In marriage, men viewed women more as possessions, but for women it was a fulfilling ambition just to be married (Brown, 1973). Other statements in the book suggest the only valuable part of a woman is her beauty, making it clear that women were not treasured for their accomplishments, although it is critical they have them (El Azrak). Lady Catherine de Bourgh represents the stereotypical woman in this time period as well (El Azrak). She is a very overbearing woman who finds pleasure in dictating other’s decisions to ensure she gets her own way. She strongly believes in the arts, money, and other simple abilities, women are supposed to have. As a very wealthy widow, Lady Catherine also represents the epitome of a woman being financially dependent. …show more content…
(El Azrak) She greatly goes against the grain and chooses to be herself and not worry about pleasing her family in order to fill this stereotypical role of an “accomplished woman.” Elizabeth is self-assertive and quickly reacts to other’s behaviors (Bring, 2010). Although Elizabeth knows her characteristics greatly differ from Jane’s and the “typical woman” of the time, she acknowledges her sister’s beautiful and angelic nature, while continuing to love herself (Bring, 2010). One prominent aspect of her feminist persona is her choice not to marry Mr. Collins, despite her family’s desperate encouragement in order to improve her wealth and status (Jane, 2011). She also blatantly told Mr. Collins he was a “conceited, narrow-minded, pompous, and silly man” (Bring, 2010). Through Austen’s defiant portrayal of Elizabeth, it is clear that the author herself hates the idea of being dependent in love (Brown, 1973). She believes that love should be on a personal and intimate level, instead of the reliance of financial support. Elizabeth is determined to marry for love and compatibility versus economic reasons, like her sisters (Kies, …show more content…
Elizabeth Bennet has been characterized in opposition to the views of women and she lives a life full of independence, without relying on men to make decisions and provide financial stability. On the other hand, Jane and the other sisters represented the typical views of women, making them very dependent on men, with little power. The differing views of women displayed in the novel have changed throughout the years and eventually have brought society to the current views of women, which are much more equal to men than in the
Which is similar to the working woman character trope, which is seen in the adaptation Lizzie Bennet Diaries, however the Fanny Prices and Bridgets Jones’ of the world however are viewed as weak with their opinions and are even seen as weak physically. It is interesting how Helen Fielding chose to have Bridget Jones to have less wit than her parallel character of Lizzie and instead makes her very similar to Fanny Price’s weaker moments, with only moments of Lizzie’s wit. However Fanny Price does show strength when proposed to by Henry Crawford, while Lizzie Bennet seems to soften to idea of marrying a rich, decent man even if it did not start as a true love relationship. All of these characters are underdogs in the eyes of their societies. All of these female leads share one very important common traits that must be the reason these characters have remained relatable through time - they are all underdogs. They are all not the most desirable female character in their novels. It is as if Austen doesn’t want us to connect or relate to the superior females in their society’s standards. She wants us to be the underdog who finds love. For example Lizzie Bennet is loved by her father for her wit and her charm, her mother however her mom describes her “Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane nor half so good humoured as Lydia,” (Pride and Prejudice
From an early age Jane is aware she is at a disadvantage, yet she learns how to break free from her entrapment by following her heart. Jane appears as not only the main character in the text, but also a female narrator. Being a female narrator suggests a strong independent woman, but Jane does not seem quite that.
and Mrs. Bennet individually. Mrs. Bennet portrays exactly the stereotypical woman Wollstonecraft describes in A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Wollstonecraft aims her work at middle class women, such as Mrs. Bennet and attempts to “convince them, that the soft phrases, susceptibility of heart, delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of taste, are almost synonymous with epithets of weakness,” (Wollstonecraft, 73). Austen portrays Mrs. Bennet as a strong woman, who chooses to conceal her strong nature from even herself, saying “when she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous,” (7). Mrs. Bennet chooses the word nervous to describe herself, due the idea that being nervous is more feminine than being discontented or angry. Mrs. Bennet, another product of a lack of education “was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper,” and as such “the business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news,” (Austen, 7). Mrs. Bennet is so obsessed with marrying her children off, she neglects their wants. Wollstonecraft would attribute Mrs. Bennett’s neglect of her children to this lack of education. Wollstonecraft asserts that to expect a foolish women to be a good mother would be just “as wise to expect corn from tares, or figs from thistles,” (280). Due to Mrs. Bennet’s acceptance of her stereotypical feminine role,
The story “I Want a Wife”, is a narrative essay signifying the demand placed on females during the 1970's. The author goes on to demonstrate the expectations that our male counterparts placed on women during that era. The way in which the author brought this issue to the surface was enthralling. As described by the author, a wife was to be seen and not heard, she is to cater to every impulse her husband has.Written out in sequence, a woman's duties were overwhelming and needed to be brought to the light. Men were treated like royalty by their wives, while showing little appreciation. A wife was expected to take care of the family while nothing was required of the husband. In addition, a wife was expected to look her best while tackling all of life's problems. The essay does not provide a notable amount of detail, yet the s...
