The world of Pride and Prejudice, or for that matter 19th century upper-class England, is a time fueled by social institutions. A time where doing only what is appropriate for your class is vital to your existence. Unless you were in line to inherit land or money, the only “proper” way to advance in this society was to marry someone above you. You couldn’t work your way up the ranks, you had to socialize your way up. Being rejected from the society by not following the strict social rules could have been detrimental to you, and even your family. Civilities and snobberies were an essential part of these people’s everyday life, and from this strict social hierarchy arose a variety of undesirable people and traits. Jane Austen uses over-the-top
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Widow of Sir Lewis De Bourgh, Lady Catherine is extremely rich. Being the richest person mentioned in Pride and Prejudice she is also very arrogant, demanding, and overbearing. She takes pleasure in telling other people what to do, and she can simply because she is at the top of the social ladder. When Elizabeth was visiting the Collins’ and then dined with Lady Catherine she saw first hand Lady Catherine’s entitled behavior “When the ladies returned to the drawing-room, there was little to be done but to hear Lady Catherine talk, which she did without any intermission till coffee came in, delivering her opinion on every subject in so decisive a manner, as proved that she was not used to have her judgement controverted… Elizabeth found that nothing was beneath this great lady 's attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others” (pg 160). Lady Catherine loved dictating others and always got her own way. She was so used to always getting her own way, that she was outraged when she went all the way to Longbourn to tell Elizabeth she can’t marry Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth didn’t promise her she wouldn 't marry him. She couldn’t believe that anyone would tell her no, especially someone so beneath her in rank. She even went as far as to say “Heaven and earth!—of what are you thinking? Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted” as if Mr. Darcy marrying Elizabeth would tarnish her family’s
Widow of Sir Lewis De Bourgh, Lady Catherine is extremely rich. Being the richest person mentioned in Pride and Prejudice she is also very arrogant, demanding, and overbearing. She takes pleasure in telling other people what to do, and she can simply because she is at the top of the social ladder. When Elizabeth was visiting the Collins’ and then dined with Lady Catherine she saw first hand Lady Catherine’s entitled behavior “When the ladies returned to the drawing-room, there was little to be done but to hear Lady Catherine talk, which she did without any intermission till coffee came in, delivering her opinion on every subject in so decisive a manner, as proved that she was not used to have her judgement controverted… Elizabeth found that nothing was beneath this great lady 's attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others” (pg 160). Lady Catherine loved dictating others and always got her own way. She was so used to always getting her own way, that she was outraged when she went all the way to Longbourn to tell Elizabeth she can’t marry Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth didn’t promise her she wouldn 't marry him. She couldn’t believe that anyone would tell her no, especially someone so beneath her in rank. She even went as far as to say “Heaven and earth!—of what are you thinking? Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted” as if Mr. Darcy marrying Elizabeth would tarnish her family’s