Dialectical Journal For Pride And Prejudice Essay

1. The very first lines of the story sets the tone and setting of this book. It explains that in order for a man to be successful, he needs a wife. It lays the foundation for the idea that a women depends on man to survive in society. Wealthy, upper class men were the biggest targets for a women to marry because marriage was the entrance into high society. Mrs. Bennet exclaims, “Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls! (Austen 2)” This shows the dependence of women on man and the hope a promising bachelor gives to a family of daughters. Women were raised to be promising wives for man. Learning to cook, play instruments, look pretty, and clean were all essential

Pride and Prejudice is a better title for this novel because the characters all show these traits. First impressions relates to Darcy, Elizabeth, and Wickham but it does not drive the story like “Pride and Prejudice” does. Darcy and Elizabeth show pride and prejudice from the first time they meet. Mr. Darcy tells Mr. Bingley, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men… you are wasting your time with me. (Austen 38)” He immediately looked past Elizabeth because of his pride. He continues to hold his prejudice of her low status and that prevents them from becoming close. Elizabeth allowed her pride to prevent her from allowing herself to talk to Darcy. She believes he has poor character and that notion stays with her throughout most of the novel. Her prejudice leads her to trust in a manipulative man, Wickham, and allowed Wickham to further influence her opinion of Darcy with his

Elizabeth’s love towards Mr. Darcy does bring questions towards the idea of love. This is because Elizabeth’s love for Mr. Darcy grows without direct contact. When Elizabeth visits Darcy’s home she realizes she has feelings for Darcy, and learns about his character. The house is a mirror to Darcy’s character himself. It is well kept, clean, and “real”. These feelings of love arose from admiration. Elizabeth falls for Darcy through learning about his character. At the same time, the author allows the reader to see Darcy admiring and taking interest in Elizabeth and her wit. Darcy says, "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you (Austen 34)” Darcy shows the reader that he has been struck with admiration for some