Main female characters always have a distinct personality that affects their choices and the outcome of their lives. Strong, independent, sarcastic, and witty are all what comes to mind when having to describe Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, the second of five daughters in a middle class family. She is a very intellectual individual who attempts to find romance although surrounded by the limitations and prejudice of social classes. Being raised in a narcissistic society that looks down upon her and family's status, she grew up to have a natural defensive remark to any insults. Her natural defensiveness led to her prejudice towards a very wealthy Mr. Darcy who shared the same impression of Elizabeth. After a realization of his true noble personality, Elizabeth then found true love with Mr. Darcy which cannot be said for the beautiful Catherine Earnshaw, in Wuthering Heights, who is a daughter from a gentry family. At a very young age, an orphan named Heathcliff joined the Earnshaw family. Both Catherine and Healthcliff fell madly in love with one another since then. One would expect them to marry due to their strong attraction for one another but because Catherine has a immature desire for social advancement, she married Edgar Linton, instead of Heathcliff. Catherine is a very spoiled socialite which very well contradicts the honest and virtuous Elizabeth Bennet, but although they make different decisions and are different as a person, both these free-spirited women want to choose their own future that satisfies their desires.
The way both Elizabeth and Catherine lived during their youth had an impact on their life ambitions. Raised by an exasperated father, a single-minded mother whose only goal was to have each of he...
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... of wealth found love with a gypsy man who could not offer her luxuries and social advancement, and so later found a conditional love with a man who could. Although Elizabeth is outspoken and judgmental, she has blameless intentions for herself. She seeks love in an innocent manner and for innocent reasons and as a result found true love with Mr. Darcy. Catherine seeks love but also hopes to be showered with affection and to be provided with a higher social status, even though it may result in her marrying a man she does not truly love. Regardless of the difference in Daisy's and Elizabeth's personalities, appearance, and social status, each woman became content once they married. In the end, the morality of Elizabeth and Catherine led them both to live a wealthy life with their chosen husband despite the different obstacles they faced and the way they faced them.
Elizabeth from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is bright, direct, and unapologetic. Throughout the novel she proves to have her aspirations and goals clear and will not settle for any less. She refuses proposals from men in high places who would more than likely rise her hierarchal status, simply because the men would not make her happy. Austen makes it very clear that Elizabeth sets herself apart. When Darcy and Bingley are discussing what makes a woman accomplished, Elizabeth is quick to refute this claim because she, “never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance.”(Austen) Lizzy is typical in that she is a self-acclaimed woman who is “not like other women” but like all humans, she is susceptible to the effects
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.
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Jane uses the novel to show the common day romance of the time period. In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, a sophisticated, lively girl manages to change Mr. Darcy, a cocky, stubborn man into a person who is head over heels in love. Although it takes her some time, Elizabeth is able to change the way Mr. Darcy feels about love in general and causes him to act differently then he has ever done before. Mr. Darcy’s self- discovery in response to Elizabeth Bennet’s blunt honestly allows him to re-evaluate his approach to love.
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.
The intent of this essay is to compare and contrast the characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. The main points that will be compared and contrasted include the relative beauty, age and the characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. The similarities and differences in their families, position in society and their wealth, their differing attitudes to marriage, and finally, who has the better deal and why, will also be discussed. By the end of this essay, the reader will be able to discern the differences and similarities in both Elizabeth and Charlotte.
Throughout Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett faces many challenges to realize that she was in the wrong and her prejudice against Mr. Darcy was misguided. Austen emphasizes the importance of wisdom through Elizabeth who faces the challenge of overcoming her prejudiced judgement to reach maturity and recognize the man she loves.
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.
They have huge differences in resolve. Elizabeth’s resolve led her to many different problems and amplified both her positive and negative qualities. Only one person was able to change her resolve and even then it took very large circumstances where Elizabeth was so completely wrong over her first judgment on Mr. Darcy’s character that she has no choice but to change her opinion and change her solve from one that was against Mr. Darcy to one that tried to fix the issues that had occurred between her family and Mr. Darcy. Catherine on the other hand let her resolve be shaken and confused. She would act one way with Heathcliff, and act as another person with Edgar. She let most adult figures in her life guide her future. Her lack of resolve is best shown when she cannot choose to be with Edgar or Heathcliff as she loves both. It is not until her death that she gains her resolve to be with Heathcliff. Her resolve then transcended into another level as she was able to overcome death to remain with Heathcliff. This is a huge difference as Elizabeth’s resolve is a central part of her character; Catherine does not find hers till she is on death’s very doorstep.
