"So, Lizzy, your sister is crossed in love I find. I congratulate her. When is your turn to come? Here are officers enough at Meryton to disappoint all the young ladies in the country. Let Wickham be your man. He is a pleasant fellow, and would jilt you credibly" (118).
This quote provides the perfect description of Mr. Bennet's alacrity to play on his family's nerves. Although Mr. Bennet's character is, as a rule, rather laconic, the occasional statements and solutions he offers of the girls' problems carry their weight in gold. Here, Mr. Bennet makes light of Jane's bruised heart. The women of the family all have distinct personalities, but none of them offer the comic relief that Mr. Bennet provides. The women have a propensity for serious attitudes, and even Elizabeth's logical explanations of Jane's situation can't compare to the laugh Mr. Bennet provides by making fun of it. It's hilarious how gleefully Mr. Bennet unravels his wife's plans of marriage for their daughters. He put their happiness before their family's rank, and therefore their pride. That a father figure would put his female daughters' happiness before his family's pride was unheard of in this time period. This further proves Mr. Bennet as a very atypical father figure.
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