Elizabeth's Strength of Character in Pride and Prejudice
In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen used the character of Elizabeth Bennet to epitomize the harmonious balance between reason and emotion in a woman, making her a truly admirable and attractive character.
Elizabeth's strength of character is emphasized by its contrast with the weak, naive acceptance of Jane's, the instability and excess of Mrs. Bennet's and the blind, weak-willed following of Kitty's. Her strength is also shown in her rejections of the proposals of Mr. Collins and Darcy. Unlike her mother, she does not base her choice of lovers on the financial security they will give her, and has the strength to reject them. This is especially
…show more content…
Elizabeth also expresses her rebellion against society by taking little trouble to become accomplished, as young ladies were expected to then. She devotes little time to becoming skilled at playing the piano, and has not learnt drawing at all.
Elizabeth's intelligence reveals her to be one of the few reasoning characters of the novel, a sensible individual in a society largely composed of fools. In this way, this attribute was less a product of the civilization of her immediate society than of the civilization of the Enlightenment that emphasized the importance of reason in life and served to educate Elizabeth. As the daughter of Mr. Bennet, her view of society is a cynical, ironic one, heightened by the presence of brainless family members and neighbors. It is her sense of irony that enables her to survive in such a society, as she enjoys the humor of the ridiculous pomposity of Mr. Collins as her father does. [I disagree with the introduction here. A sense of irony gives Mr. Bennet the ability to survive a disastrous marriage, but Elizabeth does not share such emotional detachment -- she is "engagé".] However, she does not employ as insulting a tone as her father does, but chooses to define it as "impertinence". After Darcy's proposal is accepted, Darcy tells her that one of the reasons why he fell in love with her was "the liveliness of your mind", showing that her intelligence adds to her charms as she uses it in the form of [gd.] wit rather
Thesis: Throughout the text of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen challenges gender and social norms in the Georgian Era through the development of Elizabeth Bennet as she interacts with characters in the novel.
As the book progresses, both characters manage to overcome these character flaws and various other obstacles and eventually realise their love for one another as their compatibility and understanding is increasingly revealed to the reader, ‘It was a union that must have been to the advantage of both.’ Darcy and Elizabeth’s similarities lie in their levels of intelligence, dedication to friends and their stance on expressing their opinions openly. Regardless of what anybody said about their relationship, including Mrs. Bennet and the superior Lady Catherine, they ignored these various warnings. Lady Catherine mainly commented on Elizabeth’s social inferiority to hers and her nephews.
As Fitzwilliam Darcy combats the moral flaw of pride, Pride and Prejudice’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, grapples with her own character downfalls. Elizabeth is a young woman of clever, astute, and sharp-witted manner. Notwithstanding, her satirical speech and propensity to make impetuous judgements often blind her as to the unbiased truth of matters. Elizabeth, who deems herself a superior judge of character,
Elizabeth’s strength, independence, and her intense willpower to assure that her marriage is coordinated only by love demonstrate the feminist portrayal of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s desire for
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen creates a unique environment which allows her characters to evolve and to transform. One of the characters, Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, faces challenges that impact her decisive demeanor. Likewise, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth’s love interest, confronts many obstacles which come against his character as well. Through several key experiences, both Elizabeth and Darcy undergo internal transformations – Elizabeth’s quick judgments become humbleness while Darcy’s arrogance is replaced with humility.
Introduced to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a tall, handsome, self-absorbed aristocrat, Darcy experiences a change in personality and character. In order to dispose of his existent views on money and marriage, Darcy needed to feel something, to fall in love. Although he was well mannered, he did not know how to treat women with respect, especially those of a lesser economic status. The love of Elizabeth Bennet, however, changed his behavior.
Elizabeth realises the importance of appropriate etiquette, and displays this during her vain attempts to apologise for her mother's rude remarks towards Darcy. Though unsuccessful, she takes great responsibility in upholding her family name in the presence of those who think otherwise. Elizabeth is also keen about nature, using her perceptive eye to marvel at its beauty. Her fondness for reading is great, and she is always able to "amuse herself…with a book". Her ability to sing and play the piano is most "pleasing", as the "entreaties" of "several" would suggest.
highly in my favour … it is by no means certain that another offer of
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.
situation is best summed up in the book by Jane Austen as we are given
Beginning with Mr. Darcy's failed proposal and his later letter of explanation, Elizabeth's proud and judgemental nature is altered by the pressure placed on her to decide if she wishes to marry Mr. Darcy or not. Introspection and her eventual acceptance of her romantic feelings for Mr. Darcy demonstrate that strenuous emotional situations can lead to a change in character, by allowing her to open up her prejudiced mind and see that the opinions she has are not always correct. Prior to her relations with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth is a young woman who sees little point in marrying if she does not find a man whom will bring her happiness in life. This provides a foundation from which she can change, placing her in an ideal position to change in response to the
Elizabeth thinks of Darcy as being “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (15). After Darcy discomfits Elizabeth, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (13), she herself becomes prideful and prejudiced against him. Prejudice also is an issue for Darcy because he dislikes Elizabeth in the beginning for her low social status, for being impecunious and socially inept family: “Their struggle is as much as against each other as it is against the pressure of society or family. The novel presents a balance of power not only between two characters but between two conflicting modes of judgment” (Bloom 50), but Darcy is forced to deal with his pride and prejudice when he falls in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth rejects Darcy’s first proposal based mostly on his pride and condescension.
The long, lasting conflict between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots was the fight over the throne. Elizabeth and Mary we second cousins and Mary thought she deserve the crown. The conflict between Elizabeth and Mary ended up leading to Mary’s death.
Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is contrasted with the other couples in the novel. It can especially be seen between the relationship Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have. The sensible characters in the novel accept the standard of intelligence and sensitivity and their relationships are determined by it. Mr. Bennet cannot be happy with his wife because he does not respect her. He retreats
Throughout Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice , there are many references to the unusual character of Elizabeth Bennet ; she is seen to be an atypical female during those times. Wit , bravery , independence , and feminist views all describe a most extraordinary model for women.