Pride and Prejudice

As the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth has the most complex journey. Her observation is keen and her wit sharp, making her arguably Mr. Bennet’s favorite, a respite from his “silly and ignorant” (7) other daughters. She has “a lively, playful disposition” (13) and is “not formed for ill-humour [sic]” (87); she laughs off Darcy’s comment to Bingley that she is merely “tolerable” (13), and she quickly overcomes her sorrow when Wickham is absent from the Netherfield ball. When she is unable to convince her father to forbid Lydia from going to Brighton, she decides not “to fret over unavoidable evils,” for “[i]t [is] not in her nature […] to increase her vexations by dwelling on them” (217). Her evenness of temper establishes her as dependable and rational, highlighting her grave error in relying on her emotions when judging Darcy and Wickham, the charismatic solider posted in the nearby town of Meryton.

As the two oldest Bennet daughters, Jane and Elizabeth have a particularly close relationship. However, Elizabeth has “more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister” (16), making her more likely to question people’s motives, often seeing truths Jane does not.