Feministic Characteristics Of Elizabeth Bennet From Pride And Prejudice

This paper examines the characteristics and traits of Elizabeth Bennet, heroine of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and her similarities to Post- Colonial concepts and ideas of thought. Elizabeth defies the age and her age, when we look into her life as she can be portrayed as a woman was working against her ethnicity. She reacted and spoke against the hegemony prevalent around her. She broke the chords of modernity and was fluidly moving through her life of hybridity. Moreover she was a bold female who questioned the duality of the life around her and wasn’t afraid of the in-betweens. She broke the pre-colonial notions of religious thought and affectation and questions the clergy and the upper class. We shall also look into Elizabeth’s ‘positively medieval’ characteristics which did not suit a lady of decent birth. To understanding the times in which the novel was published it is important to know that it was published in 1813 when any discussion on women’s emancipation and their rights did not exist.

The English society built around the male subject: they had they the right to education, inheritance, social mobility and didn’t have to answer to any female subjects. All these basic rights were unavailable to women of that period, for whom the only opportunity to change their environment, to receive a better education and a stable financial condition was associated exclusively with men, at first with the state and affairs of the father, and then husband. Consequently, to marry into a well to do family was the only possible way for women in changing her life and social status. And this thought was seriously taken into consideration as even when Elizabeth declined Mr Collins proposal, her only chance of securing the safety of not losing her home the Longbhorne estate, her best friend Charlotte Lucas takes him up on his offer and states the fact that, ‘I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr Collins's character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state. ’ This was considered to be a sensible act at the time but Elizabeth was far from doing that and she wasn’t going to have any of it in her life. We must also consider Jane who like Elizabeth marries for love and even in her sound good judgement of others Austen shows us how her character is similar to the post-colonial being of subservient and ‘upholding everything that is good and righteous’ until when Mr. Bingley suddenly her.

She doesn’t fight back for her love and accepts it as her fate. The fact that Elizabeth shows characteristics outside the proper norm or similar to that of her sister is not because she believes the world around her is unfair or stereotypical, but because her extensive reading and her love of the library has indeed made her believe that marriage is something of people who truly love one another and the person should respect her even more so. Her father like her best for being sensible and intelligent than her other sisters. She therefore is projects to be a vigilant yet judgemental female always looking out for her family. She doesn’t pause for a moment even when she is in a situation of being in an unfriendly group. Instead, she is confident of her decision and her choice of words that even though her vanity sometimes is a hindrance to some of the facts that is close to her face, she chooses to be vocal of her feeling than be silent. This trait of hers is what Darcy feels most intrigued by. Austen’s charecters always Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable.

At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Representing a typical Regency-era woman, Jane’s qualities differ from the previous example of Caroline. Jane is the quintessential ideal woman, beautiful, well mannered, and agreeable. At the time, it was a common practice for women to conceal their emotions from men Chapter 1 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a romantic novel that has had a large popularity in the world even during the time it was published in 1813, first under the name of ‘First Impressions’, not considering the fact that it was written by a woman, Jane Austen. The story is of Elizabeth Benet, the second oldest of Mr, Bennet and her family of four sisters. The story is set during the age of their lives where they were to lose their family estate, The Longbhorn house due to the family having no male heir. The property was to go to a distant cousin of Mr. Bennet, Mr William Collins.

Their mother desired her five daughters be married to well of families because the money was diminishing every day and she was even ready to marry one of her daughters to the pompous Mr Collins. The novel begins with the famous lines, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ” And throughout we see how Elizabeth Bennet, the young lady’s ability to change her prejudicial views on one of their society’s affluent bachelors, the proud Mr Darcy. Her perspective remains intact in her determination to think different from her family, especially her mother and sisters and to be unconventional in marrying only for ‘love’ and not in the traditional sense. Elizabeth acts without adhering to the conventional norms of Regency England at that point and time. So, through her unbending nature she exerts an influence not only on Mr Darcy views but also his prideful character which then ends with him adjusting to her moral standards of a husband. Elizabeth is no less certain of her goodwill in the house but there is a point in the novel where is quite against the charecters of her mother and her sisters. She finds herself amidst the chaotic disrupencies her family makes and specially her mother who is never withdrawn to make a spectacle of herself. Her father who is described as "so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character", he seems to be quite at his wits end that he is not bothered by the character of his youngest daughters who seem to like to run wild in public.

