Essence of Humanity

Reader can be completely drawn into a story. They leave their surrounding and throw themselves into the people and places in a novel. Readers can feel an entire spectrum of emotions from paper with ink dabbed on the pages. How is it possible that for hundreds of years books have enthralled people? How can characters in seem so real? People relate to characters in a book. They wan to find a way to compare a character’s life with their own. It is a characters essential human quality that allows a reader to relate to them: their flaws. Most people do not want to read a story where the characters are perfect. Those who do can read a story about a little girl who finds a pony and they go frolicking off into the rainbow together in happiness for the rest of their lives. Characters flaws can be especially seen in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.

Perhaps it is the title of the novel, but before even opening the book, I had the feeling that the novel would include a clashing of emotions. Elizabeth is constantly too sure of herself, making judgments on people before she has had the chance to know them. She is sharp with most people, especially those who have fallen out of her favor. She has a deep loving compassion for her family, but is still harsh to point out their faults. The only person who is exempt of any biting remark is her sister Jane. Though Elizabeth is the protagonist of the book, I find her mother to be one of the most interesting, and most human characters.

Mrs. Bennet is a woman who plays up her martyr role as much as possible. Her one objective in life is to marry off her five daughters as quickly as possible to very rich men. Though she means well for the most part, Mrs. Bennet can generally see only herself. She is constantly screeching at her husband, Mr. Bennet, even in the very first pages of the novel. On the second page, Mrs. Bennet is trying to persuade Mr. Bennet to go and talk with Mr. Bingley so that one of her daughters may fall in love with them. By the end of the conversation, she grows tired saying, “Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You delight in vexing me. Have you no compassion of my poor nerves?” Mrs. Bennet’s ways of getting what she wants is to whine, complain, and use other people’s emotions to her advantage. She is manipulative. This flaw is what makes her so incredibly realistic throughout the novel.

Human qualities are complex and difficult to capture. It amazes me that authors are able to observe the world around them enough to view the serious character flaws that create such interesting problems throughout a story. Without character flaws, literature would not be something of interest. As humans, we look for something wrong in people. Without a flaw, it is impossible for us to connect to a character of any sort. (514)