2 Character Analyses--Darcy and Caroline

Scott Pero
AP English Language—Mr. George
November 28, 2009
Mr. Darcy Character Analysis

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is a taciturn man who, though originally believed to be haughty and disagreeable, learns from his mistakes and will do anything for the people he loves.

Mr. Darcy is stoic. He rarely ever speaks, and constantly maintains a serious countenance. His manners are received by other members of society as proud and antisocial. The real reason he acts in such a manner is because he is actually very awkward, and has never willfully spoken to anyone outside the select few he already knows. Darcy is socially awkward and does not speak well with people he does not know. In that sense, he is very shy. His manners, though, are not his fault, as he tells Elizabeth: “I have been a selfish being all my life…as a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper…I was spoilt by my parents who…allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing…I might still have been but for you…Elizabeth! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous” (Austen 282). The reason Darcy comes off as proud is because he was raised that way. He seems selfish because, through his life, he was spoiled. Until Elizabeth came along, Darcy thought that he was perfectly fine, and that his manners were the proper way to act. Elizabeth serves as his own personal reality check. Over time, Darcy develops strong feelings for her. When he proposes for the first time, his pride gave him reason to think Elizabeth had at that point desired his proposal. Elizabeth then lists every reason as to why she would not want to marry him. Darcy, rather than feeling utterly devastated as any other man would, he learns from these accusations and betters himself through them. This shows his intelligence, as he endeavors to explain his motives and his actions, while still learning from his mistakes. It is also shown that he is very caring to all those who are close to him. Darcy is described by his servants as the perfect master, and by his sister as the best brother. He is very kind to his staff, and even kinder to his own family, buying whatever Georgiana wishes. Darcy pays off Wickham’s debts all for Elizabeth. Darcy does everything with Elizabeth in mind.

Mr. Darcy is a lot like Beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Like Beast, Darcy grew up a spoiled, proud child, which is what eventually turned him into the ‘beast’ that society sees him as. At first, he always thinks he is right, and looks down on others. When he meets Elizabeth, the Belle of his story, he begins to develop feelings for her, and soon loves her more than anything. He, like Beast, wants to do everything for her and get closer to her, but his own beastly and awkward manners only push him farther away. He learns what to do in order to become a true gentleman in her eyes. He earnestly tries to overcome the beast within and seeks retribution in the eyes of the woman he loves. Soon there is something there that was not there before between Darcy, or Beast, and Elizabeth, his Belle.

In our modern day, a real-world counterpart of Mr. Darcy is Stephen Simmons: Both are men of few words who are very kind and amiable to their friends and family; there is more to their character than what one sees on the surface.


Scott Pero
AP English Language—Mr. George
November 28, 2009
Caroline Bingley Character Analysis

Miss Caroline Bingley is an obsessive, duplicitous young woman who desperately tries in vain to attract the attentions of a man who does not love her and simultaneously shoot down any traces of competition in other women.

When we first see Miss Bingley, she is described, along with her sister, Mrs. Hurst, as, “fine women, with an air of decided fashion” (Austen 6). Caroline appears nice and lovely, especially when she interacts with Jane. At first, it seems as though Caroline is very amiable and agreeable to most. She quickly becomes the best of friends with Jane. Soon, however, it is shown that she has a darker side hidden away from public light. She is obsessive of Mr. Darcy, and wants to marry him more than anything. In many instances where Mr. Darcy is admiring Elizabeth from afar, Caroline swoops in and cunningly tries to deviate his interests from Elizabeth to herself. Caroline constantly brings up the many obstacles Darcy would have to overcome in order to be with Elizabeth, such as her inferiority and her ludicrous family. In doing so, Caroline tries to promote herself in Darcy’s eyes. She talks politely in a friendly manner to Elizabeth, concealing her hidden motives from her, but the minute Elizabeth is gone, Caroline begins to attack Elizabeth on everything, such as her clothes, her manners, and her family. Not only is Caroline deceptive, but she is also very hypocritical as well. She speaks about despising women who try and sabotage others in the pursuit of a man, but she openly is the one doing it. She attempts to attract Mr. Darcy with every action and entice him with each word: “[Caroline] could not win [Mr. Darcy], however, to any conversation…at length, quite exhausted by the attempt to be amused with her own book, which she had only chosen because it was the second volume of his, she gave a great yawn and said, ‘How pleasant it is to spend an evening this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading’” (41). Caroline is constantly trying to win Mr. Darcy’s attention. No matter how many times she tries and fails, she can not take a hint and give him up. She is relentless in her pursuit of a man who will never be hers, obsessing over something she will never have. Caroline is a deceitful woman who endeavors ineffectively to captivate the one man who will never love her in return.

Caroline is just like an annoying little bug that constantly buzzes around the house. She will never go away, partly because no on is ever able to get her to go away. Every now and then, she is noticeable out of the corner of your eye, though you are not really paying attention to her. She is just that aggravating. She always hovers around the light on the ceiling, or in this case, Mr. Darcy. Just like the bug will fly into the light countless times only to get burnt and fly back again, so does Caroline always try and flaunt herself in front of Mr. Darcy, only to face rejection once more. Still, she tries again, demonstrating a level of prudence only common to unintelligible insects.

A modern day counterpart in the real world of Caroline Bingley is Kurt Hummel from the TV show Glee; both desperately strive in vain to gain the favor of a man they will never have, both appear friendly but secretly plot for their own benefit, and both aim to destroy any competition in their race to win the heart of the object of their devotion.