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Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in different ways due to Mrs. Bennet’s commitment to finding her daughters husbands, the male parallelism of marriage to their female spouses, and Elizabeth’s nontraditional approach to looking for love.
Mrs. Bennet’s behavior during the book can be seen as a common representation of women in a 19th century society and as a way to research marriages during this time period. Readers are often exposed to Mrs. Bennet while she is interacting with her peers socially. "' If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield,' said Ms. Bennet to her husband, 'and all the others equally well married , I shall have nothing to wish for'" (Austen 10). Ms. Bennet's quote shows how little power women in higher classes have in deciding their own future. They are unable to inherit any wealth and it is socially frowned upon for women to work, so women rely simply on their mannerisms and physical appearance to find them a spouse that will financially support them for the remainder of their life. This...
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...ide and Prejudice." Gale Resource Center. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. .
Stovel, Bruce. "A Contrariety of Emotion': Jane Austen's Ambivalent Lovers in Pride and Prejudice." Gale Cengage Learning. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .
Wiltshire, John. "Mrs. Bennet's Least Favorite Daughter." Literature Resource Center from Gale. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. .
Harding, D. W. "Regulated Hatred: An Aspect in the Work of Jane Austen." Pride and Prejudice. By Jane Austen. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton and Co., 1993. pp. 291-295.
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well-noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others Elizabeth’s view on Jane and Bingely’s relationship is more hopeful, while Charlotte possesses a more aggressive view.
It is not unusual for an individual to disagree with social customs or expectations. Some people are only happy when they can rebel against society. Most mature adults eventually realize that compromise is necessary to achieve happiness. This is the case in the early nineteenth century England setting of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. In the novel, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a lively, independent woman, whose family's financial situation and whose strong mindedness suggest that she may never marry. Mr. Darcy, is a rigid and proper man, who falls in love with Elizabeth, despite their differences. By the end of the novel, Elizabeth and Darcy learn to compromise, and, in doing so, become truly happy. In marrying, they not only fulfill themselves as individuals, but also affirm the principle values of society. The marriage at the end of the novel shows Jane Austen's ideal view of marriage as a social institution.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have four daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, that are all on the search for a husband. Mrs. Bennet wants her daughters to marry rich men with high social status’. The marriage between the Bennets is not one of love, instead Mrs. Bennet married Mr. Bennet because of his social status and sense of security. It is evident that their marriage is not one of love because they both revolve their time around anything other than each other. Mrs. Bennet lives vicariously through her daughters and is constantly on the search for a suitable man for them.
In 1813, a woman’s main goal was marriage. Females wanted to find a man who could provide for them and take care of them; not all women wanted love. Many were fine with living on a wealthy estate and living in an upper-class manner. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel about the Bennet sisters, five girls whom, in the time of 1813, are all unmarried and are looking for husbands. The central conflict is based around two young women, the eldest of the five Bennet daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. The girls have their similarities and differences, and can be compared and contrasted in many ways; in terms of which is stronger at handling the pressure of relationships, context clues give a valid answer. What the reader must interpret for his
Mrs. Bennet attempts to marry off her daughters to the best possible men. This was recognised by everyone and she often appeared to embarrass her daughters whenever she spoke. In her eyes the men she wanted for her daughters were wealthy, socially powerful and polite men. The idea that her daughters should marry for gain in material aspects of life was much more important for Mrs. Bennet than for her daughters to marry someone they were in love with. She believed that the family should organize the arrangement, seeing as the young girls are under the care of the family. Mrs. Bennet believes "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Therefore, she be...
This is supported by Mrs. Bennet’s insistence from volume 1, chapter 1 that her husband ‘must visit h... ... middle of paper ... ... Bennet up as the protagonist whose unusual actions place her outside the social pale and who does not fit any of the four main female stereotypes, it can be suggested that Austen does to an extent challenge the idea of women being subsidiary to men. However, the ultimate concern of the majority of characters is marriage and how they can achieve a good one. Structurally the novel ends with marriage and this is seen as the resolution as the females are completed by marriage.
Stovel, Bruce. ‘A Contrariety of Emotion’: Jane Austen’s Ambivalent Lovers in Pride and Prejudice.” The International Fiction Review 14.1 (Winter 1987): 27-33. Literature Resource Center. Web. 02 May 2015.
“ It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This sentence, the first of the novel Pride and Prejudice is the statement of one of the major themes in the book. Within this novel there are seven different marriages that exist, and Austen uses each one to represent different attitudes that people have towards marriage in the society in which she lived. In addition, her ultimate goal was to show the reader the marriage that she believes to be the most idealistic one.
Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice portrays varying attitudes to marriage. "The intricate social network that pervades the novel is one that revolves around the business of marriage". Through her female characters the reader sees the different attitudes to marriage and the reasons that these women have for marrying. These depend on their social status and their personal values. The reader is shown the most prevalent and common view of marriage held by society in Austen's time, and through the heroine, a differing opinion of marriage is explored. We are shown how marriage is viewed by the very wealthy and the values they emphasise in marriage. Through the characterisation of these women and use of irony, Austen has influenced the reader's opinions on the characters attitude about marriage and that of their contemporaries.
The Bennet daughters in the novel are at risk of becoming impoverished should their father die, for Mr. Bennet’s distant cousin, Mr. Collins, has been appointed to inherit the estate since the Bennets do not have a son (Austen 19). Because of this, Mrs. Bennet frantically encourages them to seek boyfriends or to marry, and she attempts to expose her daughters to young, wealthy gentlemen by having them visit the Bingleys and their friends, attend balls, and speak with other gentlemen around the neighborhood (Austen 1-2). Seeing her daughters well married is so important to her that she states the following: “If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield...and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for” (Austen 6-7). However, Elizabeth, the second-oldest but the wisest Bennet daughter, does not wish to marry merely for money; she considers herself too smart and too wise to marry some fool simply because he is rich, and she even outright refuses to marry Mr. Collins, the heir of the Bennet estate, even though the marriage would have been advantageous for the entire family (Austen 72). Elizabeth’s constant refusal of advantageous, but potentially unpleasant, marriages worries her mother and at certain points in the
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s famous novel, is, in large part, a study of marriage. It is an interesting novel for Austen since she was never married. The social culture of Austen’s day made marriage a crucial aspect of a woman 's life. A women in that time was dependent on a man for money and social standing. Synonyms for marriage are union and alliance both have very different meanings. Marriage as a union implies a fully joined couple. A marital alliance suggests that marriage is an association for mutual benefit such as money, social standing, or physical desires. Austen 's characters are developed to emphasize these differences in the reasons for marriage. She makes abundantly clear through her development of these marriages
In the novel Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, several, if not all of her characters, can confirm the belief that in order to achieve happiness one must discard their pride and in turn, replace it with self-respect accompanied by some humility. In addition, acceptance and mutual respect must replace one’s prejudice. The novel reveals four couples that live through social inconviences. The setting, although the novel does take place in many different places, is mainly broadcasted from Longbourn, somewhere in England. It is set around the Bennet family, which consists of seven members. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and their five daughters which of whom none are yet married. At this period in time, marriage was based a great deal upon money and reputation, not so much love and trust. When a single man entered town, he was called upon only if his financial situation was above normal. Marriage was based around land, family connections, and wealth. In many minor characters of the novel, pride is a common characteristic. Mrs. Bennet, for instance, is extremely proud when it comes to her daughter’s marriages of mercenary benefits. She is so concerned that her neighbors have a high opinion of her that her own vanity will not
Bennet, aims to find each of her lovely daughters a husband so that they can be truly sublime. One instance of marriage playing a pivotal role in the Bennet household, among all others, is that if they do not marry before their father dies, a pompous clergyman named Mr. Collins would be entailed to the Bennet estate. Filled with subtle irony, Mr. Collins’s proposal provides commentary on the absurdities of valuing convenience and wealth over true love and connection. Centering his argument around chance and a hierarchy of marriage, Joel Weinsheimer describes the irrational fear that women have over the “marriage lottery”, as women seem to have no control over their own financial status. In regards to Mr. Collins, Miss DeBourgh expresses that a clergyman like him must “find a woman as soon as he can”, and even further describes that she must be “active, useful sort of person, not brought up high” (Austen); reinstating the idea that was brought up from the first page of the novel.
The roles of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice are contrasted between a father who cares about what’s inside of people and a mother who only worries about vanity and appearance. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s parental guidance is unique to their personalities. Because of their two opposing personas, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s ideas of marriage are contradictory for their daughters; Mr. Bennet believes in a loving respectful marriage whereas Mrs. Bennet values a marriage which concerns wealth and social status. Their aspirations for Lydia, Jane, Mary, Kitty and Elizabeth mirror their conflicting ideologies. Mr. Bennet seems to have a quiet deep love for his daughters while, on the contrary, Mrs. Bennet’s love is over-acted and conditional. Both parents help to shape their daughters’ characteristics and beliefs: Lydia reflecting Mrs. Bennet’s flighty and excessive behavior while Elizabeth inherits Mr. Bennet’s pensive and reflective temperament. Looking past their dissimilar personality traits and contradicting convictions, both parents hold the family together and play an integral role in the household structure.