In Pride and Prejudice, how is Jane Austen critical of her contemporary society and its social norms?
Give at least one specific example with a well-selected passage from the text as evidence.
Be sure to fully analyze your evidence.
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Elizabeth Bennet is everything that the ideal woman of the eighteenth century is not- and that is why she is so essential to the piece. Jane Austen vicariously expresses her exposition of the time period through the character of Elizabeth. She creates her with the intention of revealing her own disagreement with the society. Most characters introduced are heavily pretentious and completely ruled by the class system. Mothers and daughters alike exclusively desire to get married and settle down. “If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield,” said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, “and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for”(11). Elizabeth represents the few who reject these social norms and she lives by her own standards. When an affluent bachelor moves into the area, Elizabeth is anything but aroused. Not only is she impartial to the news of a new bachelor, she also consistently denies opportunities that most women of the time view as momentous. She rejects two marriage proposals from eligible, well bred men. She denies the first man because he is pompous and giddy; The other she loves, but is insulted by his proposal. By placing the main character in a distinctive social setting and having her act in a behavior controversial to what is expected, the readers are forced to see Jane Austen’s opinion. Although Austen makes Elizabeth Bennet the rebel, she is amiable and viewed as the heroine. To the reader it is clear that Austen is unsettled with the class conscience society and the hierarchy of marriage and is persuasive in proclaiming this.
ReplyDelete-Amanda
Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Austen shows her criticism of society. This is seen in many of the qualities of the characters. For example, Mrs. Bennet is portrayed as a foolish, gossipy character that cares more about the reputation and marriage of her daughters than their actual well-being. After returning from Mr. Bingley's party at Netherfield, Mrs. Bennet rushes home to her husband to gush about her daughter's experiences. She remarks, "[Mr. Bingley] seemed quite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance[...]He is so excessively handsome and his sisters are charming women"(Austen 14). Although she is enthusiastic about Mr. Bingley's interest in her daughter, she does not consider her daughter's feelings in the matter. This continues throughout the book. By portraying her in this light, Austen shows the foolishness and superficialness of society.
ReplyDeleteOne other character that represents a flaw of society is Charlotte Lucas. Elizabeth refuses Mr. Collins' proposal because she does not love him, and is shocked to learn Charlotte accepts a proposal from him. Charlotte acknowledges that she was "never a romantic[...and that she was]convinced that [her] chance of happiness [was] as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state"(Austen 123). Although Charlotte is not as negatively portrayed as Mrs. Bennet, she serves as a foil to Elizabeth, whose romantic personality is one to be admired in the story. Charlotte symbolizes the practical side of society, which Austen dislikes.
Shelby
I agree with Amanda with that Jane Austen expresses her view of the time period and society through Elizabeth. Jane Austen tends to show her rebellious thoughts against society through Elizabeth's unwillingness to cooperate with the cultural norms. During this time period social class played and important role in marriages but in Elizabeth's case she attempted to ignore the finances and focus on love. Throughout the novel, she declines two marriage offers even though the two men are financially stable. This sets a statement that money is not everything to her, which is not typical in her house hold. In Mr. Darcy's letter to Elizabeth he explains why he came between Jand and his friend Mr. Bingley. He tells her about "that total want of propriety so frequently, so uniformly betrayed by [her mother], by [her] three younger sisters, and occasionally even by [her] father" (163). Although he does not accuse Elizabeth or Jane of acting in such a greedy manner, he does open her eyes to greed not only in her house hold but also in the culture.
ReplyDelete~Nicole
Jane Austen asserts her distaste for contemporary society through her reoccurring themes of class and reputation. As both appear throughout the book, Jane Austen constantly sheds them in a bad light. For example, when Lydia elopes with Mr. Wickham, the reputation of the whole Bennet family is on the line and the future marriage prospects of the other girls could be ruined forever. Elizabeth reflects on how unfair it is that her sister's shameful action should negatively affect them all. In addition, Jane Austen uses class differences and their importance to the characters (particularly the rich like Bingley and Darcy) to show her dislike for society. When Darcy first proposes marriage to Elizabeth he focuses more on how he wants to marry her despite her inferior class and faults. “He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit" (162). Darcy has so much pride that he believes that since he is of such a high status and offering marriage to someone of a considerably lower class that there is no way he can be refused. However Austen shows her disagreement with this through Elizabeth by having her reject Darcy with hard feelings and harsh words. She told him that she would not marry him because of his pompous character and dishonest actions towards others. By showing the pressures of society in a bad light through Elizabeth's struggles, Jane Austen rebels against the expectations of her time.
