The Portrayal of Women in Jane Austen's Novels

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The Portrayal of Women in Jane Austen's Novels

'I expect my husband to be good-tempered and cheerful and to consult

my happiness in all his actions and to love me with constancy and

sincerity'- Jane Austen's Three sisters, 3rd letter.

This is the view that men and women have of marriage today. However

this was not the case in the 18th and 19th century, in the days of

Jane Austen. The word 'Marriage' meant financial support and

materialistic commitment to most women. Marrying for love was rarely

heard of. This is strongly illustrated by Jane Austen in two of her

novels, 'The Three Sisters' and 'Pride and Prejudice'. I will compare

these with a third novel called 'A Stench of Kerosene' written by

Amrita Pritam. I will look closely at how both writers set across

corresponding messages but with very diverse methods. The portrayal of

marriage is very different in 'A Stench of Kerosene' then that of 'The

Three Sisters'. It concerns a Sikh couple, Guleri and Manak, who love

each other dear. In 7 years Guleri had not born a child and Manak's

mother had made a 'secret resolve'. She would not let it go beyond the

8th year and so she gets Manak a new wife. When Guleri heard of this

'she soaked her clothes in kerosene and set fire to them'. Guleri

marries Manak for love, whereas Mary marries Mr. Watts for competitive

and materialistic reasons.

The representation of women in all three novels is that they do not

have the freedom that they have today. Men played a dominant role in

life. Jane Austen conveys in 'The Three Sisters' and 'Pride and

Prejudice' a very patriarchal society.

In 'A Stench of Kerosene' Amrita Pritam conveys the Sikh culture at

that time to marry for love and to keep the family name going. However

in Jane Austen's novels marrying was competition with other siblings

and to fulfill materialistic needs.

The similarities in the role of women in the two stories are that they

are confined and within limits set by their culture or society.

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