Seeing Daughters Go

Seeing her daughters well married obsesses Mrs. Bennet. It just seems socially acceptable. On the other hand, Mr. Bennet isn’t so eager to see them married. The development of both characters in Pride and Prejudice revolves around the idea of their daughter’s marriage. Towards the end of the novel we observe how: “Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley and talked of Mrs. Darcy may be guessed” (Austen, 289). Her obsession with seeing her daughters marry may be explained by her own life as a wife. The juxtaposition of this perception of marriage with that of Mr. Bennet surfaces when Austen states that “Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her drew him oftener from home than anything else could do” (Austen, 289). The differences between the two character’s vision of their daughter’s future develops a sense of disunity in their perceptions of parenting. What does Mr. and Mrs. Bennet want for their daughters? How does the relationship between Mr. Bennet and his daughters develop through the novel? How does it compare with Mrs. Bennet’s? How does Mr. Bennet impact Elizabeth in terms of marriage and love?