They do make a scene and does not make the best of impressions during the Meryton assembly to the Netherfield party. It goes all well until Mr. Bingley, Mr Darcy’s friend has become attracted to Jane the eldest sister of Elizabeth. When asked to dance along with Elizabeth by Mr Bingley, Darcy snubs her aside by saying that, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me. ''. Elizabeth hears this conversation and she returuns back to Longbhorn with no cordial feelings toward him. She has to go to Netherfield when Jane falls ill after her dinner and it is there Darcy notices her to be something more than he had imagined. Even when she comes in her dress is muddy after the long walk from Longbhorne and she realises that Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, her older sister looks at her in contempt for it. When at Netherfield she is in the company of Miss Bingley, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy. When asked twice by Darcy if she would seize an opportunity of dancing a reel, to which she replied, “`I heard you before; but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say "Yes," that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all -- and now despise me if you dare. ''. She said what was on her mind and her unapologetic tone of conversation immediately make Darcy see that he has mistaken her before and it is written that, ” Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. ” Indeed with all the striking qualities Lizzie may be one of the fiercest females of created so early in English literature. It was after her friend Charlotte’s wedding to Collins, Elizabeth feels quite lonely and misses her. So, later that year during spring time Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Collins who live in the parsonage given by their patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is also Darcy’s aunt. Elizabeth then visits Rosings Park, Lady Catherine’s home and there Darcy and his friend Colonel Fitzwilliam meet Elizabeth a few times. During the church on Good Friday, Elizabeth learns through the colonel that Darcy had “saved” his friend Mr Bingley from an imprudent marriage to Jane, who he thought lacked affection on her part. After knowing how Darcy had interfered in her sister’s only chance of happiness.

She is angry, and feels rather betrayed again by the crude Mr Darcy. Alas her surprise had to be out of bounds when she Darcy comes to the house and proposes her. She is shocked beyond belief and later it changes to anger and revulsion. She collects herself and takes the time to blatantly tell all the reasons why she didn’t like the man himself and tells him of how he also cheted Mr. Wickham of his inheritance. She ends the conversation with an answer that would shatter any admirer to pieces. About even so more as Mr Darcy was rich and proud. This was what she had said, `From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry. ''. With these words he retreats back and wishes her the best of health and happiness and leaves. But the story plot twist when Elizbeth receives a letter from Darcy which said that Wickham had cheated Darcy and had tried to elope with his fifteen year old sister only because she was to receive a huge inheritance. He agrees to have been the reason for persuading Mr Bingley not to marry Jane as he thought she didn’t love him as he loved her. Elizabeth self-reproaches her prejudicial word against Mr Darcy. She later returns to her home only to be going on a vacation with the Gardiners.

During their tour, they stop at Pemberly’s Mr Darcy’s estate and Elizbeth does feel the sadness of how she could not have been the mistress of the lovely estate. She is but surprised to find out that Mr Darcy arrieved at the estate. He behaves quite cordially to the family and takes the time to introduce his sister Georgiana to Elizabeth. Also Mr Bingley joins them for dinner and Lizzie realises that he still thinks fondly of Jane. One morning Elizabeth receives a letter from Jane saying that Lydia has run away with Mr Wickham and does not have the intention of marrying her. Elizabeth knew it was too late even when she had adviced against her younger sister Lydia to her father to not be allowed to go to Britton with The Fosters, where the military which included Mr Wickham was stationed. She felt that Lydia’s elopement was partially her faukt as well, as she didn’t advice her sisters of the wicked Mr Wickham’s true nature. As soon as she finishes her later and Darcy arrives only ro find her in her absolute devastated sake and he feels partly responsible for this as he realises that Mr Wickham would do the dishonarable and not marry Lydia as he intended and he could’ve prevented it had he exposed his nature when he got the opportunity. Elizabeth and The Gardiners arrive at Longbourn and she finds that her mother has locked herself uo in her room. She also learns through Colonel Foster that Mr Wickham has ammased a debt of a thousand pounds. The next day Mr Bennet and Mr Foster return after a futile search for Lydia.

