Everyone loves the new kid in town. He’s unexpected, mysterious, and charming. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Charles Bingley and his entourage are the “new kids in town. ” These unknown, wealthy strangers are the gossip around Longbourn. Eagles is a rock band that formed in the 1970s that released a song called “New Kid in Town” in 1976. Don Henley, the band’s drummer, explains, “We were basically saying, ‘Look, we know we’re red hot right now but we also know that somebody’s going to come along and replace us — both in music and in love. ’” In comparison with Jane and Mr.
Bingley’s relationship, the band is symbolic of Mr. Bingley. “New Kid in Town” can be used to symbolize many aspects of Mr. Charles Bingley and Miss Jane Bennet’s relationship in Austen’s age-old classic. Anyone living in a gossip centered society such as the Bennets’ knows everyone’s business, especially that of newcomers. The Eagles sing “There’s talk on the street; it sounds so familiar, great expectations, everybody’s watching you” When Bingley arrives at Netherfield, there is a lot of gossip among the Bennets, mostly facilitated by their mother, who expects Bingley to marry one of her five daughters.
To her husband, Mrs. Bennet says “‘… You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them. ’” (Austen 2) She has heard “the talk on the street,” and she has “great expectations” of Bingley’s manner and affection for her daughters. Being her normal, presumptuous self, Mrs. Bennet determines, without any objective information, that Mr. Bingley is the perfect man to marry one of her daughters.
With her mother’s hopes in mind, Jane meets Bingley at the Lucas’ ball, and he dances with her… wice! Despite his love of dancing, when he dances with Jane more than any other woman, others assume he is attracted to her. “You look in her eyes; the music begins to play, hopeless romantics, here we go again” sing the Eagles. He is taken with Jane, and when Jane visits Netherfield and falls ill, Mr. Bingley takes a great deal of care in nursing her back to health. Both of their families see this, and Mrs. Bennet assumes that he has fallen in love and will marry Jane.
Suddenly, without notice, Mr. Bingley and his entourage leave for London. “… the new kid in town, will she still love you when you’re not around? ” Although it seems Bingley has ditched Jane, possibly to marry Georgiana Darcy, who has much more money than Jane, and better connections, Jane still loves Bingley, and thinks of him often. In a letters to Elizabeth while in London visiting the Gardiners, Jane writes “————” EXPLANATION OF SONG TO PLOT
Mrs. Bennet obsesses over the meaning of the Bingleys’ hasty departure, wondering what Jane could have possibly done wrong to drive him away “You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you, They will never forget you ’til somebody new comes along” Mrs. Bennet’s obsession with Bingley’s departure quickly disappears when her youngest daughter runs off with a man. Mr. Bingley never directly tells Jane of his feelings, despite how much he expresses them.
Needless to say, she leads Bingley’s friend, Darcy, to believe that she lacked affection for Bingley, so Darcy manipulates Bingley to make him think that Jane is not attracted to him. “There’s so many things you should have told her” If Bingley had told Jane his feelings for her, she would not question the meaning of his absence, and upon her visit to London, she would have seeked him out to spend time with him. Mr. Bingley does not realize that he is being manipulated out of his potential relationship with the eldest Miss Bennet.
No one tells him that Jane is in London, staying with her aunt and uncle, because that could lead him to meet with her, which would be devastating to his life, due to her lack of social standing and inheritance. The Eagles sing, “You’re lookin’ the other way” Bingley doesn’t question his sisters or Mr. Darcy. In fact, he seems content to leave Netherfield, despite his affection toward Jane Bennet. He doesn’t return, despite his friend’s wishes, to visit her. In a letter to Elizabeth while in London visiting the Gardiners, Jane writes “if he had at all cared about me, we must have met, long ago.
He knows of my being in town…” (Austen 178) He doesn’t meet with her before leaving to explain his feelings, and since they’re both manipulated by Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy, she assumes he knows of her being in London, but is not planning on visiting her. Although a slow moving one, Miss Jane Bennet’s relationship with Mr. Charles Bingley is strong, and their affection for each other is pure. The Eagles’ “New Kid in Town” is almost written for Jane and Charles’ relationship. Against all odds, they are still able to adore each other- the “New Kid in Town,” and the girl who has lived there all her life.
