Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’: Evolution of Social Norms and Relationships

Introduction to Jane Austen and her Novels

In the beginning, when Jane Austen started writing her novels, she was not a well-known author in her time. Today, all her books, “Pride and Prejudice” and “Persuasion” have been known as classic novels. Jane was born in England during the Georgian era. She had seven siblings. In her household, education was very important to them. Her parents sent Cassandra, the oldest sibling, and Jane to a boarding school to receive a good education. Jane died from Addison’s disease, and during that time, she was writing her novels, and when she became weak, she stopped writing. Jane received recognition for her books that were published, and after her death, she became one of the greatest writers.

Pride and Prejudice: Interplay of Pride and Prejudice

The novel Pride and Prejudice begins with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, who have five daughters. Jane, the oldest, is considered the most beautiful daughter, according to Mrs. Bennet. The daughter closest to Mr. Bennet is Elizabeth. The first couple of chapters talk about how men with good fortune look for a wife to marry. Mrs. Bennett hears a rumor from the town that two wealthy men came to visit their town. She really wants Jane, her most beautiful daughter, to be wed to Mr. Bingley. She suggested to her husband to introduce them at the ball. However, Mr. Bennet is hesitant about introducing them to Mr. Bingley. He later decides to meet with Mr. Bingley at a public ball. When Mr. Bingley arrives at the ball, he comes with his dear friend, Mr. Darcy. At the ball, Mr. Bennet decides to introduce his family to Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bennet’s daughters are overjoyed that they all made a new acquaintance.

Mr. Bingley dances with Jane most of the night, and in private, Bingley tells Darcy that Jane is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. Bingley suggests to Darcy that he should dance with Elizabeth, but he rejects his proposal as he does not think she is pretty enough to tempt him. When they were both speaking, Lizzy overheard the comment Mr. Darcy made towards her, and she disliked him, as he was arrogant. Some days passed, and the Bennet family received a letter from Mr. Bingley requesting to have Jane join them at their house for dinner. However, Mrs. Bennet, being mischievous, as she knows that it will rain, decides to have Jane go on horseback. She knew Jane would get sick, but not to the point where she could die. When Jane arrived, she caught a cold. When she arrived, she was well taken care of by one of the best doctors.

Jane sent a letter to her family, letting them know that she was fine. Lizzy decided to go visit her sister, and she did so by walking. When she arrived, Bingley’s sisters were judgmental towards Lizzy, as the hem of her dress was covered in dirt. Later, the entire family decides to visit Lizzy to see how she is doing and notices she is better-taken care of at Mr. Bingley’s house than she would have been cared for at their house. The protagonist in the story is Elizabeth Bennet. She is a woman who is not so concerned about being wed. She prefers to read and be educated.

Social Class and Gender Roles in “Pride and Prejudice”

The theme of this book is about social class. When you think of what social class was considered in the Georgian era, you must think of how much land a person owned. In the novel, the men who had a fortune were the ones who owned several or big estates, like Mr. Darcy of Pemberley and Mr. Bingley. When a woman gets married to a wealthy man, it allows them to have a prosperous life. To not be married means they weren’t financially secure. Also, in this era, women did not have women’s rights. There were arranged marriages since birth, like Mr. Darcy had an arranged marriage with Lady Catherine’s daughter. The roles women had at this time were to get married, be housewives, and have children. Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet had a total of five children, who were females. They were a burden to the family because they had older daughters who were not married. When Lizzy went to visit her sister Jane at Mr. Bingley’s estate, Lizzy had a conversation with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and his sisters.

Mr. Darcy and Bingley’s sisters agreed on the fact that an accomplished woman must have knowledge of characteristics in order to deserve the world. Today, in society, social class is determined by the type of career or diploma received. That is not the only thing a person could do to be considered accomplished. There are many people today who become rich and famous by just making videos on YouTube. There are many celebrities today who receive a large income by just having drama in their life, and it’s broadcast for everyone to see. To have the latest technology, cars, and brand-name clothes labels you as being rich or upper class. Criticism today is not as harsh as it was back then when people judged you because you didn’t come from a wealthy family. Today, we do not have to get married to family relatives, but there are still some people who want to get married to their cousins.

Women do not have to get married to a rich man in order to have financial support, as women have become more independent. We have freedom of speech, where women today can be noticed. We have the freedom that many people in past eras wished they could have. Do you wonder why the book is called Pride and Prejudice? Well, to my understanding, throughout the story, we can see how Lizzy has a pride that gets in the way of her opening up to anyone. When she was at the ball and overheard Mr. Darcy say that Lizzy wasn’t very attractive, she held a grudge towards him.

In her eyes, she saw Mr. Darcy as being arrogant with great fortune and so little respect. She didn’t agree with many facts that Darcy stood for of what a woman should have in order to deserve the world. Mr. Darcy was prejudiced since he stepped foot in town. He didn’t think anyone there could live up to his expectations. Darcy was the type of man who was educated and upper class. He let his fortune sometimes take the best of him. Both Lizzy and Darcy let their pride get in the way of getting to know each other better.

Comparing Past and Present: Society’s Evolving Norms

Today, in our society, when we like someone, we are more straightforward towards them. We don’t wonder if he or she might like us and never speak to them. Instead, when you were in middle school, you sent them a letter asking them if they liked you and to circle yes or no. We also use technology to make the person notice us or to send them a message. There have been times when women have made the first move. They go towards the guy and let them know they like them and want to date.

In the past, the men were the only ones who made the first move. It was considered to be the respectful way to start a relationship. The writer feels that today, in society, a woman has it easier than in the past. There were no women’s rights in the past, which made it harder for a girl to succeed. As a matter of fact, females were not noticed. If a woman had some type of fortune and she married, the money she had would automatically be her husband’s money.

The man was the head of the household and would be in control of all finances and practically everything. A woman could not speak and embarrass her husband as it was considered disrespectful. She doesn’t agree with the fact that there were arranged marriages and that a woman couldn’t be independent in the past. She wished women in the past had a choice of who they would like to marry. There are still some arranged marriages, but it’s not as common as before. We live in a society today where everyone has freedom. It is beautiful to see how society in the past had more respect than there is today in the society we live in. Sometimes, we take things for granted and don’t realize how life is so much easier for us, specifically in the United States. We should appreciate even the small things in life because you never know how big it might turn out.

References:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.