Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, is simply known as one of the greatest authors in British Literature. Her writing style was quite unique and intriguing. She took other people’s conversations and wrote them in her novels to use as dialogue. She wrote about what she heard, knew and saw. She turned her daily life into some of the greatest novels. Pride and Prejudice was just one of her best known novels. Pride and prejudice centers around the problems of a class society and how it affects the daily lives of young woman who seek to marry. The issues presented are being challenged by Elizabeth Bennet who goes against the society norms for her own happiness.
The focus of the novel was centered around the complicated relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. The plot is much deeper than a love story, it shows the transition between two people undergoing the complications of society. “The existence of its characters in a social bubble that is rarely penetrated by events beyond it is an accurate portrayal of the enclosed social world in which Austen lived” (Dillion, 1). Austen showed us what life was life back then and how unfair it was to women whose future was already determined since they were born. “Pride and Prejudice indeeds depicts a universe of criticism” (Gilman, 3) Throughout the novel, everyone eventually is getting judged by one another. The whole story is about being the judger or the judged. The sub-plots happening around Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy show the events that eventually help them realize their love for one another. “Furthermore, all Jane Austen plots are characterized by a unity of tone and are compact and well- knit.” (Dillion, 1)
There are various themes represented throughout this story regarding mainly to society and qualities of the characters. “Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a person’s moral development, something that can be overcome through reason and compassion” (LitCharts, 1). Prejudism is seen through the characters by how they interact and trust on another. Elizabeth realized her true feelings for Mr. Darcy after he made all those kind gestures to her family. “Pride is a constant presence in the characters’ attitudes and treatment of each other, coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mistakes” (LitCharts, 1). This happens through the main characters always seeing the other doing something out of spite or for themselves, rather than seeing it as something they had thought was best. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy continued to have bickering fights over the judgement and actions of one another. Marriage is a the second biggest theme in Jane’s novel.
The story is centered around marriage and trying to get married. “So a woman might be borne into affluent circumstances, but you will find that that affluence does not follow her through life. The only way to ensure it, is marriage and that’s why, of course, marriage is so important in Jane Austen’s novels.” (Sutherland, 1). The major theme in this novel is class. Women struggle with marrying due to their class and often times want to marry up. However, others are persistent on keeping their family class reputation pure. “Austen makes it clear that people like Lady Catherine, who are overly invested in their social position, are guilty of mistreating other people” (LitCharts, 1).
“No one is immune—almost every character at some point finds himself or herself of both critic or criticized” (Gilman, 3). The characters Darcy, Elizabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Katherine and more have all judged and been judged. Darcy is an stern, high class, educated man who grows a soft side for Elizabeth. She brings out the best in him, eventually, and makes him open up to seeing their world differently. When they first meet he rejects her proposition to dance and when she leaves Darcy criticises Elizabeth. “Darcy is clearly Elizabeth’s judge: he evaluates, her appearance…her character”(Gilman, 6). However, it is Elizabeth’s wit and intelligence that captures Darcy’s interest to want to know more.
Throughout their relationship they have arguments the more Elizabeth finds out about him and the more he judges her. Darcy continues to look like a bad guy, but without her knowing he helps her and her family. However, this helps him in his realization of his feelings for Elizabeth and also the realization of her feelings. Darcy’s pride goes down when he starts to go through his mental transition.“Darcy cannot be an acceptable husband until his moral imagination has been broadened enough to respect the dignity of those outside his class” (Johnson, 90). Elizabeth helps him guide his mind towards her way of thinking that class does not matter.
Elizabeth Bennet is a smart woman who thinks outside of society norms. She portrays someone who advocates for her family and doesn’t apologize for how she acts or is. She criticizes others, but is often wrong in the end about how people really are. “ Nevertheless, her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray” (SparkNotes, 1). Elizabeth creates a wrong opinion about Mr.Darcy causing her to only look at his bad qualities. She is quick to always assume the worst about him as if she is trying to look for a reason not to be attracted to him. “Elizabeth, after all, changes her mind about Darcy when she realizes how conscientiously he tends to the happiness of those in his charge” (Johnson, 88). The time she spent away from Darcy allowed her to process the events that happened and are happening. Her thought process changed and she viewed him differently after she was able to think on her own. “Elizabeth romantic victory is to decide that such truth is irrelevant when one can be absent-minded” (Greenfield, 347).
Pride and Prejudice implicates the meaning of what is it is to judge others and be judge by others. Austen shows us what’s to come when you judge someone by class or actions. Your judgement can get cloudy of others and you cannot think clearly for what you want yourself. “Criticism is false and love is true” (Gilman, 227). The story is presented to be a love story, but soon shows other meaning behind the plot. Austen gives us a message that class isn’t important when it comes to love. Also, that judgement can create problems that cause you to miss your opportunities. To this day Austen continues to be one of the best British authors and her works are still widely known.
