Themes Of Pride and Prejudice
Theme Of Love
Pride and Prejudice contains one of the
most cherished love stories in English
literature: the courtship between Darcy
and Elizabeth . As in any good love story,
the lovers must elude and overcome
numerous stumbling blocks, beginning
with the tensions caused by the lovers’
own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s pride
makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of
a poor first impression, while Darcy’s
prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social
standing blinds him, for a time, to her
many virtues. (Of course, one could also
say that Elizabeth is guilty of prejudice
and Darcy of pride—the title cuts both
ways.) Austen, meanwhile, poses
countless smaller obstacles to the
realization of the love between Elizabeth
and Darcy, including Lady Catherine’s
attempt to control her nephew, Miss
Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s idiocy,
and Wickham’s deceit. In each case,
anxieties about social connections, or the
desire for better social connections,
interfere with the workings of love. Darcy
and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual
and tender love seems to imply that
Austen views love as something
independent of these social forces, as
something that can be captured if only an
individual is able to escape the warping
effects of hierarchical society. Austen
does sound some more realist (or, one
could say, cynical) notes about love, using the character of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central characters, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most difficult of circumstances.
Theme Of Reputation
Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in
which a woman’s reputation is of the
utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme
appears in the novel, when Elizabeth
walks to Netherfield and arrives with
muddy skirts, to the shock of the
reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered,
ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives
her a bad reputation with the more refined(and snobbish) Darcys and Bingleys.
Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in
these examples, but later in the novel,
when Lydia elopes with Wickham and
lives with him out of wedlock, the author
treats reputation as a very serious matter.
By becoming Wickham’s lover without
benefit of marriage, Lydia clearly places
herself outside the social pale, and her
disgrace threatens the entire Bennet
family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment,
however terrible, would likely have
condemned the other Bennet sisters to
marriageless lives seems grossly unfair.
Why should Elizabeth’s reputation suffer
along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention
on the Bennets’ behalf thus becomes all
the more generous, but some readers
might resent that such an intervention was necessary at all. If Darcy’s money had failed to convince Wickham to marry
Lydia, would Darcy have still married
Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of
prejudice extend that far? The happy
ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly
emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the
importance placed on reputation,
unexplored.
Theme of Intellectual Pride
This is so pronounced in the novel
where Darcy alienates himself from other
people due to pride. This is seen where he acted so snobbishly with lot f superiority when they encountered for the first time on the ball with Benet leading to them being turned off. In his loving of Elizabeth,Darcy acted so proudly to a point whereby, Elizabeth was disgusted due to his behavior leading her to despise him so much. We see him debasing Elizabeth family so much even after proposing to
her for marriage. Nevertheless, to ensure
that he wins her love back and marry her,
Darcy had to look at her life once again
and change her intense pride to ensure
that he makes her happy (Catherine,
2005).
In addition, there is the intellectual pride
that is portrayed by Mr. Benet to Mary
who is the sister that he likes mocking
around. In the novel Benet makes mockery of Mary by talking to her and saying,
"what say you Mary? For you are a young
lady of deep reflection I know, and read
great books, and makes extracts." At this
point, Mary felt that that was a mockery
and felt that she should say something but held her breath knowing that it was not the right time to say it. Out of his pride,
he never let Mary to adjust her ideas to
respond to him, but suggested that they
should go back to Mr. Bigley.
Catherine De Bough is seen to be so proud of her elf due to the social status that she is in. she is seen to base her pride in the wealth and the privileges that the wealth bring along with making her overestimate her ability. Her pride show that she is capable of d0oing anything. According to the novel, her pride is shown through the
statement that she makes. She says,
"There are few people in England, I
suppose, who have more true enjoyment
of music than me, or a better natural
taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have
been a great proficient." That mere pride
is not supported by any aspect of her life.
Otherwise, no matter the wealth that she
has and privileges that the wealth bring
along her way, it does not mean that she
is capable of doing everything.
.
Her pride is able to drift her to think that
her feelings are the only important one.
She talks rudely with little or no conscious
that she is doing so. She said that, "I have
told Miss Bennet several times, that she
will never play really well, unless she
practices more; and though Mrs. Collins
has no instrument, she is very welcome,
as I have often told her, to come to
Rosings every day, and play on the piano
forte in Mrs. Jenison's room. She would
be in nobody's way, you know, in that part
of the house,'' (Austen, chapter 35). This
showa the level that the Mrs. Catherine
had due to the status she had to an extent of the pride being so rooted in her that even by making insensible statement she does not realize she is rude
Theme of Prejudice
Prejudice has also been very rampant in
this book where several people undermine others mostly due to their education and economic status. According to the novel,
Elizabeth had some prejudice issues to
deal with. Darcy who economically was
stable but was constantly hurt by the issue of his prejudice by undermining her family loved her. It took time for Elizabeth to overcome her lover's prejudices that were always followed with arrogance and
snobbery. Elizabeth is portrayed to be very caring and she was hated the things that Darcy said about her family that seemed to be so belittling (Catherine, 2005).
