Very good analysis of Austen's character introductions. A couple of follow-up items:

• You mis-quoted the initial sentence. Is there a difference in meaning between Austen's phrase and yours? What does "in want of" mean here? What does "want" mean in the sentence, "Larry grew up in want"? What other meanings does "want" have?
• See if you can find instances where Austen illustrates character by showing rather than telling.
• Example of what I'm talking about (not from Austen, from my head): "For ten minutes, Ralph attempted to thread the hook so he could cast his line" rather than "Even though Ralph could not see well, he was very patient."
• See if you can find instances where Austen shows a character's hypocrisy.
• Another example from my head: "Mrs. Jones declared the importance of humility, and modestly offered herself as model."
• Mom says you're spending 2-3 hours each day on these assignments, thinking you have to finish one each day. That's probably OK on days you're not doing Geometry, especially since you're waiting for the Biology text. Guidelines:
• You should not feel obligated to complete an assignment each day.
• I would aim for an average of 1 1/2 hours per day for both the reading and the report. You can split the two: reading one day and report the next (but you should at least make notes so you don't have to re-read everything to write the report).
• For a college student, I would expect you to summarize 10-30 pages of nonfiction (history, philosophy, etc.) twice a week (two summaries covering 20-60 pages each week). Fiction usually goes faster. If you move at this speed today, that's fine, but don't worry about it.
• If I do not give a specific assignment, follow this guide for fiction like Pride and Prejudice:
• Give a very short summary of what happened in your reading (this is not a book report; I just want to know what part of the story you're in and, if I've not read it, a brief summary of the major action). Two or three sentences should cover it.
• Before your read, review the list of literary elements here, and look for examples in your reading. It's a long list, and all will not be present, but looking for new ones can make your reading more interesting.
• Identify one or two literary elements you recognize in the reading you are summarizing. Give your opinion on whether these are effectively used.
• Repeat the vocabulary exercises. Keep trying to use vocabulary words from prior assignments in your current summaries.