The Male Characters in "Pride and Prejudice"

2225 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Jane austen writing style characterizations in pride and prejudice

Jane Austen has a great talent for developing her characters into what she envisions. Jane Austen’s effective use of character development is best displayed by the male characters in Pride and Prejudice, where the male characters are not what they first appear to the reader. Mr. Wickham, who first appears to be prince charming, ends up almost the exact opposite. Mr. Bingley, who is initially shy but friendly, grows in his confidence, courage, and independence. And last, Mr. Darcy learns he does not know it all, he needs others.

Throughout Pride and Prejudice, the characters continually develop. They change and their true personality is exposed. When someone is first introduced, a small amount of their personality is revealed. After a person has been known for awhile, a true picture of their personality comes out. It may be, come to find out, they are completely different than they were first perceived. As they become more comfortable with their situation and surroundings, so they begin to let their true character shine through. As the story continues, the reader becomes better acquainted the characters better, and their true selves are revealed. Some of the characters even grow and change throughout the story, becoming more mature with their ideas and actions. Jane Austen’s use of character development in Pride and Prejudice is immaculate. She really grasps her characters, making them incredibly believable. She is able to develop them to their full potential, causing her story to be full of emotion and passion.

When Jane Austen first introduces Mr. Wickham, he is portrayed as the perfect man. He’s charming, generous, handsome, and respectful. When anyone meets Mr. Wickham, they are immediately captivated by his ch...

... middle of paper ...

...e had genuinely become humble.

Jane Austen’s great writing talent is shown throughout her story, Pride and Prejudice. The way she develops her characters, particularly the main male characters, draws in the reader. Mr. Wickham, who first is seemed to be the perfect man, sweet charming, and respectful, is actually later in the story revealed to be selfish, self-consumed, and greedy. Mr. Bingley who is sweet, shy, and friendly learns to become more independent and confident throughout the story. Last but not least, Mr. Darcy, who is prideful, snobby, and pompous, becomes the complete opposite. Towards the end of the story the reader sees his changes: he is humbled, sensitive, and is able to show his vulnerability. Jane Austen makes her characters come alive to the reader. The way in which she shows her characters growth throughout the story is pure genius.

Show More
Related

  • Nervousness in the 19th Century

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fowler, Karen J.Introduction. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen: The Complete Novels. By Jane Austen. New York: Penguin, 2006. 211-421. Print.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mr Darcy Character Development

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Each of Jane Austen’s characters in her novel, Pride and Prejudice, experiences a significant character development. Whether the change occurs by self-realization or through the assistance of another character varies from each individual character. For Austen’s leading man, Mr. Darcy, his character improvement is documented through his two marriage proposals to Elizabeth Bennet and her subsequent first rejection of his proposal. His first proposal demonstrates his extreme arrogance, elitism, and blindness to his many flaws. While his latter proposal shows not only the recognition of his deficiencies, but the overall improvement in his mentality. Mr. Darcy’s two proposals, though having the same intended end result, are completely different

    Read More

  • Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre: Love and Characterization

    2651 Words  | 6 Pages

    Karl Kroeber described Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre to be “not strictly comparable” but like “different species of the same genus” (119). Characterization is very different in these two novels. It is different because Jane Eyre is a romantic novel, while Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners, but it is also different because the authors use characterization for different means. Jane Austen means to explore the human character, and the way people interact with those...

    Read More

  • Elizabeth Bennett Pride And Prejudice Analysis

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett faces many challenges to realize that she was in the wrong and her prejudice against Mr. Darcy was misguided. Austen emphasizes the importance of wisdom through Elizabeth who faces the challenge of overcoming her prejudiced judgement to reach maturity and recognize the man she loves.

    Read More

  • Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Characters and Social Expectations

    1861 Words  | 4 Pages

    England, under James 1st rule was a vastly altered period compared to our now modern society. So many of the values held during this time, have now been discarded and forgotten. Jane Austen grew up in the Romantic period and experienced a world which was divided, whether through education, class, status, fashion, abilities, gender and etiquette. Her novel, Pride and Prejudice is counted as one of the great classics of English Literature. Austen engrosses readers to live in her world for a time and experience a society filled with matchmaking, romance, marriage and gossip. Every one of her characters is so distinctive and has a clearly outlined caricature. Each of their diverse values conveys a different thinking of the time. Pride and Prejudice is preoccupied with the gentry and most of the social aspects which consumed these people’s lives. There were so many expectations of how you would behave in public, but of course not all of these were upheld. Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mrs Bennet and Charlotte Lucas are four characters which keep such strong beliefs about the social norms. These characters are expressed so descriptively and through their personalities readers can learn just how the numerous social standards were received.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Introduced to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a tall, handsome, self-absorbed aristocrat, Darcy experiences a change in personality and character. In order to dispose of his existent views on money and marriage, Darcy needed to feel something, to fall in love. Although he was well mannered, he did not know how to treat women with respect, especially those of a lesser economic status. The love of Elizabeth Bennet, however, changed his behavior.

