Jane Austen was born in 1975 in Hampshire England. Her works, which include “Pride and Prejudice” as well as “Sense and Sensibility,” did not receive much recognition when the author was alive. However, in the 20th century and following the widespread of the second wave of feminism, the works of Jane Austen received much recognition and her name became legendary in the scholarly discourse of women, feminism, and literature (Stasio & Duncan, 1). Her book “Pride and Prejudice” is a classic romance novel that examines various themes. The most explored theme is romance versus realism. The setting of the novel helps to examine these themes from a position where women were highly marginalized and less considered during social decision making.
The book puts across various observations about 18th-century society and the role of women. The first is the contradiction between personal desires and social expectations. The five daughters of Mr. Bennett have different characters and aspirations in life. Despite their subjective predispositions, their parents expect them to find husbands and settle. The theme of gender role in society is heightened by the fact that Mr. Bennett did not sire a boy who would carry the family after his death. This fact makes life harder for the five sisters who are expected to find good husbands who would uphold the family and ensure the security and progress of the family. The cultural conflicts of these roles are seen when Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are faced with the dilemma of whether to embrace their love or follow the social conventions (Austen, 2). Although the book is a single story of love and interactions, it is a structural review of how traditional societies affected women’s freedom.
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The novel also examines the nature of social interactions and their overall implications on people’s relationship. Mr. Darcy, who is the object of Elizabeth’s interactions, suffers from the pride that follows the social expectations of a man of his caliber. Throughout the story, Mr. Darcy is presented with a man who enjoys the attention and deliberately shapes the public perception of him, especially when it comes to money and wealth accumulation. When he falls in love with Elizabeth, the two characters find it difficult to express their affection due to social justice.
On one hand, Mr. Darcy has to make a brave decision and embrace his feelings towards someone who was socially inferior. The cost of accepting Elizabeth as his lover is the loss of social reputation. On the other hand, Elizabeth faces social ridicule, gossip, and scandals for falling in love with Mr. Darcy. Although Elizabeth fell in love with Mr. Darcy even before she could learn of his fortune, the society prejudiced her for having fallen in love with economic gains. Elisabeth affection is evident when Mr. Gardiner introduces the two, to which Elizabeth responds, ‘Yes, very handsome’ (Austen, 3).
Generally, the book is a success in articulating the issues of gender equality and social conditioning when it comes to gender roles in society. One of the strategies used by the author is an effective selection of characters that could relate and bring out the underlined themes. Firstly, the selection of the Bennett family, which had five daughters with different personalities, gave Austen a platform to articulate her issues.
The nature of the family, including the fact that Mr. Bennett did not have a son, creates a potential outcome in society. This setting helped the author to further examine the consequences faced by families that did not meet the expected structures. In the early England societies, and as expressed in the novel, the social status of a man was often associated with his family (Brownstein, 4). This meant that Mr. Bennett failure to sire a son put him at a disadvantage. Additionally, the use of money, wealth, and parenting perceptions express the ideas held by the author. For instance, the selection of a middle-class family helped to focus on the larger part of the society affected by the social connotations towards gender, wealth, and morality.
Austen’s third-person style of writing also increases the effects of the book on the targeted audience. The novel was written a time when the social conditioning did not appreciate women or their contributions to the development of languages and literature. Therefore, writing the book in the first person could have affected its value in a male-dominated society. If the author had told the story from a first person perceptive, he could have affected the opinion of the audience and increase the diversity of message communicated. The setting and the style of writing make the book relevant to all readers despite their initial subscription to the gender equality and gender roles debate.
“ Pride and Prejudice” is a relevant book even in modern literature and especially the academic discourse on women representation and gender roles. Even if the modern society is more open-minded and supports gender equality at the constitutional level, there are still some major connotations that affect the position of women when it comes to love, wealth, and reputation. To begin with, the novel is relevant in examining the objectification of women. Despite Elizabeth’s affection to Mr. Darcy, the majority of people believed that Mrs. Bennett had succeeded in marrying one of his daughters to a financially advantaged family. This shows that the entire society, as well as Mrs. Bennett, believed that women should have a financial value attached to them (Stasio & Duncan, 2) This trend promotes injustices against money by treating them as commodities and objects of men pleasure rather than independent members of society.
Secondly, the issue of social expectations of women is relevant even to date. The growth in feminism debates and the fight for representation has not succeeded in ensuring that women are free from their social expectations. For instance, in the book, “Pride and Prejudice,” Lydia is seen as wild with her mother projecting that if she does not change her habits she might not find a worthy husband to marry her. The prejudice faced by Lydia and Elizabeth as they attempted to follow their passion and live a life of freedom reflects a similar pattern in modern society. Even to date, women are expected to behave in a certain manner to be considered social viable and conforming. Eventually, this trend forces women to abandon their aspirations and conform to society.
Jane Austen uses the book “Pride and Prejudice” to examine the themes of equality, gender, social status, class, and wealth in early societies. These themes are applicable in modern interactions where societies have failed to fully change and adopt an open-minded perception towards women and their role in society.
References
1 . Stasio, M. J., & Duncan, K., 2007. An Evolutionary Approach to Jane Austen: Prehistoric Preferences in" Pride and Prejudice". Studies in the Novel, 39(2), 133-146. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286186905_An_evolutionary_approach_to_Jane_Austen_Prehistoric_preferences_in_'Pride_and_Prejudice'
2. Austen, J.., 2001. Pride and Prejudice. Broadview Press, 1-360. https://freeditorial.com/en/books/pride-and-prejudice .
3. Austen. No date. Chapter 43. In Pride and Prejudice. https://www.janeausten.org/pride-and prejudice/chapter-43.asp.
4. Brownstein, R.M., 2015. The Language of Jane Austen, 405-407. Print.
