How Does Jane Austen Use Social Criticism In Pride And Prejudice

“Social Criticism in Marriage”
In the novel, e.g. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen used social criticism to portray how she felt about women and marriage. Austen used the two characters Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas to show two totally different perspectives on marriage in this work. Social criticism during that time was more pressed on women back then rather than now for several reasons. Some women can feel like Elizabeth who felt as though marriage should be based on love. Other women could identify with Charlotte who was all about securing her life with shelter, protection, and money from a man whether she loved him or not. Even in present times women are pressured into being married, but it’s nothing like it was back then. Jane Austen …show more content…
Bennet, Lydia, and Kitty versus Jane, Elizabeth, and Mr. Bennet. These are characters in the novel, e.g. Pride and Prejudice. Each of these characters had an opinion on marriage whether it was directly stated or not. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were the parents of the five girls in this book. Mr. Bennet didn’t really place his opinions so heavily on the girls’ and them marrying. Although it was never stated, Mr. Bennett wanted whatever the girls felt was best for them. For instance, what happened with Elizabeth and Mr. Collins. That was enough for me to know his feelings towards marriage ther. Mrs. Bennet on the other hand was all for them getting married, and for them to marry rich at that. Lydia and Kitty pretty much had the same opinion as their mother. The both of them loved soldiers. Lydia is the one who married Mr. Wickham. On the other hand, Jane and Elizabeth were both based on love. Jane is the oldest sister who fell in love with Mr. Bingley, but they were separated by Fitzwilliam Darcy. She loved Bingley regardless of the money and Darcy split them up; it really broke her heart. Elizabeth, next to the oldest, was in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy. The both of them were prideful of where they come from, so they clashed heads a lot. They both clashed head because of them being so prideful of where they come from, this lead to them being being prejudice against ones who weren’t where they come …show more content…
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen, the author, wrote this book to show how marriage well important to their society back then. Austen used several different characters all of which having opinions that were alike and some different. Back then, women were criticized for not marrying period or for having a younger sister whom married before them. There were several points of views on marriage in this novel but there are three main ones: In Charlotte Lucas’ eyes marriage was basically used as an act of security for her. In her case she needed a man for his money and/or stable well-being. Next we have Elizabeth, Jane, and Mr. Bennett’s view on marriage. They all viewed marriage based on love. Although Jane and Elizabeth were being criticized by society, in other words their mother, they still waited until they felt a source of love. Neither of them liked the pressure that their mother was putting on them to marry, but they both waited. Their father Mr. Bennet didn’t quite speak on situations (lack of patriarchalism) in the household, but it was easy to tell that he was more on the “whatever makes them happy”. The Bennets’ household was pretty much matriarchal though they had both a mother and father. During this time marriage was heavily placed on women because a woman being single had no worth. Jane Austen used this novel to describe what type of impact marriage had on women during her time and to show women today how different time