Mr. Bennet’s Patriarchal Role as a Male Character in Pride and Prejudice from Feminist Perspective

Authors : Serap IŞIKLAR

Pages : 447-455

View : 36 | Download : 44

Publication Date : 2023-07-02

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen is obviously among the masterpieces of English Literature and known to be a novel in which the presence of female characters overwhelms the males. Even though the number and existence of females are more, male characters of Pride and Prejudice have still been interpreted to be portrayed as having stronger personalities than the female characters in the novel. Nevertheless, it is an undeniable fact that the male characters are not flawless at all throughout the novel and they can also be interpreted to have been depicted as having weaknesses in their natures. Thus, the purpose of this research is to demonstrate from a Feminist perspective that Mr. Bennet, the father of the Bennet family, has shortcomings of the patriarchal aptitude regarding his potentials and effectiveness not only over the house but also over the women of the house. Mr. Bennet is evidently a man who is drifted to resentment by his wife and daughters. He has acted as being ineffective in his daughters’ marriages, so he can be regarded as having neither domination nor supremacy over the house and the women in the house. Hence, although he seems to be a strong character in a patriarchal society with whom the reader sympathizes at first, he has been represented as being a weak father and a forceless husband throughout the novel which is the most prominent reason why he has deficiencies in his nature considering his imperfection in controlling the issues regarding the household.
Keywords : Jane Austen, Aşk ve Gurur, Bay Bennet, ataerkil rol, etkisiz erkek karakter, kadın hâkimiyeti