One of his most meaningful contributions to the plot is the influence he exerts on Elizabeth. She is obviously his favorite, and probably the only one in his family that he feels real fatherly love for. This is seen from the fact that even though he is often very reserved and distant, the one tim

Although all throughout this scene Mr. Bennet shows very few chinks in his armor, his admission is very profound. Not only does he display the guilt he feels for being an irresponsible and distant father but also assumes a part of the blame for the way his family has become. This is the most evident display of this character's importance to the plot by far. All through the novel the Bennet family is in an unfavorable way, the mother and the three insensible daughters making continuous fools of themselves. This behavior is generally blamed on the mother being a poor example for her offspring, but with Mr. Bennet's acknowledgment of poor fathering the condition takes on a new light. Perhaps if he has shown more love and more guidance to his three youngest children they would not be so infected with their mother's character traits and act more amiably like their older sisters. Perhaps had he have been more caring he would have taken Elizabeth's advice and prohibited Lydia's going to Brighton, thereby destroying the whole eloping scheme at the root. Truly, had he been a better father most of the unfortunate predicaments faced by his family could have been prevented, an inference which reveals the true depth of his importance in Pride and Prejudice. Put quite simply, without a character of Mr. Bennet the irresponsible father, Austen would have no plot.

These little details and plot points are what make Mr. Bennet appealing to not only Austen fans but to any reader of Pride and Prejudice. While having an immense weight in the plot he also has a large part in the character structure of the novel, a part that is equally if not more important. He has the role that in the old fairy tales would be the role of a wise jester, a comic relief with kernels of truth hidden between the lines of jokes. Without him those who do not appreciate the author's prose and plot are in danger of boredom as well as missing or misinterpreting some major themes of the book. Mr. Bennet enriches this literary work like no other character, and in this reader's humble opinion Pride and Prejudice would lose most of its entertainment value without him.

Though Mr. Bennet is a character who possesses many faults by design of the author, he is also likable by that same design. While he is often very mean to his wife in his direct making fun of her, the reader feels no pity for Mrs. Bennet because she is so fickle and shallow. Instead of feeling sorry, the reader almost feels glad that her constant stream of meaningless and some times embarrassing phrases is checked by her husband's witty remarks and one liners. A similar situation is created with Mr. Collins, whom Mr. Bennet is unashamedly amused by during his first call to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pride Prejudice, Volume III, Collins Bennet, Jane Austen's, Lydia's Brighton, pride prejudice, , reader feels, character's importance, plot bennet, character bennet, elizabeth obviously, true depth, similar situation,
Approximate Word count = 1838
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)