Class Distinctions In Jane Austen's 'Pride And Prejudice'

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Pride and Prejudice Class Distinctions (Question #4) In Pride and Prejudice, the class of an individual plays a significant role in their treatment by others. Jane Austen presents the reader with a subtle hierarchy in which a character such as Mr. Darcy represents a much higher level of wealth than the Bennets. Instead of following all forms of class, Miss. Austen reflects primarily on the rural elite that consists of landowners. Within the upper-class there are differences such as wealth or the overall snobbishness of an individual as seen through the character, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. These upper-class differences can be noted when talking about the characters Mr. Darcy, and the Bennet family. However, even with these slight variations Austen depicts class as having little effect on an individual’s behaviour through Elizabeth’s apparent rejection of social norms. Elizabeth’s refusal of social norms can be noted when she decides to walk to Mr. Darcy’s instead of taking a carriage, or her other means of antagonizing the upper class through forms of satire. Elizabeth’s rejection of societies’ norms through satire and her refusal to accept the gender specific roles put on her by society is a clear sign that Miss. Austen disagrees with the social structure and believes that it should have little meaning within society, and love. Elizabeth’s rejection of class values was one of the key points towards Austen’s rejection of the existing class system. This is because Elizabeth breaks down all of the major concepts that her family and friends hold dear through satire. Some of the concepts that Austen attack the gender roles of society, but she also shares a similar position on the social structure of society to that of Charlotte Bronte, the writer of Jane Eyre. Both Charlotte Bronte and Miss. Austen view society with a negative perspective. However, Austen writes her novel from the higher classes’ perspective, though, different statures of the higher class; Charlotte Bronte depicts her story from the lower classes’ view with Jane Eyre. Even with the differing views of the individuals within the two previously mentioned novels, the same social class issues are seen. The problems that are in the two books include wealth, housing, gender roles, as well as marriage to someone worthy enough. In Elizabeth Bennet’s case, she is wealthy, but not as rich as the Darcys. Elizabeth’s actions continually remove gender as an inhibitor, and her refusal to marry Mr. Collins to keep the family estate in the family sets her views of wealth in an unequivocal standpoint. Jane Eyre, on the other hand, shows the same traits as Elizabeth Bennet, only from a lower-class point of view. Instead of Jane Eyre having a financially stable home to begin with, she struggles to make her wealth. Even with Eyre’s financial issues, she still closes the gender and class roles within her society, specifically with Mr. Rochester and all of the help that he needs both physically and emotionally as seen in their initial meeting in which Jane Eyre must help Rochester because he is

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