Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice consists of many contrasting characters, which are foils of each other. For example, Jane is characterized as docile and reserved, never finding faults in others, while Elizabeth is initially portrayed as saturated with prejudice. Elizabeth does later overcome her initial prejudice after several discoveries. To relate Elizabeth's character development to Mary Wollstonecraft’s beliefs on the ideal women as she described in her classic feminist text The Vindication of the Rights of Women. It is Elizabeth’s gradual transformation throughout the novel that best embodies the ideas of Wollstonecraft.
Even before Elizabeth’s awareness of her prejudice, her character is still a model of women very favorable …show more content…
Darcy delivered the letter to Elizabeth, which is the climax of the novel, she goes through a transitional phase. This change of character led Elizabeth down a path of discovery, as she began to recognize many things that she once overlooked. One is her father’s behavior and treatment towards her mother: "Elizabeth, however, had never been blind to the impropriety of her father’s behavior as a husband… [But grateful] for his affectionate treatment of herself… in exposing his wife to the contempt of her own children, was so highly reprehensible. But she had never felt so strongly as now the disadvantages which must attend the children of so unsuitable a marriage, nor ever been so fully aware of [Evils of misjudment].” Mrs. Bennet is described as a character of mean understanding of the world, her point of view is restricted only to marriage. Mrs. Bennet is also quite similar to Elizabeth, Elizabeth holds Mr. Bennet in such a high regard, most likely due to her being Mr. Bennet's favorite daughter, that her view of Mr. Bennet is constricted, only judging him with impression and intuition, not objective reasoning. To relate back to Wollstonecraft, Wollstonecraft wishes women to be "emancipated" from their feelings through education and knowledge: “I speak of the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex,” she declared. “Let woman share the rights, and she will emulate the virtues of man; for she must grow perfect when emancipated. . . .” To sum all of
Even before Elizabeth’s awareness of her prejudice, her character is still a model of women very favorable …show more content…
Darcy delivered the letter to Elizabeth, which is the climax of the novel, she goes through a transitional phase. This change of character led Elizabeth down a path of discovery, as she began to recognize many things that she once overlooked. One is her father’s behavior and treatment towards her mother: "Elizabeth, however, had never been blind to the impropriety of her father’s behavior as a husband… [But grateful] for his affectionate treatment of herself… in exposing his wife to the contempt of her own children, was so highly reprehensible. But she had never felt so strongly as now the disadvantages which must attend the children of so unsuitable a marriage, nor ever been so fully aware of [Evils of misjudment].” Mrs. Bennet is described as a character of mean understanding of the world, her point of view is restricted only to marriage. Mrs. Bennet is also quite similar to Elizabeth, Elizabeth holds Mr. Bennet in such a high regard, most likely due to her being Mr. Bennet's favorite daughter, that her view of Mr. Bennet is constricted, only judging him with impression and intuition, not objective reasoning. To relate back to Wollstonecraft, Wollstonecraft wishes women to be "emancipated" from their feelings through education and knowledge: “I speak of the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex,” she declared. “Let woman share the rights, and she will emulate the virtues of man; for she must grow perfect when emancipated. . . .” To sum all of