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The well-mannered, soft-spoken, and utterly charming friend of Mr. Darcy is proof that not every upper-class character is snobbish and conniving. When the reader meets Bingley, he is renting Netherfield Park, trying to determine where he might like to settle. He first makes the acquaintance of the Bennet family at a ball near Meryton and takes an immediate liking to Jane. The arrival of Charles Bingley is a source of great excitement for the Bennet family, as he is kind, sociable, and—most importantly—wealthy.
Bingley appears at first to be Mr. Darcy’s foil, possessing none of the apparent pride, standoffishness, or cynicism of his friend. Where Bingley takes great joy in the pleasantness and beauty of his neighbors, Darcy sees a collection of people in whom there is little to be impressed with. Bingley bears a similar disposition to Jane, guilty of no apparent fault except that his extreme goodness leads sometimes to passivity. He is almost always willing to take others at their word, refusing at times to see their ill intent or question the information that is relayed to him. When his sisters, horrified by a potential connection to the Bennets, convince him to leave, he fully intends to return. But when Darcy, albeit mistakenly, calls into question the strength of Jane’s affection for him, Bingley is all too willing to heed Darcy’s warning and remain in London. It is only after he is otherwise encouraged that he returns to Meryton to reconnect with Jane, finally convinced of her love for him. The two become engaged and eventually marry, settling at an estate near Pemberley.
