Liacopoulos Dimitra Interpretation of Literature Professor Rosenbaum 3/13/08 Mrs. Gardiner: A Symbol of Sensibility We all know when it comes to a story, the characters are what bring life to it. Although the attention is usually focused on the main characters, Jane Austen makes sure that her minor characters are crucial to the story in her novel, Pride and Prejudice. One of those minor characters is Mrs. Gardiner, who takes on the role of a mother to the Bennet girls, especially when it comes to Jane and Elizabeth. Without her guidance, things would have gone very differently in the development of the story. At first glance, readers may overlook the importance of Mrs. Gardiner in the progression of the novel. One reason this may be is because a lot happens in the plot before Mrs. Gardiner is even introduced. The Bennet girls deal with many ups and downs and seem to handle them to their best ability, without any help from their aunt. She does not step in as a role model until almost halfway through the story, so some may assume that she could not have had that much impact on the girls, and on the outcome of the story. As the novel progresses though, we see that she plays a very significant role in the girls' lives. Because Mrs. Gardiner steps in as a motherly figure, it is only natural to compare her to the girls' real mother, Mrs. Bennet. This is the one woman who is supposed to be there for the girls no matter what, and at this she clearly fails. She does not pay equal attention to her girls, and seems to favor her two youngest daughters. Even when she tries to be there for her two eldest daughters, she does not give them the greatest advice because she's so wrapped up in the idea that her daughters must
marry men who are wealthy and of high status. Throughout the novel, Mrs. Bennet's foolishness is portrayed through her obsession of marrying off her daughters. She runs around trying to make connections with the wealthy, so that, in her eyes, her daughters can benefit from them. She does not stop to realize that what her daughters really need is her love and support in everyday life. Mrs. Gardiner, on the other hand, is sharply contrasted with Mrs. Bennet in several ways. When she comes to visit, she immediately senses Jane's sadness and begins to think of ways to try and raise her spirits. Instead of joining Jane in her devastation, as Mrs. Bennet does, Mrs. Gardiner is sensible and looks at the bright side of things. Through these actions, she is portrayed as caring and nurturing, as well as full of common sense. Another way Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner are shown as opposites in the story is through the type of marriages they have. It is obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet married each other for the reason most people got married for back then: money. Throughout the novel, Mr. Bennet's actions show that he does not love, respect, or support his wife. He sees her as a woman who simply nags him all the time, and in turn he often retreats to his library to escape. This marriage does not serve as a good role model for the Bennet girls. If this is the type of marriage they have been watching closely since they were born, it is clear that the girls will grow up thinking that this is the way marriages are supposed to be. If this is all the girls had to base their ideal marriages off of, then they would all be doomed. Although Elizabeth has managed to figure out that marriage should be based on the love you have for another person, she still has not watched the process of how a marriage like that works. Fortunately, Mrs. Gardiner is in the girls' lives to show them the reasons people should marry, and how
this type of real marriage works. The girls can look up to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner to see that although they should take into account some consideration of the other person's financial status, the most significant element in a working marriage is that the two people love and respect each other. This includes supporting each other in times of need. Being sensible, but still allowing yourself some freedom to fall in love is an extremely important concept the girls can learn from their aunt. Another reason Mrs. Gardiner is so important to the story is because of the relationship she has built with Jane. When Mr. Bingley leaves town and breaks Jane's heart, Mrs. Bennet is not the one who steps in and acts as a mother should; Mrs. Gardiner is. She was the one who acted as the responsible adult and recognized that Jane really needed help and guidance at that time. Part of the reason Mrs. Gardiner knows how and when to step in is because she understands that most of the time, the girls are too naive to know when to ask for help. The fact that she takes on this motherly role, which requires a lot of effort on her part, shows that she really cares about these girls. Austen shows us an example of this when Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth are talking, and Mrs. Gardiner "Poor says, Jane! I am sorry for her, because, with her disposition, she may not get over it immediately" (94). She could have simply waved her off like Mrs. Bennet does, but instead she saw her desperation and acted upon it. The relationship Mrs. Gardiner has with Jane reveals that Jane is old enough and experienced enough to know that she needs someone to look up to for help in her times of need. When Jane is hurt by Mr. Bingley, she surrounds herself with her family, especially when Mrs. Gardiner comes, which shows that she is mature enough to understand that sulking about the situation would not do anything but make her feel
