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Social class explained in pride and prejudice
Pride and prejudice character analysis
Analysis in pride and prejudice
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Elizabeth Bennet's cousin, Mr. William Collins, is one of the best examples of satire in the book because of his obnoxious character. He is the first man to propose to Elizabeth, but despite his wealth and availability, Elizabeth does not marry him because he is described as 'a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man.' Austen uses him for satire by writing about Collins’ fake snobbery. This is the type of person that Austen is trying to make fun of that is still relatable to this day. Collins thinks that any woman would be lucky to marry him because he thinks highly of his rank in
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen mocks 19th century “clergymen” through satire with Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins does not seem right for the job as a clergyman. He seems to be a shy character and not dedicated to help his church congregation. He is a materialistic person and things of the world by far outweigh his spiritual life (which a clergyman should make his first priority). Jane Austen scorns Mr. Collins’ kind intention of marrying a poor girl and twists it into a comedy. She does this because she is portraying clergymen in the 19th century as a stereotypical Mr. Collins.
One prime example is Mr Collins, the cousin of the central character Elizabeth Bennet. Mr Collins income is considerably lower than Mr Bingly 's and Mr Darcy 's, with him earning roughly 1,000 a year, due to this, Mr Collins is considered a lower class member of the cast. Despite this, he uses his connection with Catherine De Burgh – an old widower that looks down on the Bennet family – to gain status, constantly name dropping and mentioning the many times he has dined at Rosings Park. This one connection allows him to socialise with members of the upper class at balls, and
Austen disapproves of Mr. Collins and that is why she attacks and satirizes him. Mr. Collins is a "suck-up." His living with Lady Catherine has caused him to demoralize himself. He thinks and talks highly of people higher than himself, such as, Lady Catherine DeBourgh. An example of this is when they were invited to dine with Lady Catherine DeBourgh and Mr. Collins then tells Elizabeth,
In the first half of the novel, John Thorpe stands out as the villain of the novel. He is introduced as a, “stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom, and to much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he ought to be civil, and imprudent where he might be allowed to be easy” (Austen 25). Following the initial description, John is introduced to Catherine. Rather than engaging in personable dialogue, he brags about the quality and speed of his horses, his authority on ascertaining distances, and his proficiency in leading his horses. Immediately, the reader is struck with the similarity of John to an immature ‘schoolboy’. Although Austen continues to portray John as juvenile, she does not develop him into the villain until later in the novel.
Collins’ marriage proposal to his cousin, Elizabeth Bennet in the book, Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins satisfies the needs of his patroness and himself to persuade Elizabeth into marrying him. Mr. Collins’ patroness, which Mr. Collins respects greatly and depends on for financial support suggests that he marries a woman of exceptional character. Mr. Collins proposes to marry Elizabeth because Mr. Collins feels that Elizabeth will impress his patroness “… my fair cousin…her manners beyond anything I can describe…” Mr. Collins suggests that his patroness, will be impressed by Elizabeth’s manners alone. However, Elizabeth can impress Mr. Collins’ patroness further because Elizabeth is “able to make a small income go a good way”, is a “gentlewoman”, and can impress a “very noble lady” (Mr. Collins’ patroness). Although there are strengths to Mr. Collins’ marriage proposal, his weaknesses are more prevalent. It is important to note that Mr. Collins appeals to his personal satisfaction, by stating, “It will add very greatly to my happiness.” Mr. Collins utterly disregards Elizabeth’s feelings, which makes her feel that his proposal is not sincere. In addition, Mr. Collins shows no true emotion for his cousin, and structures his proposal as a justification: “My reasons for marrying are…Secondly…and thirdly…” Not once does Mr. Collins mention any affectionate emotion he has for his cousin, but instead, shows emotion towards his patroness and describes her
In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays Elizabeth Bennet as "strong and intelligent, yet bewitching in a completely feminine way". Elizabeth's possession of these attributes: strength of character and moral integrity, great intelligence, and an attractive personality, make her an admirable person. Yet Elizabeth has faults, which makes her more human. Austen's portrayal of Elizabeth is realistic and masterful, often juxtaposing her with characters lacking her attributes to heighten our appreciation of her.
Elizabeth Bennet is the second oldest in a family of five girls and no boys. Her family is what some people might call a dysfunctional one. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have opposite and clashing personalities but at the same time they share a likeness. Mr. Bennet is not a social man and does not communicate with his family much. He is often found through out the novel hiding away in his library with a book. While on the other hand Mrs. Bennet is very social, does not shut her mouth and has probably read very few books in her life. She is portrayed as a modern day airhead who runs her life to please onlookers. No matter how opposite they sound they do have one joining quality. Mr. And Mrs. Bennet are both far from being good parents and successful authority figures. That is where Elizabeth's problems begin.
