All Villians Are Not Created Equal

All Villains are not Created Equal

In the novels Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations, the male villains, Wickham and Magwitch, both commit offenses. Wickham commits moral offenses, while Magwitch commits criminal offenses. In the novels, the men's outward appearance seems to influence peoples' view of them; however, Magwitch has some redemptive qualities while Wickham turns out to be a cad.

Wickham, who is not a main character, does not appear in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, until chapter 15 page 71 of the book. Yet his impact is immediately and knowingly felt by the main characters and the reader for the remainder of the novel. According to the novel, Wickham is described as, "…of most gentlemanlike appearance", "…his appearance was greatly in his favour"; "…fine countenance…good figure, and very pleasing address." (J. Austen p.71). Wickham is literally stopping traffic in the street because he is so handsome, well dressed and mannered. To society he appears to be a fair and honest man, any person would like to be associated with him.

Magwitch, while not a main character, does have an integral and active part in the direct story line. By page 2 of chapter 1, in the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, we met the character of Magwitch. Though the reader and central characters of the story do not know him by name, they are immediately impacted by his arrival. Magwitch is described as, "… a fearful man", "…with broken shoes", "…smothered in mud", "…stung by nettles", ‘"growled", "…and whose teeth chattered in his head" (C. Dickens p. 2). Magwitch could also stop traffic, though not with his good looks; it would be due to the amazement of seeing such a worn looking old man in leg irons walking down the street.

George Wickham was the son of a respected man. Though his own father could not afford it, he was afforded an education and many amenities in life. He was even the recipient of monies bequeathed to him by Mr. Darcy's father. Having been given all of these things he still willfully turned to deception and trickery as a way of life. The villainous behavior being displayed by George Wickham is not criminal in nature. His acts offend the senses rather than the law. His first offense, maligning Darcy by saying that he isn't well liked in his hometown, is designed to show that he (Wickham) is not alone in how he feels about Darcy. This is designed to gain him credibility in the eyes of Elizabeth, this credibility is backed by his good looks and charming manners. To completely disparage Darcy, Wickham then lies about the circumstances which have caused him and Darcy to be adversarial in their relationship. By making it appear that Darcy has gone against the word of Darcy's dead father by disinheriting him (Wickham), Wickham soon turns the entire village of Longbourn against Darcy.

Magwitch had neither, good manners nor looks. He had been in and out of jail his entire life. He has had to fend for himself, for he was orphaned at a young age. Crime became a way of life to him, a necessity; it was all he could do as a child to survive. Magwitch is vilified for his role as an accessory to Compeysons' swindling. He was an escaped convict, twice convicted, and culpable in the death of the man responsible for his incarceration and scheduled to bear witness against him in court upon his capture. Perhaps what he was most guilty of was being born poor. He was not blessed with the ability to obtain a formal education. He did not have the benefit of coming from a good home, nor did he inherit respect by having a well liked father.

George Wickham starts out as the handsome, well-mannered stranger who takes the town by storm. He is afforded stature and trust because of his appearance, which makes it easy for him to take Elizabeth into his confidence and subtly warn her about Darcy. He seemed to court Elizabeth for a brief moment, only to move on to Miss King in chapter 26, who had just inherited a sizeable fortune. In chapter 35 Darcy's letter to Elizabeth