Elizabeth Bennett Pride And Prejudice Analysis

It is a truth universally acknowledged that in order for a woman to be suitable for marriage, she must possess a certain set of personal qualities and skills. During the Regency era of England, the role of women was limited, having little of the independence that modern-day women enjoy. Instead, they often had to resort to marriage in order to advance themselves socially or survive financially. Most marriages therefore were made for the purpose of socioeconomic value, not for true love. Jane Austen, in her novel, Pride and Prejudice, subtly criticizes the social standards and expectations of a woman during the time period through the main character, Elizabeth Bennett, who is bold and independent — qualities that are appalling for a woman and atypical of the following described: Within this scene, Austen reveals the eighteenth century expectations for upper class women as Mrs. Bingley describes that a woman should be be able to sing, dance, and walk gracefully. During this time period, these skills determined success (i.e. being attractive enough for a man to marry her). However, Mr. Darcy hints at different “accomplishments” aside from the superficial ones as he believes a woman should “improve” her …show more content…
Austen specifically addresses the issues, to a degree, that women face in the society she depicts in her novel. Through Elizabeth’s personality traits of boldness and independence, Austen tries to prove that a woman needs not to conform to societal standards to obtain happiness. She uses Elizabeth to defy the social construct of a woman — that entails the qualities and accomplishments stated in the passage — and the power dynamics among different genders or social status and wealth. Pride and Prejudice serves as an inspiration to women of all generation and societies by showing them they will not be punished for expressing