Susan Fraiman's argument of Elizabeth as a "son" to Mr. Bennet is a very interesting and plausible argument. In many ways, Elizabeth is very close with and like her father. They both share a distaste for "women activities" such as gossiping and being unnecessarily social. He has made is clear that she is the favorite of all his daughters, and he clearly holds her in high regards. A prime example of his love for her was the scene in which Mr. Collins proposed to Elizabeth, and was very persistent only to be shot down by her multiple times. Mrs. Bennet then recruits Mr. Bennet to talk some sense into Elizabeth and make her marry Mr. Collins, but he then announces that if she marries him then he will never see her again. This goes against a lot of the values that their society holds. As a father of all daughters, Mr. Bennet should be frantically finding them husbands so that they do not have to tarnish the family name and join the work force after his death. Also, finding them husbands would make hin richer, and since Mr. Collins is inheriting their estate, then having one of his daughters marry him would be the most ideal situation. But I think that Mr. Bennet sees that Elizabeth doesn't like Mr. Collins at all, and Mr. Bennet doesn't like him either because he gossips and talks a lot while Mr. Bennet likes quiet. His soaring Lizzy to a lifetime of being married to the foolish Mr. Collins is a demonstration of his love and affection for her, especially because he was willing to deviate from social norms in order to do so. I think that the analysis of Elizabeth as a son to Mr. Bennet is very much valid.
Discussion questions: could the passage of Mr. Bennet's dislike for gossip and people eventually mean bad things for Elizabeth? Will her choosiness of who she marries mean bad things for her?
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