    Read More

  • Essay on the Two Types of Pride in Pride and Prejudice

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, there is a stark contrast between the pride displayed by the characters Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Bennet. Austen demonstrates the importance of possesing the "correct" pride and makes this the main theme throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Pride and Prejudice: Villainy

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    Austen takes the time to actually describe him as a truly handsome man, and that is his primary bait for his victims. In addition to his physical appearance, he possesses the charm of a fox, and the first person to fall into his trap is Elizabeth. Lizzy, whose prejudice lies in basing her entire opinion of someone mainly on first impressions, experiences a pull to Wickham’s character due to his superficially angelic disposition and equally handsome demeanor. Once Lizzy realizes the truth about Wickham, he has already moved onto his next victim: her younger sister, Lydia. He uses his looks to convince the stupidly foolish Lydia to elope with him, showing the reader the true power of his face and charm.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Mr Wickham And Darcy

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    Darcy’s, Mr. Wickham is received well by Elizabeth when they first encounter one another. Wickham seems to embody what any and every eligible young woman should desire in a partner, except for wealth. “Mr. Wickham…was happy to say he had accepted a commission in their corps. This was exactly as it should be; for the young man wanted only regimentals to make him completely charming. His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best parts of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address. The introduction was followed up on his side by a happy readiness of conversation – a readiness at the same perfectly correct and unassuming…” (Austen 49). Mr. Wickham shows traits that make him appear to be a good, well-mannered man. He exudes a confidence and likability that allows him to be met with positive impressions and left with an affirmative encounter.

    Read More

  • Pride And Prejudice Dialogue Analysis

    1698 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy both go through dramatic changes in their attitude towards each other. Darcy is devoted to Elizabeth, but denies it because of her family and her lower status. Elizabeth believes Darcy to be arrogant and interfering. Through conversations these characters have, their true regard for each other is discovered. Austen effectively uses dialogue to develop the change in the principal characters’ moral temperament, and also to advance significant concerns in the novel such as marriage and wealth-based status.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Change in Pride and Prejudice

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is a remarkable story showing the complications between men and women before and during their time of falling in love. The plot is based on how the main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, escape their pride, prejudice and vanity to find each other; however, both must recognize their faults and change them. Jane Austen follows the development of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship in how they both change in order to overcome their own vanities and be able to love each other.

    Read More

  • Dialogue In Pride And Prejudice

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    The characters, in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, come to life through dialogue. Some characters have an inability to stop talking, while others remain quite and save their words for times when they need to convey their feelings. The dialogue in Pride and Prejudice is unlike that of Shakespeare's play where characters have lengthy monologues, the dialogue is more conversational, very witty and clever. Rarely is there a character embarking on a extensive speech, and there are not any chapters solely devoted to describing each and every physical characteristic of each person. Jane Austen uses dialogue to portray the personality of her characters, to allow the reader to see the underlying feelings and meanings behind the characters words.

    Read More

  • Jane Austen's Writing Style

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jane Austen's writing style is a mix of neoclassicism and romanticism. Austen created a transition into Romanticism which encourages passion and imagination in writing instead of a strict and stale writing style. It is very emotional and follows a flowing not structured form. Mixing these two styles was one of Austen's strongest talents, which gave her an edge in the literary world. No other author in her time was able to create such a strong transition between writing styles. Austen used her sharp and sarcastic wit in all of her writing including in one of her most famous works; Pride and Prejudice. She could create a powerful and dramatic scene and immediately lead it into a satirical cathartic scene. We see these in various locations in Pride and Prejudice. She was able to use her experiences as well as her intense knowledge to create meaningful insights into her words, regardless of what topic she would be discussing. She often talks about marriage, or breaking the roles of what a person should be. She made controversial works that praised imperfections which praised the...

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literary Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The novel Pride and Prejudice, is a romantic comedy, by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is a story about an unlikely pair who go through many obstacles before finally coming together. Pride is the opinion of oneself, and prejudice is how one person feels others perceive them. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, uses plot, the characters of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and the status of women and social standing, to portray the theme of the novel - pride and prejudice.

    Read More

  • A Critical Review of Pride and Prejudice

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Critical Review of Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, shows two characters overcoming their pride and prejudices while falling in love. In the beginning Elizabeth believes that Mr. Darcy is too proud and rude, but in time to come they start to admire and love each other. They bond together through their pride and prejudice, and in the end, they overcome the obstacles that held them back. Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Steventon, England to George and Cassandra Austen. Jane had many different types of education.

    Read More

More about The Male Characters in "Pride and Prejudice"

Open Document