ReplyDelete-Allison
Pride and Prejudice's main character Elizabeth Bennett is a strong headed women who is critical of society. She respects the ways of society but disagrees with them in her mind. The passage that follows comes from the part where Lady Catherine de Bourge calls to the Bennet house. Where she speaks with Elizabeth about the rumor of Mr Darcy and her marriage. "And can you likewise declare, that there is no foundation for it?" " I do not pretend to possess equal frankness with your ladyship. You may ask questions, which I shall not choose to answer." " This is not to be borne. Miss Bennet, I insist on being satisfied. Has he, has my nephew, made you an offer of marriage?" "Your ladyship has declared it to be impossible" (334). In this particular time period, peoples of high wealth and nobility were admired and treated as a better rank. This passage shows Elizabeth being sarcastic towards Lady Catherine and giving attitude. This shows that Elizabeth is not the typical women of this time because she is lashing out against the order of the time. Lady Catherine is not satisfied at the fact that Elizabeth will not answer her question directly and that she is treating her with so much disrespect. Elizabeth Bennett is a headstrong women who objects to the was of society and does what she deems right.
ReplyDelete~Kelsey G.
Jane Austen uses the ridiculousness of certain characters to critique contemporary society and social norms. Mrs. Bennett is portrayed as a hysterical lady whose only goal in life is to see her daughters married to wealthy men. This is shown in the quote used by Amanda, when Mrs. Bennett describes how she'll have nothing to wish for once a daughter marries and settles at Netherfield. Also, the first line of the novel, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife," mirrors that sentiment (5). Mrs. Bennett acts on that "truth" and pursues a single man with money for her daughters. She pours all of her efforts into finding wealthy counterparts for her two eldest daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. Unfortunately for Mrs. Bennett, she seems to produce a negative effect on her daughters' relationships. The quote used by Nicole shows that Mr. Darcy sees Mrs. Bennett "betraying" her daughter Jane by seeming so focused on the wealth of Bingley. In addition, when she visits the house of Bingley, Mrs. Bennett is in awe of its grandeur, stating, "You have a sweet room here, Mr. Bingley ... I do not know of a place in the country that is equal to Netherfield" (42). It becomes quite apparent that Bingley's wealth is a major factor in Mrs. Bennett's desire for him to become part of the family.
ReplyDeleteBy depicting Mrs. Bennett, who tries to climb up society ladder and increase social status for her and her family, as a hindrance to romance of her daughters, Jane Austen shows that the social norms of the time were a detriment to the romances and clearly not to her own liking.
Jane Austen significantly named her novel Pride and Prejudice based on two significant character traits of the two protagonists, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth was a very independent woman that possessed enough pride to turn down numerous bachelors seeking her hand in marriage. Mr. Darcy on the other hand was a man that many did not like. One woman described him as, “a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him”(231). These two character flaws were what hindered the two’s undeniable attraction towards each other. The couple’s untraditional relationship was created by Jane Austen to reflect upon the role of one’s status in society at the time. Elizabeth was from a poor family with a mother who was eager to have her be married. Elizabeth’s pride kept her from being with Mr. Darcy, the extremely wealthy man of high status. A man such as Mr. Darcy would have never went after a girl of low status such as Elizabeth according to the social standards. Creating the character flaws of Elizabeth, having pride, and Mr. Darcy, being prejudiced, were Jane Austen’s way of criticizing the roles and traits many people of the time had according to what social class they belonged to. At the ball where Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth first crossed paths, “…Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest….and Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball” (236). This quote explains these social norms where class comes into play when interacting with others. Elizabeth knew she had no chance with Mr. Darcy because he was far more superior to her. This caused her to put her guard up and look at him negatively. On the other hand, Mr. Darcy looked down at Elizabeth because she was from a poor family. Ultimately, Jane Austen comments on these common character flaws and the social class discrepancy in her novel Pride and Prejudice.
ReplyDelete-Jesslyn
Pride and Prejudice focuses on around Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy, who in the end end up marrying for love in stead of any of the alterior motives that many people at the time would marry for. Such marriages are portrayed in the book by the character of Mr. Collins and Charlotte, who clearly married more for common convenience than for actual love, which was quite common at the time. The other main trait of the time, pointed out by the title is pride, which Darcy had an excessive amount of, it even for a long time kept him from expressing his feelings to Elizabeth for months on end but he is finally able to overcome his pride. Austen uses the character Jane and Mr. Bingley as a point to show what marriage is about, the couple who, left alone would have married for love and for nothing else.
ReplyDelete-Adam
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen emphasizes how society oppress individuals and true love. She also voices how people can be blinded by those around them to the point where they are nearly mindless. This was the case of Elizabeth Bennet, who was not aware of her true feelings and emotions. This point of view was made especially clear to me in this quote said by Elizabeth:
ReplyDelete"But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where wither were concerned. Till this moment, I never knew myself."
At this point in the book, Elizabeth realizes that she was too blinded by her own pride and prejudices to realize that she had true feelings for Darcy. She realizes that societys veiws were pressed upon her and she allowed herself to be "courted prepossession and ignorance". She comes to an epiphany and frees herself from society. She begins to explore who she truly is, not who society tells her she should be. Up until this point she "never knew [her]self."
Sydney