Sample Essay Development

How significant are the secondary characters in Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice?

This question is asking me to discuss the importance of minor characters in the novel.

Brainstorming:

Key themes    - social expectations

- pride

        - prejudice

 - class

     - gender

        - marriage

Positioning techniques - language choices

                                     - characterisation

                     - setting

                    - satire

                    - irony

                  - plot

Characters - Charlotte Lucas

           - Mr Collins

                 - Lydia Bennet

Planning:

Thesis statement -

While it is obvious to all readers that Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice it is the collection of secondary characters who truly allow for the key themes of the story to appear.

 Topic Sentences -

When exploring the expectations that society has towards women and the necessity for them to marry, Charlotte Lucas becomes a clear focal point in how Austen positions the reader to view this issue.

Society's attitude toward class distinction is a clear theme throughout the novel and Austen  positions the reader to recognise the folly of many of these expectations through the character of Mr Collins.

Throughout the novel, the audience is positioned to comprehend the high value that society places on the moral purity of all individuals and Austen's characterisation of Lydia Bennet allow readers to recognise how significant these expectations are when related to young women.

Evidence:

Paragraph 1 - p.20

                     - p. 107

                     - p. 108

                     - p. 109

                     - p. 111

                     - p. 139

       

Paragraph 2 - p. 66

                     - p. 140

                     - p. 55

                     - p. 57

                     - p. 60

                     - p.258

                     - p. 86

Paragraph 3 - p.174

                     - p. 201

                     - p. 202

                     - p. 241

                     - p. 251

                     - p. 258

                     - p. 312

Intro:

While it is obvious to all readers that Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice it is the collection of secondary characters who truly allow for the key themes of the story to appear. Throughout the development of this English classic, Austen explores a society whose expectations regarding class and gender have significant impacts on the individual. When contemplating these social expectations and the embedded values associated with them, the audience's exposure to characters such as Charlotte Lucas, Mr Collins and Lydia Bennet becomes integral in allowing Austen to position the audience to see their society from her perspective.

Main Body:

When exploring the expectations that society has towards women and the necessity for them to marry, Charlotte Lucas becomes a clear focal point in how Austen positions the reader to view this issue. In stark contrast to her friend, Lizzy Bennet, Charlotte's attitude towards marriage clearly adheres to the embedded belief that "it was the only honorable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want" (p.109). While this reflection from Charlotte provides an obvious indication to audiences of her rationale in accepting Mr Collins' proposal it also suggests the lack of options that are available to young women in her position. Indeed, it is her admission, and more importantly her acceptance, that such unions are based more on expectation than the chance of happiness that helps characterise Charlotte as the quintessential middle class woman in this society. The joy that is displayed by Charlotte's family upon receiving knowledge of her engagement to Mr Collins is another indicator of how important marriage is for a woman. As Austen articulates, "the whole family... were properly overjoyed" (p.108) but the fact that her brothers "were relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte's dying an old maid" (p.108) leaves the reader with a visceral reminder of the inevitable fate for any woman who is not able to find a suitable match. Therefore, while Charlotte Lucas may at first glance appear to be a secondary character, her placid acceptance of society's expectations of her as a woman allows Austen to position the reader to not only identify a key theme in the novel but to also sympathise with the character's situation as a direct result of what is seen as her necessary marriage to Mr Collins.  

Society's attitude toward class distinction is a clear theme throughout the novel and Austen  positions the reader to recognise the folly of many of these expectations through the character of Mr Collins.

Throughout the novel, the audience is positioned to comprehend the high value that society places on the moral purity of all individuals and Austen's characterisation of Lydia Bennet allow readers to recognise how significant these expectations are when related to young women.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, despite well-known central characters such as Lizzy and Darcy, it is Austen's development of secondary characters that allows audiences to comprehend many of the key themes found within Pride and Prejudice. Certainly, individuals like Charlotte Lucas, Mr Collins and Lydia Bennet assist Austen in demonstrating how significantly society's expectations, based on values associated with class and gender, impact individuals' lives. Perhaps more significantly, without these characters readers would not be able to recognize Austen's subtle criticisms of the often narrow and hypocritical views that society holds towards class and gender.

Image taken from Google images on 13/09/12