Sadly her journey to self-realization is often ignored in favor of focusing the attention on the romance between her and Mr. Darcy. This romance, however, would not have been as powerful without acknowledging the intellectual growth and emergent maturity of Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, in Austen's novel, finds the path to her adult identity by questioning her own assumptions and undergoing a philosophi...
Elizabeth Bennet is the second oldest in a family of five girls and no boys. Her family is what some people might call a dysfunctional one. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have opposite and clashing personalities but at the same time they share a likeness. Mr. Bennet is not a social man and does not communicate with his family much. He is often found through out the novel hiding away in his library with a book. While on the other hand Mrs. Bennet is very social, does not shut her mouth and has probably read very few books in her life. She is portrayed as a modern day airhead who runs her life to please onlookers. No matter how opposite they sound they do have one joining quality. Mr. And Mrs. Bennet are both far from being good parents and successful authority figures. That is where Elizabeth's problems begin.
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.
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.
In conclusion, the roles of the Bennet sisters were quite typical to that of their time period. They all were expected to find strength and meaning of self in a submissive state and in dedication to only their home and family. Their educations only prepared them for a homemaking career, while striving for a respectable marriage. It is women like Jane Austen and her creation, Elizabeth Bennet, who lived bending the boundaries of society and have shaped it into the one we live in today.
All throughout the early part of history women were portrayed as the inferior sex, because at that point in time, women were seen as beings only born to have children. Men didn’t think that women were capable of being anything other than a typical housewife. It was unthinkable that women would actually need an education, let alone earn a living, or become a leader. These ideas are revealed all throughout classical literature. Rarely was a woman seen as doing anything but being dominated by males in some form, whether she was a man’s submissive devoted wife, a sexual object, or a woman being punished for wanting her freedom. We finally begin to see women trying to break free from these traditional expectations and barriers through the lives of Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, John’s wife in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, and Songlian in Raise the Red Lantern by Su Tong.
Throughout the novel, the reader follows Elizabeth through her struggle to maintain her personal identity, despite what her mother, sisters, and other women in society think of her. Elizabeth enjoys physical activities, such as walking , which is uncommon for women in the society in which she lives. “She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild.” (Austen, 24). The women often look upon Elizabeth negatively due to her behaviour and personality, especially for her outspokenness, which was especially uncommon and unacceptable upon women. “‘Lizzy’, cried...
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 for his daughters while, on the contrary, Mrs. Bennet’s love is over-acted and conditional. Both parents help to shape their daughters’ characteristics and beliefs: Lydia reflecting Mrs. Bennet’s flighty and excessive behavior while Elizabeth inherits Mr. Bennet’s pensive and reflective temperament. Looking past their dissimilar personality traits and contradicting convictions, both parents hold the family together and play an integral role in the household structure.
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.
Jane Bennet is the eldest daughter in the Bennet family at 23 years old and is deemed the most beautiful of all the daughters and of all the ladies of Hertfordshire. She is amiable, and her “sweetness and disinterestedness are really angelic” (132). She never wishes to think shamefully of anyone as long as she can help it. Her modesty is strong enough that those who do not know her may believe her to be reserved. Elizabeth and Jane have opposing dispositions yet their relationship is vital as they balance each other out. Jane brings out the benevolent qualities of others for Elizabeth while Elizabeth keeps Jane weary of ill-intent.
An intelligent, stubborn, and free-spirited character. One that many women today connect with and see as being Jane Austen’s most feministic character. The other women in Pride and Prejudice do not like Elizabeth very much. She does not fit the social norm of that time. Being lady-like, keeping her thoughts to herself, and willing to get married as soon as she can. Elizabeth’s most admirable characteristic is her independence. Although her thoughts and views are constantly looked down upon throughout the story. This occurs because of the sick expectations and restrictions placed upon women in her society. While reading Pride and Prejudice, you cannot help but look down on every character that criticizes Elizabeth. Jane Austen shows us that these characters’ lack of feministic views is responsible for the wrongs done to Elizabeth. Especially the way she depicts Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine de