A Comparison of Elizabeth and Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Abstract

In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is the more glamorous girl and thus has attracted more attention. Is she a perfect girl? What’s her characteristic? With the questions, the article will first probe into the characteristic of Elizabeth and her sister Mary, and then compare the two girls. First, I analyze Elizabeth’s character. Although she is a sensible, brave, beautiful and well-educated girl, sometimes she is reasonless. Second, I analyze Mary’s mixed character, Mary’s pedantry makes her indifferent even to her family members. Last, I compare Elizabeth and Mary. Both Elizabeth and Mary are occasionally reasonless, and both read widely, but they are quite different in their response to the same events. Mary is the representative of those who hold reason superior to feeling; unlike Mary, who is not a slave to social restriction, Elizabeth holds feeling superior to reason.