Disgraceure For Women In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

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No room for mistakes. All eyes judging. Being the youngest sibling in society is truly a burden. Especially in 19th century England, the youngest carries the ultimate responsibility of representing their family. On top of navigating life with the least experience, imagine being the youngest woman in a family. The Regency Era’s intense pressure for women to marry into financially stable families encouraged them to prioritize social status over love. Although women generally accepted this duty, sometimes the stress resulted in rash decisions, similar to Lydia Bennet’s decision to marry Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen uses this choice to expand Lydia’s relatively minor role as the semi-supportive youngest sister to that of the person causing substantial family turmoil. Her controversial decision to marry George Wickham, “one of the most worthless young men in Great Britain,” impacts the other characters’ motivations (Austen 292). Austen displays Lydia’s change of consciousness as an act of rebellion, not only to her family, …show more content…

Lydia’s understatements in her letter to Mrs. Forster reveal her genuine motives of true love and minimize the severity of ignoring her family’s expectations. Austen develops climax in the story through downplaying Lydia’s opinion of her frowned upon marriage as she giggles, “For it will make the surprise greater, when I write to them, and sign my name Lydia Wickham. What a good joke it will be” (276). Lydia’s casual tone expresses Austen’s satirical message: that the pressures on women may backfire and influence them to unconsciously rebel against the status quo. As Lydia runs away and laughs about the shame she brings to her family, Austen provides a climax against 19th century society by warning of the consequences of too much

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