Fallible Fathers in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice

Abstract: Using Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, this essay will show how Sir Thomas and Mr Bennet fail in their role as fathers, related to expectations in the social context, and how their failure is necessary for the eventual marriages of the heroines, Fanny Price and Elizabeth Bennet. The fathers’ failure also leads to the elopement of Maria Bertram and Lydia Bennet. Sir Thomas and Mr Bennet’s failure is the result that comes from their need to counteract the overindulgence of Mrs Norris and Mrs Bennet. Judith Butler’s theory of gender performance will be used in this essay to show how Sir Thomas and Mr Bennet do not conform to their gender, as is shown through their repeated actions in the novels. The gender performance of these characters reveals the need for fluid gender roles for the happy ending.