Elizabeth Bennet Foil

In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet’s journey to love and marriage is the focal point of the narrative. But, the lesser known source of richness in Austen’s writing comes from her complex themes the well-developed minor characters. A closer examination of Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s dear friend in Pride and Prejudice, shows that while she did not take up a large amount of space in the narrative, her impact was great. Charlotte’s unfortunate circumstances in the marriage market make her a foil to Elizabeth, who has the power of choice and refusal when it comes to deciding who will be her husband. By focusing on Charlotte’s age and lack of beauty, Austen emphasizes how ridiculous and cruel marriage can be in this time.

One of the main functions of Charlotte’s character in the text is to contrast Elizabeth’s experience with love and courtship. Charlotte is depicted as plain, and she is often talked down to even though she is a close friend of Elizabeth. In chapter 5, the Lucas family is introduced as a lesser family despite the fact that they have similar financial circumstances to the Bennets. “Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to Mrs. Bennet. They had several children. The eldest of them, a

As a complete foil to Elizabeth, Charlotte proves to be a strong character who chooses an unattractive but safe option for her future. Austen uses Charlotte to show how fortunate Elizabeth is to have the power of choice when she is looking for a husband. She shows that Elizabeth also has the privilege to seek out love and not just security in marriage. The language that Austen used to describe Charlotte and her situation reinforces the perspective that marriage is a business transaction rather than a romantic pursuit. Austen uses Charlotte to hold a mirror up to society and show the dark reality for