Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Irony of Mr. Bennet

 

            
             Bennet Honors English 2.
             The dictionary defines irony as a method of humorous or sarcastic expression in which the intended meaning of the words used is the direct opposite of their usual sense. In displaying irony in her work, Jane Austen uses Mr. Bennet, the apathetic father of the Bennet sisters, and the unhappily married husband of Mrs. Bennet, as a satiric and ironic character. Through irony, Mr. Bennet provides comic relief from the regular order of things in the Bennet household, mainly at the expense of his wife. Within the book Pride and Prejudice, there are three prime examples of Jane Austen's use of irony with Mr. Bennet, and these examples are his marriage to Mrs. Bennet, his indulgence of Lydia and the results thereof, and his failure to provide a secure financial future for his daughters.
             In his younger years, Mr. Bennet proposed to and married Mrs. Bennet. However, as Jane Austen puts it, "Her father captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humor, which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her." (Pg. 159) In short, his marriage to a foolish and neurotic woman would cause him to become both disrespectful and sarcastic to her, as well as greatly disinterested in the daily activities that would take place in the household. An excerpt of a conversation between Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet will help prove this point. It is as follows, "Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves." "You mistake me my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least." (Pg. 2) The disparity between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet is ironic, since the novel is about couple's overcoming problems in their relationships, yet the very first example of a marriage is one of an incommunicable and incompatible couple.


Essays Related to The Irony of Mr. Bennet