Soon they get a letter that said that Mr Wickham and Lydia have been found. Mr Gardiner also wrote saying that, “His debts are to be paid, amounting, I believe, to considerably more than a thousand pounds, another thousand in addition to her own settled upon her, and his commission purchased. ” Which Mr. Bennet knows no man would agree upon such feeble conditions and something more had been done by Mr. Gardiner to benefit the enemy in the deal. Lydia and Mr Wickham visit Longbourn and behave so mindlessly and is not a bit ashamed of their action and not even a bit remorseful. But Mrs. Bennet finds herself to be overjoyed to a verge of being inconsiderate to the rest of the group that one of her daughters os married and isn’t even a bit intrested in the particulars of how this a”fixation of a marriage” came to be. During dinner Lydia lets it slip that Mr Darcy was at their wedding. And being the curious lady she is, she writes to her aunt Mrs Gardiner for details. The reply came to be quite as anticipated filled with the heroic acts of Mr Darcy, who was the one who found them and paid of Mr Wickham’s debts. She also says that he must’ve done it out of love for Elizabeth. Lizzie feels quite shattered and confused and understands that she had been mistaken about Mr Darcy in every possible way imaginable. Later on after The Wickhams leave Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy have returned to Netherfield for the shooting and they came to visit Longbourn. Once they have arrived Mrs Bennet finds it quite unamusing when she sees Mr Bingley, the man who had broken the heart of her favourite child.

Nevertheless, she had welcomed Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley quite coordialy and also invited them to dinner. Elizabeth found it hard to even look at Mr Darcy as she was blushing and quite embaressed. Jane seemed to say she had found closure, but it looked like the very opposite and that Mr Bingley and Jane had still feelings for each other. A few days later they dine at Longbourn and leaves the women quite at ease with their company. Jane seemed to be all the more in love and it pained Elizabeth to see her sister asking her not to worry of the repressed feelings she had for Mr Bingley. After dinner they leave and Darcy takes the time to confess the horrible misjudgement he had made about Jane. Mr Bingley understands that his friend his friend did all that out of good intention and know he feels very lightheaded knowing that he can finally propose to Jane. The next day, he proposes to Jane and she accepts. Mrs. Bennet is exceedingly happy and Jane happiness canot be contained in words They joke about another Mr Collins for Elizabeth someone who can bring her just as much of happiness. Two weeks later Lady Catherine de Bourgh comes to Longbourn furious to know the Darcy has plans to propose to Elizabeth. She asks Elizabeth to walk with her and then she changes her tone to pure displeasure,” Miss Bennet,'' replied her ladyship, in an angry tone, ``you ought to know, that I am not to be trifled with. ” And she continues her claims of being disgusted with the affairs of the Bennet family by conjuring up the facts a ‘cooked up’ marriage of Lydia and what a scandalous event it woud be if Darcy had plans to propse Elizabeth.

She also made it clear the Darcy was engaged to her daughter and it was a dishonarble thing that a woman of inferior birth, of no importance in the world and a wholly unallied famiy like Elizabeth’s would stand in the way of her daughter’s happiness. She says that the alliance would be a disgrace and calls Elizabeth headstrong. But Elizabeth reminds her that he is a gentleman and she a gentleman’s daughter and if Lady Catherine’s nephew doesn’t object to it, they couldn’t mean much to her. She forbids Elizabeth to accept a proposal from Mr darcy and asks her to promise her that she wouldn’t do such a thing. Elizabeth is left completely offended and refuses to promise such a thing. Lady Catherin call her ‘unfeeling and selfish’ and tells her that she was going to make Darcy a ‘contempt of the world’. She then leaves in a haste.