Comparison and Contrast of Characters Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Charles Bingley are the main male characters in Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice that shows social values of life during the late eighteenth century in England. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy have the same social status but their personalities and ways of dealing with other people are very different.
Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy have one similarity that is their social rank. Both characters are from rich aristocratic families. The society respects them because they are wealthy and powerful. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it is mentioned that Mr. Bingley’s yearly fortune is four or five thousand and Mr. Darcy’s fortune is twice as much. Good fortune is the best asset of both characters.
However, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are men with very different personalities. Mr. Bingley appears to be a very open, casual, and friendly person who does not discriminate people based on their social rank. He does not like complicating things. In many situations, he appears to be a person who does not think far ahead and enjoys living in the present. In contrast, Mr. Darcy always appears to be a closed, reserved, and arrogant person who is not keen on finding new friends. He does not like to communicate with people from a different rank because he thinks that they are inferior to him. Mr. Darcy’s manners are not inviting even though they are as well bred as Mr. Bingley’s. Mr. Bingley is known by the ductility of his temper. The best example to illustrate this is Mr. Bingley’s decision not to marry Miss Bennett just because of the influence of his sister Caroline. In contrast, Mr. Darcy is willing to go against society norms and marry Elizabeth from lower society rank because he follows his heart and does not let anyone get in the way of his love.
Moreover, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy deal with other people in...