P&P #10

              Wickham is an absolute and utter scoundrel. Though Pride and Prejudice  is not a typical antagonist versus protagonist plotline, Wickham would win the antagonist role without a doubt if it had to be chosen. There are many arguments that Mr. Collins is supposed to be the character that the audience hates in this novel. The audience should abhor him for his self-centeredness and belittling nature. However, Mr. Collins is nowhere near as faulted as Wickham. Wickham lies to everyone he meets about Mr. Darcy. Uses his charismatic personality to win over all the ladies around him such that no one expects his cunning, nasty nature. No one knows of his impropriety or his impertinence. Then, he has the gall to run away with Lydia, one of the Bennet girls, and have no regard for proper marital customs. Collins may be self-centered and pompous, but at least he abides by society’s constructs. He is not running his mouth, collecting debts, and stealing women. Collins tries to take the conventional route and properly meets the Bennet family before giving a formal request of marriage to Elizabeth. Elizabeth does not accept the proposal, but there is still the most basic sense of respect between Elizabeth and Collins. In Wickham’s case, this is far from true. Elizabeth accosts Wickham’s character, saying that he has “neither integrity nor honour. That he is as false and deceitful as he is insinuating” (240). Elizabeth never speaks with as much distaste as she does here towards any other character. If there is one truly evil character to remember from this novel, Wickham is unanimously that character.