Oh the Humilation

In this critical essay, Susan Fraiman examines the father and daughter relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet and the transition that occurs as Mr. Bennet relinquishes his paternal role when his daughter marries Mr. Darcy.
 The authority of Mr. Bennet’s role as a father and husband is characterized by his ability to “create suspense.”  This is the manner by which he reinforces his control over the Bennet household.  Since news and gossip is the staple in the everyday lives of women, Mr. Bennet intentionally withholds information so that the indulgence of his wife and daughters depend on his generosity.  However, Mr. Bennet does not have disdain for his favorite daughter, Elizabeth.  He respects and adores her because she is “unlike other girls.”  Mr. Bennet preference for Elizabeth above the other women stems from a similarity in their personalities, “the need and ability to frame a moral discourse and to judge characters accordingly.”  Fraiman also uses Freud’s ideas on female development to describe the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet.  As a consequence of this father and daughter bond, Elizabeth breaks her ties with the mother.  Elizabeth’s strong character is a result of her “alliance and identification with her father.”  However, this relationship must cease at the event marriage.  As the father, Mr. Bennet’s primary role is to give her away.  At this point, the daughter becomes a form of “currency” as a means for men to create an alliance with another male.
Mr. Bennet, as everyone in the novel, finds Darcy’s wealth, authority, and power impressive.  It is a personal and economic benefit to have Darcy as a son-in-law.  And even if Mr. Bennet found him disagreeable, he would not disapprove of the marriage.  Bennet states, “He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare refuse anything. . “  While Elizabeth’s marriage is an advantageous match for her middle-class family, it also proves beneficial to Darcy.  The sickly Miss De Bourgh, his betrothed represents the downgrade of the upper-class.  By marrying Elizabeth, a wife of “greater stamina,” she “pumps richer, more robust blood into the collapsing veins of the nobility, even as she boosts the social standing of her relatives in trade.”
 The main event that allows for the “changing in paternal guard” is the Lydia-Wickham scandal.  Elizabeth views her father’s excessive leniency as a consequence of Lydia’s disgrace. Darcy is able to rectify the family problems when Mr. Bennet could not.   As a result, Darcy becomes the new and capable male.