Elizabeth was unlike other girls of her time. She was definitely someone who followed her heart rather than her mind, her mind meaning the social standards of the time. This quote above is someone else describing her and at the time of the quote, Elizabeth's sister Jane was very sick away from home. Elizabeth travelled miles by foot in the rain to reach Jane, which brought up much criticism in other ladies staying at the Bingley house. In modern times however, Elizabeth would have been considered a sister who went above and beyond, one who has a close tie with family. Elizabeth Bennet broke her own confliction between society’s expectations of a woman and her own personal desires of seeing her bed-ridden sister (Austen).
Continuing her uncertainty of her sister’s judgement, Elizabeth concurs with Jane’s perception of Bingley while questioning “And so, you like this man’s sisters too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his” (11). Austen included this statement to show Elizabeth’s obsession with people’s manners and acknowledge society’s rules about manners, which Elizabeth has plentiful thoughts about. Simultaneously, Elizabeth ridicules the Bingley sisters’ manners and compliments Mr. Bingley’s. By asking if Jane likes the sisters, Elizabeth’s skeptical and scornful attitude towards people with poor manners is captured. Similarly, Austen demonstrates Elizabeth’s rejection of society’s idea about wealth and being a good person. While she acknowledges that this circumstance is true for Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth uses the Bingley sisters to prove this standard wrong. Without Elizabeth’s pessimism towards the Bingley sisters, the novel would lose
Mrs. Bennet can take some blame for Elizabeth’s idealism, or strong desire for romance. She is constantly reminding her five daughters that they must find a man - in particular, a wealth man - as soon as possible so they can marry. Mrs. Bennet’s desperation for her daughters’ wedlock is demonstrated when she says, “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 17). Perhaps this was Elizabeth’s primary influence in
Austen proved this by having her rejecting Collin’s proposal which prevented her from having the state where her family lived her whole live, and by rejecting Darcy’s first proposal that also would have accommodate and ameliorated her family situation. She then accepted Darcy’s proposal only at the end when she found out she loved him and he respected her. Even though this are progressive views, our main heroine did not think only of marrying for love as she also admitted she wouldn’t marry a poor man "the mortifying conviction that handsome young men must have something to live on as well as the plain" (26.28). Another time when Elizabeth went against the social norm is at her visit to Netherfield when she walked destroying her dress and appearing covered in mud, something rather shocking for a lady from upper middle class. And then again; she feels ashamed for Lydia, a fifteen years old girl at the beginning of the story, running of with Wickham and the couple end up marrying because Darcy forced too and he did this for elizabeths which made her fall in love even more, and feels relieved because the family's reputation is saved in the end.
In the book Elizabeth, one of the Bennet sisters is a sweet, good mannered and intelligent girl with good humor. She and her sister, Jane, are very open and share every detail of their lives. In contrast to the film were Elizabeth is often rude and petulant. And where Jane and Elizabeth have a lot of secrets for each other.
However, Elizabeth’s active nature and her refusal to be passive, “You give your opinion very decidedly for a woman of your age” (Austen 159), overshadow the traditional qualities she possesses. Her personality makes her very disagreeable to Lady Catherine and Mr. Bingley's sisters. When Jane falls ill, Elizabeth walks miles through the mud to visit Netherfield. Upon arriving, Elizabeth shocks the Bingley sisters, “I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She looked almost wild.” (Austen 35). Lady Catherine also plays a role in contrasting Elizabeth with more traditional women of the time. The confrontation between the two at Longbourn shows Elizabeth’s willingness to stand up for herself against people of higher social standing, “`I have said no such thing. I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me.''(Austen 332). Austen’s use of a limited social structure highlights the clear message about the expectations of women in Regency England and Elizabeth’s refusal to
The importance of having a character that represents the norms of society is to show that Elizabeth is different than most women. Elizabeth believes that Charlotte’s ideas about marriage are not sound. “You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act this way yourself.” (Austen 22). Elizabeth believes that Charlotte’s ideas of marriage are crazy and that she must be joking because her ideas are just absurd. Elizabeth
Though she parallels her female acquaintances in many ways, Elizabeth still possesses a unique spirit, portraying her to be a woman ahead of her time. For instance, when she arrives at Netherfield house, Elizabeth astounds her sister's hosts. Covered in several inches of mud, she arrives at the household to visit her elder sister Jane. The Bingley sisters, shocked by her appearance, perceive Elizabeth to lack decorum, and judge her to have "nothing, in short, to recommend her". Darcy, however, feels otherwise.