Jane Austen is known for her never ending satirical criticism towards England’s social stratification in “Pride and Prejudice” along with her other works. We see the difficulties Elizabeth Bennet faces with the marriage system and her social class rank that was faced by women all over the world. Elizabeth Bennet’s personality complexity breaks the women stereotype in this novel, showing how independent and logical they could be. “Pride and Prejudice” is a reflection of gender oppression and social roles influenced by Jane Austen’s life during eighteenth century England.
In one of Jane Austen’s most acclaimed novel, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is her sassy independent protagonist. However, is she the ideal woman? Feminism in the Regency Era was defined by women wanting education and an equal position in family and homes. In this era, the ideal lady had to be modest, dutiful, beautiful, and rich, especially to gain a wealthy husband. With this narrow, cookie cut definition, not many women fit this criteria. This is greatly highlighted in this satirical novel of the upper class. Elizabeth Bennet is a feminist wanting equal positioning in society, but does not fit the mold of the ideal woman according to the Regency Era.
... Darcy and Elizabeth. Additionally, Austen sculpts the theme of social expectations and mores using the self-promoting ideology and behaviors of Lady Catherine as fodder for comic relief. Austen does not simply leave the image of the gilded aristocracy upon a pedestal; she effectively uses the unconventional character of Elizabeth to defy aristocratic authority and tradition. In fact, Austen's proposed counter view of the aristocracy by satirizing their social rank. Lady Catherine is effectively used as a satirical representation of the aristocracy through her paradoxical breach of true social decorum and her overblown immodesty. Evidently, Lady Catherine is nothing short of the critical bond that holds the structure of Pride and Prejudice together.
Throughout the novel Lady Catherine is a foil to Elizabeth to show Elizabeth’s best characteristics. Elizabeth is shown to be more independent and self-confident than prior when she confronts with Lady Catherine such as in Chapter 29, “Elizabeth’s courage did not fail her. She had heard nothing of Lady Catherine that spoke her awful from any extraordinary talents or miraculous virtue, and the mere stateliness of money and rank, she thought she could witness without trepidation” (pg. 158). The other role of Lady Catherine is her personality on the effects of society and class. One particular account of this is in chapter 29, “Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and her daughter. I could advise you merely to put on whatever of your clothes is superior to the rest—there is no occasion for anything more. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed. She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved.” (pg. 158). This expresses the ideas that Jane Austen was trying set forth with Lady Catherine in the principles of what society and class had as an effect with the plot of Pride and Prejudice and the surrounding
The main protagonist of the story, Elizabeth Bennet (nicknamed both Lizzy and Eliza), is the second daughter in the Bennet family. Second only to her elder sister in beauty, Elizabeth’s figure is said to be “light and pleasing,” with “dark eyes,” and “intelligent…expression” (24). At 20 years old, she is still creating her place in society. Known for her wit and playful nature, “Elizabeth is the soul of Pride and Prejudice, [she] reveals in her own person the very title qualities that she spots so easily” (“Pride and Prejudice”) in others. Her insightfulness often leads her to jump to conclusions and think herself above social demand. These tendencies lead her to be prejudice towards others; this is an essential characteristic of her role
The significance of having this balance is portrayed through the inability of the other couples in the story to reach an equal amount of happiness as Elizabeth and Darcy because of their pursuit of either reason or passion. Austen's view of true love is clearly evident in the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bennet is an unfailingly attractive character, but what everybody notices about her is her spirited wit and good sense of humor. She has a keen, critical mind when expressing her opinions and is unwilling to believe in the best of everyone. It is this intelligence that brings Mr. Darcy's admiration of her and her sense that she can rely on both mind and heart.
Elizabeth is introduced as the second eldest and prettiest of the five Bennet daughters. Towards the beginning of the novel, the Bennet daughters attend a ball in Netherfield with hopes of finding a man that they could perhaps end up marrying. At this ball, Elizabeth is briefly introduced to a man named Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is a rich and prideful man who is misunderstood by main characters throughout most of the novel. Upon becoming acquainted, Elizabeth uses first impressions and opinions taken from others to form her own opinion of Mr. Darcy as a prideful, pretentious snob with whom she wants nothing to do with. Elizabeth cites his arrogance as Mr. Darcy's major flaw after others influence her opinions. One of Elizabeth's closest friends says of Darcy, "I beg you would not put it into Lizzy's head to be vexed by such ill treatment; for he is such a disagreeable man that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him" (pg 18). This statement shows that Elizabeth was influenced by others to make negative opinions of Darcy, without taking the time to get to know him herself. One of t...