... Darcy and Elizabeth. Additionally, Austen sculpts the theme of social expectations and mores using the self-promoting ideology and behaviors of Lady Catherine as fodder for comic relief. Austen does not simply leave the image of the gilded aristocracy upon a pedestal; she effectively uses the unconventional character of Elizabeth to defy aristocratic authority and tradition. In fact, Austen's proposed counter view of the aristocracy by satirizing their social rank. Lady Catherine is effectively used as a satirical representation of the aristocracy through her paradoxical breach of true social decorum and her overblown immodesty. Evidently, Lady Catherine is nothing short of the critical bond that holds the structure of Pride and Prejudice together.
...y had no real life applications. They didn’t teach their audiences anything of value. This is likely why Jane Austen wrote her novels in the ways that she did. She includes various passages, characters, plots, and parodies in different ways to remind the reader of the importance of reality. She emphasizes the need to think for oneself, rather than on the basis of books or the word of someone else. She encourages her readers to make judgments based on her characters, using various tools. One might argue that Austen wrote in a very calculated way. Everything she put down on paper served a purpose, to make certain concepts clear and teach her readers things that she believes to be crucial, whether it be pertaining to reading, or in how to act in ones own life.
The work focuses its attention on the pride and prejudices the character Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth’s assessment of other characters dispositions are fairly correct but her track record is still about fifty-fifty. Even though Elizabeth is correct about Lady Catherine de Bourgh and how self-righteous and condescending she is, furthermore Mr. Collins and how ridiculously self-centered he is, her first impressions of Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy prove to be inaccurate. To start with Mr. Wickham is seen to be a gentle...
Elizabeth is so upset about charlotte marrying Collins because she is afraid if being forced into a similar marriage or ending up as having no money, no marriage .Concerning the civil status and economic right of woman , Austen is hitting at the patriarchal society. The nightmare of not marrying is worse than marrying someone like Mr. Collins.
Collins is interested in Elizabeth as well, and wants to marry her for several reasons which he deems proper and just. Mr. Collins is certain that he is worthy of Elizabeth’s acceptance because of his connection to the family of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and his position as a clergyman, but also because he will inherit her family’s estate when her father dies. He has no notion of love or lifelong happiness, which Elizabeth finds ideal in a marriage. He tries to understand her refusal, crediting it to her “wish of increasing [his] love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females.” Elizabeth, for the sake of his understanding fully, says, “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart” (108). Austen demonstrates how Mr. Collins considers marriage to him a perfect solution to the problem of the entailed estate, while Elizabeth knows marriage to him would make her miserable. He later finds an acceptable match with the practical Charlotte
The main protagonist of the story, Elizabeth Bennet (nicknamed both Lizzy and Eliza), is the second daughter in the Bennet family. Second only to her elder sister in beauty, Elizabeth’s figure is said to be “light and pleasing,” with “dark eyes,” and “intelligent…expression” (24). At 20 years old, she is still creating her place in society. Known for her wit and playful nature, “Elizabeth is the soul of Pride and Prejudice, [she] reveals in her own person the very title qualities that she spots so easily” (“Pride and Prejudice”) in others. Her insightfulness often leads her to jump to conclusions and think herself above social demand. These tendencies lead her to be prejudice towards others; this is an essential characteristic of her role
...she is so fickle and shallow. Instead of feeling sorry, the reader almost feels glad that her constant stream of meaningless and some times embarrassing phrases is checked by her husband's witty remarks and one-liners" (Trevor 354). A similar situation is created with Mr. Collins, whom Mr. Bennet is unashamedly amused by during his first call to Longbourn despite the seriousness that the visit carries. Mr. Bennet is glad that "his cousin was as absurd as he hoped" (Austen 60), and "the audience delights with him through that whole scene as he cleverly sets up Collins to make a complete fool out of himself" (Watt 299). It is a cruel endeavor, and yet still the reader stay's on Mr. Bennet's side readily partaking in his little sin.
Austen used her sharp and sarcastic wit in all of her writing, including in one of her most famous works, Pride and Prejudice. She could create a powerful and dramatic scene and immediately lead it into a satirical, cathartic scene. We see these in various locations in Pride and Prejudice. She was able to use her experiences as well as her intense knowledge to create meaningful insights into her words, regardless of what topic she would be discussing. She often talks about marriage, or breaking the rules of what a person should be.