The following conversation show the level at which prejudice has been heighted by especially Darcy in the way he gives his regards towards Jane Bennet according to Austen chapter 8, he says;
""I have an excessive regard for Jane
Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and
I wish with all my heart she were well
settled. But with such a father and
mother, and such low connections, I am
afraid there is no chance of it.''
"I think I have heard you say, that their
uncle is an attorney in Meryton.''
"Yes; and they have another, who lives
somewhere near Cheapside.''
"That is capital,'' added her sister, and
they both laughed heartily.
"If they had uncles enough to fill all
Cheapside,'' cried Bingley, ``it would not
make them one jot less agreeable.''
"But it must very materially lessen their
chance of marrying men of any
consideration in the world,'' replied Darcy.
This conversation shows the level of the
prejudice that Darcy had for the lower
class people. According to him, the idea
of living in Cheapside and Meryton was
because of inferiority of the economic
status. They really hold them with very
low regard.
Theme of Class And
Economic Inequality
In the novel, the line between those who
have and those who have not are clearly
drawn. This is a clear reflection of what
was happening in England at the time.
Although the Bennet middle class family,
they possibly mingled with their counter-
parts in upper class. Nonetheless, it is
evident that they felt inferior and were
indeed treated as such. The issue of class consciousness is shown when Mr. Collins takes most of his time bootlicking those in the upper class- Lady Catherine. Similarly,
Darcy is of the opinion that his lineage of
dignity to him, on the same line Miss
Bingley hates those that are not socially
acceptable to her (Pat 45). Individuals
also strive to climb the social ladder as
shown by Wickham who is ready to go in
doing extra ordinary things to acquire
social class. However, the novel in a
succinct manner proves that through
marriage, love as well as happiness
brought about by it breaks the chains of
social class.
There are clear evidences that economic
inequality facing women at the time
forced them to marry partners that were
undesirable so to speak so that they could gain financial security. A typical example of such marriage was between Collin and Lucas Charlotte who was ready to even mess with her own life but be with a rich man who could fulfill her financial needs.
This is condemned by the author. It is also financial inequality that makes Mrs.
Bennet to arrange suitors to her daughters and one of her daughters, Elizabeth says of her sister Jane, "If Jane should die, it would be comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley"
Theme Of Love
Pride and Prejudice contains one of the
most cherished love stories in English
literature: the courtship between Darcy
and Elizabeth . As in any good love story,
the lovers must elude and overcome
numerous stumbling blocks, beginning
with the tensions caused by the lovers’
own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s pride
makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of
a poor first impression, while Darcy’s
prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social
standing blinds him, for a time, to her
many virtues. (Of course, one could also
say that Elizabeth is guilty of prejudice
and Darcy of pride—the title cuts both
ways.) Austen, meanwhile, poses
countless smaller obstacles to the
realization of the love between Elizabeth
and Darcy, including Lady Catherine’s
attempt to control her nephew, Miss
Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s idiocy,
and Wickham’s deceit. In each case,
anxieties about social connections, or the
desire for better social connections,
interfere with the workings of love. Darcy
and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual
and tender love seems to imply that
Austen views love as something
independent of these social forces, as
something that can be captured if only an
individual is able to escape the warping
effects of hierarchical society. Austen
does sound some more realist (or, one
could say, cynical) notes about love, using the character of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central characters, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most difficult of circumstances.
Theme Of Reputation
Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in
which a woman’s reputation is of the
utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme
appears in the novel, when Elizabeth
walks to Netherfield and arrives with
muddy skirts, to the shock of the
reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered,
ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives
her a bad reputation with the more refined(and snobbish) Darcys and Bingleys.
Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in
these examples, but later in the novel,
when Lydia elopes with Wickham and
lives with him out of wedlock, the author
treats reputation as a very serious matter.
By becoming Wickham’s lover without
benefit of marriage, Lydia clearly places
herself outside the social pale, and her
disgrace threatens the entire Bennet
family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment,
however terrible, would likely have
condemned the other Bennet sisters to
marriageless lives seems grossly unfair.
Why should Elizabeth’s reputation suffer
along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention
on the Bennets’ behalf thus becomes all
the more generous, but some readers
might resent that such an intervention was necessary at all. If Darcy’s money had failed to convince Wickham to marry
Lydia, would Darcy have still married
Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of
prejudice extend that far? The happy
ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly
emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the
importance placed on reputation,
unexplored.