worse. This relationship also reveals Mrs. Gardiner's deep sense of intuition, and her attentiveness to the Jane. Without her, Jane would never have left to get a change of scenery, and probably would have ended up becoming depressed over Mr. Bingley. This is especially true considering all Mrs. Bennet would focus on is her anger at the situation, and her obsession to find another man for her daughter. One last reason Mrs. Gardiner is so crucial to the story is her interactions and relationship with Elizabeth, the protagonist of the novel. One important scene in the book is when Mrs. Gardiner is talking to Elizabeth about what happened with Jane and Mr. Bingley. Mrs. Gardiner shows her nurturing side by telling Elizabeth that things like this happen, and consoling her. She also questions Elizabeth when she states that Mr. Bingley was, "violently in love with," Jane only a few days before he left her (94). "Pray, how violent was Mr. Bingley's love?" responds Mrs. Gardiner, which shows that she has wisdom by not simply accepting the fact that Mr. Bingley would just up and leave if he was truly in love with Jane (94). Reacting in this way also shows Elizabeth that she should not be gullible, but instead should question the world around her. Again, Mrs. Gardiner is playing the role of a mother here. Another scene that Mrs. Gardiner has an impact on Elizabeth is when she confronts her about Wickham. She notices that they have an interest in each other, and although does not despise him, she immediately thinks of Elizabeth's well being. She sees Wickham as an interesting man, but she does not think he can support Elizabeth financially. As we know, Mrs. Gardiner is not one to put emphasis on money when it comes to love and marriage, but she is also sensible and does not completely ignore that factor. She knows she must speak to Elizabeth, but goes about it in a very
respectful manner. She does not talk down to Elizabeth, but talks to her as an equal, and shows her that she is only looking out for her, as she has nothing to gain by keeping the two apart. As she talks to her, she also makes certain that Elizabeth knows she sees her as a smart and sensible girl, and that she believes in her fully. She shows how well she really knows Elizabeth by saying that she should not let her, "fancy run away with [her]" (96). This means that Mrs. Gardiner respects the fact that she is a romantic, and believes in marrying for love, but she does not want Elizabeth to throw her sense out the window. She wants her to be practical and realize that although love is very important, she must also look for someone she can live comfortably with financially. This relationship not only reinforces Mrs. Gardiner's importance in the novel, but also shows us a side of Elizabeth that we had not seen yet. Because of the manner in which Mrs. Gardiner approached and spoke to Elizabeth, she could only respond in a respectful way, and be understanding when it came to what her aunt had to say. A girl Elizabeth's age would usually be much more rebellious to a mother figure concerned about her interest in someone, but Elizabeth is very mature in this case. Although she says she will just try to see things from Mrs. Gardiner's point of view, she does admit it when Mrs. Gardiner calls her out on this. She tells her that Elizabeth should discourage Wickham's visits, or at least not remind her mother to invite him over. Instead of becoming defensive, Elizabeth, "with a conscious smile" agrees with her aunt (97). Without Mrs. Gardiner's words of caution, Elizabeth may have ended up falling for Wickham, and completely regretting it considering the way Wickham truly is. Mrs. Gardiner's presence in Elizabeth's life clearly changed the course of the story. Jane Austen incorporated many minor characters into her novel, and gave
some of them some pretty major roles. Although it may not seem obvious at first because of her lack of presence at the beginning of the book, Mrs. Gardiner played a large part in the way the story unfolded. Through her relationships with Jane and Elizabeth, and her ability to responsibly step in as a mother figure to the girls, Pride and Prejudice would not be the story it is without Mrs. Gardiner.