Eleanor Roosevelt: an iconic female role model, diplomat, and activist. Once upon a time, she famously intonated, “No one can make [one] feel inferior without [her] consent” (Roosevelt). Well before this line, author Jane Austen pursued a career detailing the flaws, specifically affecting women, of society in her time during the early 1800’s. The protagonist of one of her most notable novels, Pride and Prejudice, wholly encompasses the ideas behind this quote. In a time where women were expected to play subservient to their male superiors, Austen uses her character, Elizabeth Bennet, to depict the fallacies of such a role. From manners and social mobility to money and marriage, Elizabeth fights to break free from society’s mold to prove her
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Women specifically had very limited opportunities to rise in stature, yet they were expected to be wealthy, especially if they desired to marry. Privilege was important in both the world Austen lived in and wrote about. After all, money still decides everything. Austen uses Lady Catherine as a symbol of the wealthy in her time: vain, pompous, and rude. She takes every opportunity to inform Elizabeth of her meager rank, even before Elizabeth meets her: “Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and her daughter. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed. She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved” (Austen 194). Lady Catherine perfectly encompasses elitist standards and how her society feels about those beneath them. Rank provides a tricky obstacle for Elizabeth, even though she can do little to prove herself when her rank has already been settled upon. wholeheartedly believes in entitlement; specifically, she believes that Elizabeth was not entitled to marry her nephew. Lady Catherine’s daughter was supposed to be betrothed to Darcy because their rank was equal: “Their fortune on both sides is splendid. They are destined for each other...and what is to divide them? A young woman without family, connections, or fortune” (Austen 432). Elizabeth responds claiming that while Darcy is a gentleman, her father, too happens to be a gentleman, which she believes to level herself with Darcy (Austen 432). Elizabeth’s headstrong nature stands true, continuing to prove that, while society may be forever domineering, its standards are not a deciding factor in her life. Her rank, who she marries, and how she behaves are going to be of her own
Women specifically had very limited opportunities to rise in stature, yet they were expected to be wealthy, especially if they desired to marry. Privilege was important in both the world Austen lived in and wrote about. After all, money still decides everything. Austen uses Lady Catherine as a symbol of the wealthy in her time: vain, pompous, and rude. She takes every opportunity to inform Elizabeth of her meager rank, even before Elizabeth meets her: “Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and her daughter. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed. She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved” (Austen 194). Lady Catherine perfectly encompasses elitist standards and how her society feels about those beneath them. Rank provides a tricky obstacle for Elizabeth, even though she can do little to prove herself when her rank has already been settled upon. wholeheartedly believes in entitlement; specifically, she believes that Elizabeth was not entitled to marry her nephew. Lady Catherine’s daughter was supposed to be betrothed to Darcy because their rank was equal: “Their fortune on both sides is splendid. They are destined for each other...and what is to divide them? A young woman without family, connections, or fortune” (Austen 432). Elizabeth responds claiming that while Darcy is a gentleman, her father, too happens to be a gentleman, which she believes to level herself with Darcy (Austen 432). Elizabeth’s headstrong nature stands true, continuing to prove that, while society may be forever domineering, its standards are not a deciding factor in her life. Her rank, who she marries, and how she behaves are going to be of her own