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Comparing The Bennet Sisters In Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

Decent Essays

1. How are the Bennet sisters affected by the fact that their father's property is "entailed in default of heirs male". What does this mean? How are they affected?
The Bennet sisters are affected greatly by the fact that their father's property is "entailed in default of heirs male" as they will not be able to inherit any of their father's wealth when he dies. Because there are no males in the Bennet family, the estate will be given to the closest male relation on the father's side of the family. This means that Mr. Collins, the second cousin and closest relation of Mr. Bennet's, will immediately become the owner of the estate, and the sisters will have to leave Longbourn and find a new home.

2. Explain two other examples of language from …show more content…

Elizabeth is intelligent, strong-willed, non-submissive and witty. Austen believes that woman are as intelligent and capable as men and considers their lower status in society of being unjust. During the 1800s, many women married solely for the sake of financial security. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is able to be happy by refusing to marry for financial purposes and only marrying a man whom she truly loves and esteems. Elizabeth's ending reveals Austen's beliefs that woman has the right to remain independent until she meets the right man. An example of Austen's view on feminism is, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". In this quote from page 1, Jane Austen is saying isn't really that all wealthy bachelor's need a wife, but that women always assume a wealthy, single man to need a wife. Elizabeth, as well as her sisters, are representatives of the dependent young women who MUST marry well in order to remain respectable or even to progress upwards on the social ladder. The quote, therefore, is also a confirmation of Austen's belief that women in her society were very much dependent on marriage and this has progressed to such an extent that women have thus ended up looking upon all wealthy bachelors as an advantage. Hence, the assumption that "all wealthy bachelors MUST be wanting to get married" actually disguises the truth, that it is, in fact, the women who are desperate for marriage. Elizabeth is used as a device by Jane Austen to voice her opinion on the unjust society and

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