Development 'No [woman] can be esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved.'(Austen chapter 8) This quote was stated by Austen's character Miss. Bingley and I believe that she represents the many females in Austen’s life in the 1800s who lack empowerment. Miss Bingley states all of the purely superficial things that she defines as a woman and calls that empowerment. In the book this is strongly opposed by the character Elizabeth and through her character development Jane Austen beautifully portrays her as a woman in her period who is more than a housewife. Elizabeth is intelligent and she doesn't conform to the social norms and Austen did the same thing by writing this book in her period. Jane Austen lived in 19th century England and this made it very poignant in her novel Pride and Prejudice through her avant-garde thoughts in Elizabeth’s character development, for instance, her views on marriage, her views on materialism, and her feelings toward the hierarchical system of classes.
Nowadays, many discuss the fact that marriage may be becoming an archaic tradition. During the 1800s women viewed marriage as a necessity, rather than just a choice. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen characterizes Elizabeth Bennet in a very progressive way for her era, whereas the character Mr. Collins is portrayed as the average egocentric male. I believe that Collins shows the truth of the egocentrism men depicted, especially during this period. In his marriage proposal to Elizabeth, Mr. Collins is convinced that she will accept, to the point where his overconfidence becomes arrogant. 'My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish; secondly, that I am convinced that it will add very greatly to my happiness; and thirdly—which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honor of calling patroness…”(Austen 19.9). His proposal is extremely bland, disregarding the fact that proposals should capture the everlasting love you feel for your significant other. Due to this, Elizabeth declines his proposal very harshly leaving him in shock. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth’s mother Mrs. Bennet is portrayed as a loud opinionated woman whose only goal in life is to have her daughters married off. Mrs. Bennet often repels the men whom she tries to attract for her daughters, so when Mr. Collins comes into the picture and states that he intends to marry one of her daughters, she gladly lets him have his choice. After Elizabeth’s declination of the proposal, Mrs. Bennett attempts to disown her. This was because they were a middle-class family during this period, and Austen depicts the class consciousness through the mother, by her forcing her daughters to marry into the higher class society. Austen opposes the status quo of the period, by Elizabeth’s feelings when she first enters Pemberley.
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In the 1800’s, it was a dream of many women to marry rich and live a lavish lifestyle. Elizabeth on the contrary felt uncomfortable around that way of life. “Elizabeth was distressed. She felt that she had no business at Pemberley, and was obliged to assume a disinclination for seeing it. She must own that she was tired of seeing great houses; after going over so many, she had no pleasure in fine carpets or satin curtains.”(Austen chapter 42) Elizabeth had no desire to see Pemberley, even though her Aunt was pressuring her to view this place she had heard so much about. This is very abnormal for the period due to its extreme materialism and the compulsive need to gain a luxurious way of living. In this period, women had little to no free will, especially if they were not already in a high class. Austen writes the Bennets as a middle-class family, and in that period, they were often looked down upon, especially if they were trying to fit in with the high society. Mrs. Bennett would force the girls to go to fancy parties and balls in hopes that the girls to someday have that lifestyle instead of the life they currently lived on their farm estate. Jane Austen writes Elizabeth in a very different way than her sisters, they are a lot more compliant and shallow. Elizabeth is characterized as a very intelligent woman who doesn’t need a million things or a man to be happy. The way Jane Austen wrote Elizabeth was very, in the period, scandalous. Thinking that a woman didn’t need to be satisfied by these things in life was very forward-thinking.
Elizabeth may be middle class, yet she doesn’t feel the need to social climb to a higher class despite familial pressures. Elizabeth’s family is at risk of losing their inheritance because only men can inherit money. The benefactor of the estate is Mr. Collins. The second half of this marriage proposal shows how he wants her to be his wife because she cannot inherit her family's estate. Collins “But the fact is, that being, as I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honored father (who, however, may live many years longer), I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible, when the melancholy event takes place—which, however, as I have already said, may not be for several years. (Austen Chapter 19). The ugly truth is that in the 1800s women could not inherit anything from their families, so they would not have anything to live off of unless they were married. When Elizabeth declines his marriage proposal he is very confused because she turned down her ticket to her family's estate. Austen, even though she was only alive during this period, writes her as the modern-day woman who wants to marry for love. Elizabeth doesn’t care about the insurance that she will live out her days with money, she cares about the happiness she will obtain if she finds a man that she is in love with. Through the setting, Jane Austen shaped this novel. She showed through the character Elizabeth that no matter what period you live in, women always have rights. She wrote her progressive thoughts on marriage, her views on materialism, and her feelings toward the unnecessary need for class consciousness. Because of strong empowered women like Jane Austen, we all can feel a sense of pride in ourselves.
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