Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

dignity, irony, silence. The Bennet name will end; the
legacy of his father and his family will be handed to a
stranger. The Bennet women cannot fathom the devastation
visited upon the family name, as women lose patronyms
when they marry, taking up the last name of their
husband, rarely finding identity in male-oriented labels.
Mr. Bennet is silent and detached from his family
and responsibilities to them, not because it is his
nature, but because his estate, his future, no longer
demand his input. In other areas of his life, he is a
vital and vigorous man. He talks of the farm and the
need for the horses in the field, and he is certainly on
good terms with his neighbors, both high and low. He is
the first to visit Mr. Bingley, knowing that his own
position is one of high social standing in his village.
Mr. Bennet was, at one time, much like Fitzwilliam
Darcy, a wealthy young man, though not titled and with a
palpable difference in wealth; but, still he was a man of
pride and intelligence, worthy to inherit the family
estate and the responsibilities that go with it. Now,
however, Mr. Collins will inherit Longbourn, and only
five thousand pounds will go to his wife and daughters.
All of this, along with his unfortunate choice of wife,
combines to make Mr. Bennet a silent, sardonic man: