with Elizabeth. Putting the two characters together highlights both of their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Elizabeth as a character is marked by her prejudice against others. In contrast, Jane assumes the best of others. Both characters have moments when their respective outlook on people leads them astray. She defends the Bingley sisters to Elizabeth despite their poor manners, insisting they’re “pleasing women when you converse with them” (11), failing to see their true nature until later in the novel. Even Elizabeth describes Jane as “a great deal too apt”, stating to her, “You never see a fault in anybody” (11).
ReplyDeleteHowever, Jane’s willingness to always see the good leads her to seeing the truth of Darcy much before Elziabth does. When Elizabeth relates her conversation with Wickham to Jane, Jane is quick to insist that there must be a misunderstanding and that Elizabeth mustn't jump to conclusions (73-74). While this at first seems like another case of her being too trusting, she’s much closer to the truth of the situation than Elizabeth’s prejudice allows her to see.
I believe, based on the above examples, Jane is meant to be a foil to Elizabeth and show that both her and Elizabeth aren’t entirely right on their outlook on life. Both are deceived, and both can learn something from the other. However, Jane ends up changing the least by the end, while Elizabeth learns to be less prejudiced. Perhaps it’s due to the ideals of a lady at the time (as you suggested), or that Jane’s naivety never causes her any true issues, unlike Elizabeth’s prejudice.
It's interesting that you point out how too much kindness can be a weakness. While they are obviously two very different characters from different novels, I found myself comparing Jane Bennet to Beth March as I read Pride and Prejudice. Both characters seem to have been written with an intention to contrast their sisters from themselves. I agree that Austen wrote Jane in this way to add to her "demureness and ladylikeness" that fits in with the admired principles of the time. However, I think modern readers often find both characters somewhat boring because they lack a courage that's so common in protagonists we're attached to today (i.e. Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen). Elizabeth says to Jane in Chapter 24, "You are too good. Your sweetness and disinterestedness are really angelic." 19th century readers probably admired Jane through these words more than modern readers. But, as you point out, Jane's excessive kindness is written as one of her greatest weaknesses, and I think this is probably true regardless of time period. Ultimately, while we may find characters like Beth March and Jane Bennet simple or boring, they play important roles in their respective novels, and your post sheds light on their complexity.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very important observation about Jane's character, especially when one compares Jane and Elizabeth, who are often grouped together throughout the book. I believe that the reason that Austen had Jane fail to overcome her overly optimistic tendencies was to set her apart from the two characters who were supposed to better draw the audience's attention during the novel - Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. The novel's very title suggests a theme of the book; one character will overcome their pride while another character overcomes their prejudice. This is seen through Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice towards Mr. Darcy and even falls in love with him over the course of the book. This is shown especially as Elizabeth speaks to her father about her engagement to Mr. Darcy. Austen writes, "how earnestly did she then wish that her former opinions has been more reasonable, her expressions more moderate!" (Austen 340). Mr. Darcy goes through a similar transformation as he learns to love Elizabeth and becomes less prideful to adhere to her wishes. This is seen as Darcy explains to Elizabeth the root of his pride as he proposes to her for a second time. He states, "...I was spoiled by my parents, who, though good themselves...allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing, to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of the rest of the world, to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own" (Austen 334). As seen through both of these quotes, for the resolution and conclusion of the book to be agreeable to readers, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth would each have to learn, grow, and change for each other. I think that Austen focused on highlighting the changes of these two characters, and therefore decided not to have any of the other characters go through transformations and draw attention away from the two love interests. Thus, Jane does not overcome her optimism because its less important for her to do so. She falls in love and marries very well despite this character flaw. Change and growth is not as necessary for Jane as it is for Darcy and Elizabeth. This pattern also continues throughout other characters in the book as well. Mrs. Bennet continues to be overbearing and dim, Lydia continues to be naive, and Miss Bingley continues to be rude and prideful. I believe these to all be similar to Jane's lack of growth in that Austen did not want characters aside from Elizabeth and Darcy to undergo big changes.
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