Theme of Intellectual Pride
This is so pronounced in the novel
where Darcy alienates himself from other
people due to pride. This is seen where he acted so snobbishly with lot f superiority when they encountered for the first time on the ball with Benet leading to them being turned off. In his loving of Elizabeth,Darcy acted so proudly to a point whereby, Elizabeth was disgusted due to his behavior leading her to despise him so much. We see him debasing Elizabeth family so much even after proposing to
her for marriage. Nevertheless, to ensure
that he wins her love back and marry her,
Darcy had to look at her life once again
and change her intense pride to ensure
that he makes her happy (Catherine,
2005).
In addition, there is the intellectual pride
that is portrayed by Mr. Benet to Mary
who is the sister that he likes mocking
around. In the novel Benet makes mockery of Mary by talking to her and saying,
"what say you Mary? For you are a young
lady of deep reflection I know, and read
great books, and makes extracts." At this
point, Mary felt that that was a mockery
and felt that she should say something but held her breath knowing that it was not the right time to say it. Out of his pride,
he never let Mary to adjust her ideas to
respond to him, but suggested that they
should go back to Mr. Bigley.
Catherine De Bough is seen to be so proud of her elf due to the social status that she is in. she is seen to base her pride in the wealth and the privileges that the wealth bring along with making her overestimate her ability. Her pride show that she is capable of d0oing anything. According to the novel, her pride is shown through the
statement that she makes. She says,
"There are few people in England, I
suppose, who have more true enjoyment
of music than me, or a better natural
taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have
been a great proficient." That mere pride
is not supported by any aspect of her life.
Otherwise, no matter the wealth that she
has and privileges that the wealth bring
along her way, it does not mean that she
is capable of doing everything.
.
Her pride is able to drift her to think that
her feelings are the only important one.
She talks rudely with little or no conscious
that she is doing so. She said that, "I have
told Miss Bennet several times, that she
will never play really well, unless she
practices more; and though Mrs. Collins
has no instrument, she is very welcome,
as I have often told her, to come to
Rosings every day, and play on the piano
forte in Mrs. Jenison's room. She would
be in nobody's way, you know, in that part
of the house,'' (Austen, chapter 35). This
showa the level that the Mrs. Catherine
had due to the status she had to an extent of the pride being so rooted in her that even by making insensible statement she does not realize she is rude
Theme of Prejudice
Prejudice has also been very rampant in
this book where several people undermine others mostly due to their education and economic status. According to the novel,
Elizabeth had some prejudice issues to
deal with. Darcy who economically was
stable but was constantly hurt by the issue of his prejudice by undermining her family loved her. It took time for Elizabeth to overcome her lover's prejudices that were always followed with arrogance and
snobbery. Elizabeth is portrayed to be very caring and she was hated the things that Darcy said about her family that seemed to be so belittling (Catherine, 2005).
The following conversation show the level at which prejudice has been heighted by especially Darcy in the way he gives his regards towards Jane Bennet according to Austen chapter 8, he says;
""I have an excessive regard for Jane
Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and
I wish with all my heart she were well
settled. But with such a father and
mother, and such low connections, I am
afraid there is no chance of it.''
"I think I have heard you say, that their
uncle is an attorney in Meryton.''
"Yes; and they have another, who lives
somewhere near Cheapside.''
"That is capital,'' added her sister, and
they both laughed heartily.
"If they had uncles enough to fill all
Cheapside,'' cried Bingley, ``it would not
make them one jot less agreeable.''
"But it must very materially lessen their
chance of marrying men of any
consideration in the world,'' replied Darcy.
This conversation shows the level of the
prejudice that Darcy had for the lower
class people. According to him, the idea
of living in Cheapside and Meryton was
because of inferiority of the economic
status. They really hold them with very
low regard.
Theme of Class And
Economic Inequality
In the novel, the line between those who
have and those who have not are clearly
drawn. This is a clear reflection of what
was happening in England at the time.
Although the Bennet middle class family,
they possibly mingled with their counter-
parts in upper class. Nonetheless, it is
evident that they felt inferior and were
indeed treated as such. The issue of class consciousness is shown when Mr. Collins takes most of his time bootlicking those in the upper class- Lady Catherine. Similarly,
Darcy is of the opinion that his lineage of
dignity to him, on the same line Miss
Bingley hates those that are not socially
acceptable to her (Pat 45). Individuals
also strive to climb the social ladder as
shown by Wickham who is ready to go in
doing extra ordinary things to acquire
social class. However, the novel in a
succinct manner proves that through
marriage, love as well as happiness
brought about by it breaks the chains of
social class.
There are clear evidences that economic
inequality facing women at the time
forced them to marry partners that were
undesirable so to speak so that they could gain financial security. A typical example of such marriage was between Collin and Lucas Charlotte who was ready to even mess with her own life but be with a rich man who could fulfill her financial needs.
This is condemned by the author. It is also financial inequality that makes Mrs.
Bennet to arrange suitors to her daughters and one of her daughters, Elizabeth says of her sister Jane, "If Jane should die, it would be comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley"