This is a paper that I wrote for my 2009-2010 AP British Literature class. We just finished reading and discussing
by Jane Austen. Now we are reading
by Mary Shelley. The next paper that I post will be discussing some aspect of this novel.
The Purpose of Minor Characters in Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s most famous novel, is filled with many different minor characters. Some seem superfluous, but others bring life to certain scenes and help to advance the plot. The plethora of characters in the novel can be overwhelming at times, but each seems to have a purpose even though it may be minute. Certain plotlines in the story actually revolve around minor characters and the plot could not truly be complete without their influence.
Of the Bennet sisters, two are fairly minor characters. Lydia is not a minor character, as most of volume three revolves around her disgraceful elopement with Mr. Wickham. Kitty and Mary, on the other hand, play much less important parts in the novel. Mary Bennet is the middle sister of the five. She is very sober and spends her time with hobbies that usually only profit herself. She plays the piano with mediocre quality and causes a major scene at Mr. Bingley’s Netherfield Ball when she performs dreadfully and practically refuses to cease. She spends the rest of her time reading from Fordyce’s Sermons. “James Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women was a popular guidebook on women’s conduct, published in 1767. In his sermons, Fordyce argued that ‘men of the best sense have usually been averse to the thought of marrying a witty female.’”(MyPrideandPrejudice.com) Mary obviously has taken this to heart, as she seems to have no sense of humor whatsoever.
Mary’s purpose in the novel seems to be to contrast her character with that of Lizzy and also, Lydia. Mary is some like Lizzy in the respect that she has intelligence; unlike Lizzy, she doesn’t use it for the bettering of her person. Also, in the book we never truly come to understand is Mary if really good or evil. She takes on the appearance of goodness, contrasting against Lydia, who has no morals. However, she persists in making some disparaging comments about Lydia after she runs away. “Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable -- that one false step involves her in endless ruin -- that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful, -- and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.” (Austen) Her character also reveals that the parenting on the senior Bennets’ part probably became severely lacking after Elizabeth was born.
The remaining Bennet sister is Kitty, whose role is even more subtle than Mary’s. Kitty is the prime example of a pushover. Although she is two years older than Lydia she shadows her every move. After Lydia runs away it is revealed in a letter from Jane that Kitty knew more about the affair than she had originally let on. Kitty isn’t thought of to be very smart, but she has better qualities that Lydia, the stupidest of the girls. Mr. Bennet seems to realize his error with Lydia and therefore tells Kitty jokingly that she is to be confined to the house for ten years. Kitty, however, isn’t smart enough to get his joke, and, taking him literally, runs away to her room in tears. She generally continues with this demeanor, however, “the closing chapter of the novel says that her personality improves after she begins spending most of her time visiting Jane and Elizabeth after their marriages and being kept away from Lydia.” (Renee)
Kitty’s purpose in the novel seems to be one of the most ambiguous. She is there to show that Lydia often has ruling power over others, even some who are her elders. She also seems to have been included to further show the bad parenting given to her. Most of her scenes don’t further the plot. If they do, it is usually because of Lydia, Lizzy, or another character who is much more important than she. In several of the movie adaptations of the novel, Kitty is either entirely missing or her role is seriously downplayed. In the 2004 movie, Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood version of the novel, Kitty’s character has been removed totally. In the 2005 version, her character, played by Carey Mulligan, doesn’t do much of anything. Ultimately, Kitty’s overall purpose never seems to be revealed, other than that she adds another sister to the Bennet family.
Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, Charles Bingley’s brother-in-law and sister, are very minor in the book and add almost nothing to the story other than comic relief. We see Mr. Hurst as a drunken man who sits around and sleeps during the day. He adds relief to tense scenes between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth by randomly waking up in the middle of their conversations. Mrs. Hurst plays almost no part at all, other than being there. “His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table, nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her.” (Austen) Both of Bingley’s sisters are with him largely because of money, nothing else.
The Lucas family is another set of minor characters to grace the pages of Austen’s novel. They also add some comic relief to the novel. Sir William Lucas is silly and mostly worthless. He has the same awe of Lady Catherine de Bourgh as Mr. Collins, embarrassing his daughter, Charlotte. “In spite of having been at St. James's, Sir William was so completely awed by the grandeur surrounding him, that he had but just courage enough to make a very low bow, and take his seat without saying a word; and his daughter, frightened almost out of her senses, sat on the edge of her chair, not knowing which way to look.” (Austen)
Charlotte Lucas, Sir William’s daughter, was Lizzy’s best friend, and ultimately married the Bennets’ cousin, William Collins. She married him only because she needed a husband for future security. Her view on marriage is actually quite odd. “Charlotte, in a speech Elizabeth cannot believe to be serious, suggests that ‘In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew more affection than she feels.’” (Adams) She also tells Lizzy that “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”
Charlotte is one of the characters in the novel who is hard to classify. Her role in the eventual marriage of Mr. Darcy and Lizzy is huge, so in that respect she cannot be classified as a minor character. If Charlotte hadn’t married Mr. Collins, Lizzy would never have gone to visit them. If she hadn’t gone to see the Collins, she would never have seen Mr. Darcy again or have had him initially propose to her. She also would never have found out the truth about Jane and Mr. Bingley or that of Mr. Wickham. In other respects, though, Charlotte is a minor character. She is largely absent from the second half of the novel. She reappears briefly near the end, but not to any great extent.
The only other member of the Lucas family that stands out is Maria, Charlotte’s little sister. She is friends with Kitty Bennet and she is another filler character, doing nothing to advance the plot. However, one time she is useful is near the end of the book, when Kitty is walking with Lizzy and Mr. Darcy. Kitty begs to go see Maria, thereby leaving Mr. Darcy and Lizzy alone, this resulting in their engagement.
The last important minor characters in Pride and Prejudice are Colonel and Harriet Forster. They only become important at the end of the novel. Colonel Forster is in command of the -----shire militia, and Mr. Wickham’s superior. It is with the Forsters that Lydia goes to Brighton. From Brighton, Lydia makes her escape to elope with George Wickham, leaving behind a note for Harriet. Colonel Forster, although a bit negligent, seems to be a good individual as he sets out immediately to search for them in an attempt to save them from eternal ruin. The Forsters become crucial to the plot in that they are the people who are responsible for Lydia when she elopes.
Although the minor characters in Pride and Prejudice sometimes seem to be unnecessary, they provide life to the story. Kitty and Mary highlight the Bennet’s bad parenting. The Hursts provide comic relief. The Lucas family adds depth to the story, and the Forsters become Lydia’s unknown enablers. Ultimately, they all play fairly important parts in the beautifully crafted novel by Jane Austen.
Works Cited
Adams, Carol J., Douglas Buchanan, and Kelly Gesch. "Pride and Prejudice." Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen (Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companions). New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. 5. Print.
Austen, Jane. "Chapter IV." Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics). New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. 11. Print.
Austen, Jane. "Chapter XLVII." Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics). New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. 219. Print.
Austen, Jane. "Chapter XXIX." Pride and Prejudice (Oxford World's Classics). New ed. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. 124-125. Print.
"Fordyce’s Sermons; Mr Collins’ Favorite Book - My Pride and Prejudice ." My Pride and Prejudice . N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
Renee, Melissa . "Story and History: Catherine "Kitty" Bennet, Basic Character Information." Story and History. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
MLA formatting by BibMe.org.
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