Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

One of the most obvious attitudes that is shown throughout the book is Mrs Bennet's expectations. Her main aim is to get her daughters married to men with fortune. I think her reason for this is because as Mr and Mrs Bennet do not have any sons, their estate will not be entailed onto the daughters, and so Mrs Bennet wants to secure them a good future. She is arranging their marriages to pick someone suitable for them and also she may want them married to rich men for the society aspect. It would make them look higher class and would gain respect, as at that time people with more money were treated better.

A hastily drawn conclusion one might make about Pride and Prejudice is that it appears to reinforce the sexist stereotypes of women during the 18th century. The first sentence of the book reads “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1). Dorothy Van Ghent described this opening sentence as being “read as the opposite-a single woman must be in want of a man with a good fortune” (Van Ghent 301). This also introduces one of the central themes of the novel and that is Mrs. Bennet’s desire to see her daughters married “Her mind was less difficult to develop she was a woman of mean understanding little information and uncertain temper when she was discontented she fancied herself nervous the business of her life was to get her daughters married” (Austen 3). Marriage was crucial to ensure a woman’s

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

Bennet exclaims, “Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls” (2). Considering Mrs. Bennet’s lines, the reader acknowledges Austen’s first claims on marriage. Mrs. Bennet not only exemplifies the opening statement of the novel, but also justifies the effect it has on mother figures. As Mrs. Bennet’s character develops, the reader recognizes her obsession with the marriage of her daughters. Mrs. Bennet understands the importance of marrying ‘well’ in order to maintain a high standing in the social realm. However, understanding the consequences directly affects Mrs. Bennet’s desperate behavior. This interpretation becomes an inevitable experience for each of Mrs. Bennet’s daughters.

Austen explains that being born a woman in such a society suggests that even less alternatives on whom to get married to or not to get married to, or how to establish the nature of a person’s life. Furthermore, the way in which the society weakens and controls women is useful in explaining Mrs. Elizabeth Bennet 's panic concerning the marriage of her beloved daughters, as well as why such marriages should always entail both financial and practical considerations. Coming from noble

Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley and talked of Mrs. Darcy may be guessed. ( Austen 393).

Society feels that marriage is a way to gain wealth and improve one's social standing. We see how society feels on this issue of marriage through multiple characters one being Elizabeth’s mother, Mrs. Bennet. When Mr. Bingley comes to town Mrs. Bennet nags her husband about calling on Mr. Bingley in hopes that he will like one of her daughters. She even

Mrs. Bennet is generally portrayed to be a selfish woman who cares only about herself through the contrast between the themes of marrying for love versus marrying for money. Pride and Prejudice represents the distorted view on marriage of a middle-class woman in the early nineteenth century by defining exactly what "marrying well" should and did mean to Mrs. Bennet at that moment in history. One of the most important themes explored in the novel is the concept of "marrying well". Mrs. Bennet is portrayed as a selfish was due to the fact that she is an anxious woman with limited knowledge, and her primary objective in life is to make sure that her daughters "marry well". In the novel, Jane Austen describes Mrs. Bennet as

Bennet is also an impediment to love; her only concern is to marry off her five girls. She never really cares about their happiness. Mrs. Bennet only cares about her outlook. At the time, having an unmarried daughter was a disgrace. People considered an unmarried daughter a pariah. Mrs. Bennet embedded one core message in all of her children: A man’s approval determines a woman’s “worth.” For instance, after Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane, a relieved Mrs. Bennett comments, “I was sure you could not be so beautiful for nothing” (Austen 337) asserting that beauty tops all. Mrs. Bennet considers wealth the most important attribute when looking at a suitor for her daughters. She clearly explains that “a single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year” (Austen 6) is the best thing for her girls. Mrs. Bennet’s indifference when considering a suitor is the ultimate impediment to love. The girls adopt their mother’s prejudice and constantly judge others based on their wealth. Elizabeth ironically calls Darcy “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (Austen 12) while failing to swallow her own pride and admit she has feelings for Mr. Darcy. Of the two, Elizabeth is judgmental and bases her opinion completely on wealth and status rather than Darcy’s emotions, actions, and

In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet, the mother of the protagonist, Elizabeth, is generally portrayed as a buffoon who is an adversary for he daughter that is trying to force her into a marriage she does not want. One may wonder how she can be justified in any way, considering that she is known to embarrass her family members and behave idiotically. However, in the time period they live in, a marriage is necessary for all of the family to avoid a terrible fate. Mrs. Bennet, while often behaving improperly, does try to do the best for her daughters based on the world she lives in.

At this point in the novel, Mrs. Bennet knows absolutely nothing about this man that she is more than willing to let one of her daughters go off with, other than his income and the existence of his wealth; yet she is still certain that it is a fantastic idea for one of her daughters to end up with him. It is extremely relevant that Mrs. Bennet pays no mind to which daughter should be with him- it simply does not matter to her. She takes no time to think of which daughter may like him best or if any of them will even like him at all. She is primarily concerned with the surface level issues of her society, and the importance of marrying well in society without regard to the compatibility of the two people. All that matters to Mrs. Bennet is social ranking, wealth, and marriage. While these are all extreme conservative views, Austen is actually mocking Mrs. Bennet with the exaggerative manner in which she has Mrs. Bennet go about life. Austen describes Mrs. Bennet as “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancies herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news” (4). A woman of “little information” can only mean a woman without much of a brain or smarts. The fact that Austen would describe a character with such conservative views as an ignorant being proves that Austen’s goal of Pride and Prejudice was to stray away from conservative

Bennet makes it “[t]he business of her life [...] to get her daughters married” (Pride and Prejudice 1.1 (3)). Austen uses the word “business” to emphasize how, more than anything, marriage is an economic institution meant to guarantee that Mrs. Bennet’s daughters not die of starvation. Austen then uses the rest of the novel to track the Bennet sisters and their ability to find financial security through the ascension of social classes via marriage. This ascension is ultimately epitomized by the novel’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, who rises from her family’s (relatively) low station to become the wife of the wealthy Mr. Darcy.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man is in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” (Austen 1). Mr. Bennet is growing old in age and none of his five daughters are wed, and cannot leave his estate to a woman. Mrs. Bennet has made it her goal to marry each of the daughters before Mr. Bennet passes. The news of a wealthy, young gentleman, Charles Bingley, rented a manor in the neighboring village of the Bennets’ with his sister and best friend, Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen explores the themes of pride and prejudice in the novel Pride and Prejudice, when the proud Mr. Darcy meets the prejudice Elizabeth Bennet. The dislike Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have for each other is apparent in the beginning of the novel and seems to grow for Elizabeth as she sees the amount of pride Mr. Darcy has for himself. These two undergo many complications between themselves and with others around them as the novel progresses. When Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth, he strives to show his worthiness for her hand in marriage.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a perfect reflection of the time in which it was written. The themes, characters, and dialogue create an image of what was happening at the time and how people acted. This book allows historians to make big picture connections and compare the society Jane Austen lived in with those 500 years later or a million miles away. Though Pride and Prejudice is considered a classic much of what Jane Austen says in the story is relevant to current events.

Jane Austen’s well-known novel, Pride and Prejudice, discussed multiple social themes in the 19th century. Austen mainly criticized marriage during her era, when she says that, “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 3). As she explains that it was valuable to women since it provided them with security and a social title. The author explored the diverse motives behind matrimony in her time period by using a humorous and romantic plot to discuss the social issues. For instance, Charlotte Lucas’s unreasonable marriage to Mr. Collins is a vital example of how women needed to secure a future and attain social status. To conclude, Lydia Bennet’s meaningless marriage to George Wickham shows that entering the marriage estate could have also been for mainly financial purposes. Contrastingly, Jane Bennet, the heroine’s older sister, marries Charles Bingley for love, security, and a social ranking. On the other hand, Elizabeth Bennet marries Fitzwilliam Darcy after months of misunderstandings and romantic drama for none other than true love. Thus, Austen uses her leading characters’ marriages in Pride and Prejudice to exhibit the various attitudes and reasons for marrying in the 19th century. (Lane 2015)