Austen compares Elizabeth and Jane to show how differently they are viewed by society. Austin shows that simply being pretty, patient and kind does not guarantee happiness. While Jane was tortured awaiting Mr. Bingely, Elizabeth was chasing her own happiness. Elizabeth wasn’t the prettiest or the sweetest, but certainly was no damsel in distress. Lizzy broke through the restraints of a proper, societal woman in which her sister followed to a tee.
According to Miss. Bingley to be an accomplished woman “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing drawing , dancing, and the modern language, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of voice, her address and expressions,” (Austen 29). On Elizabeth’s decision, to walk three miles alone to see Jane, her mother responds against it, because Elizabeth “will not be fit to be seen” (Austen 24). When Elizabeth reaches Netherfield all dirty from her walk, she does not get admired by the sisters of Bingley. Instead in their eyes Elizabeth appears to possess “abominable sort of conceited independence” (Austen 26) and they went on to criticise her dirty and messy appearance after the walk. Whereas, Jane is admired as “ strength of feeling, composure of temper and a uniform cheerfulness of manner, which would guard her from the suspicions of the impertinents” (Elfenbein 332).
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.
is like no other woman in the book or indeed of her time and by
To begin, the protagonists Elizabeth Bennet and Margaret Hale gain personal triumphs by rejecting traditional social confines in their relationships, in society, and in their own personal fulfillment. Firstly, the characters gain personal success when they ascend the traditional social constructs in their relationships. In the novel, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the strong female protagonist Elizabeth Bennet rejects the marriage proposal of Mr. Collins, the heir to the entailed Bennet estate, and clergyman for the estate of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. When Elizabeth refuses Mr. Collins proposal he is (put into a stupor/aghast) and cannot accept it so she tells him, “I do assure you sir that I have no pretensions whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in
Although Elizabeth follows most of the social norms of the era, she is too outspoken and strong-willed which causes many of the other women to dislike her: “Her [Elizabeth] manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no taste, no beauty.”vi Caroline, Mr. Bingley's sister, also remarks that “in her [Elizabeth's] air altogether, there is a self-sufficiency without fashion, which is intolerable”vii.
The families of Elizabeth and Charlotte play a very important part in their lives, and in the prospect of their future companions. Elizabeth’s family are more prone to exposing themselves and being ridiculous , and it is partly down to her family that Mr. Darcy is so adamant on Mr. Bingley not marrying her sister Jane. However, unlike her family, Elizabeth is socially graceful, sensitive and conscious of her appearance in the eyes of others. This leads to her acute awareness of the social failing of some members of her family, particularly her mother and youngest sister.
Similarly, Mary's awkward and reclusive actions promote her as an agreeable suitor; this makes her the only Bennett sister to not have the opportunity to be married. The two oldest sisters contain the most agreeable and independent personalities among the Bennett sisters, which foreshadows their successful relationships. Jane’s positive attitude causes Bingley to be attracted to her, but Darcy questions Bingley’s choice. By the end of the novel, Bingley realizes that he made a mistake to leave Jane. Jane’s marriage is the first marriage bring prestige to the Bennetts. As for Elizabeth, her personality first comes across unagreeable to suitors, but suitors realize that she is the next respectful Bennett sister besides Jane. Darcy's entitled personality clashes with Elizabeth's prideful attitude; eventually, Darcy discovers that Elizabeth's odd behaviors results from taking care of her family. He admires her commitment; like Elizabeth, Darcy values his sister more than anyone. Darcy and Elizabeth family values cause them to find common ground away from their previous views of each other. Austen wrote the Bennetts' family dynamics to foreshadow the success of the sisters’ future marriage; they also demonstrate the importance of family values in a relationship.