Major Themes in Pride and Prejudice - Research Paper Example

? Major Themes in Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen , an 18th century novelist is well known for novels which portrayed the realistic life through her limited experience. Her critical and ironic visions about life were truly portrayed in her novels. Critics have praised her for her intense moral preoccupation and her exploration of meaning in the relationship of her world and the world of actuality. Pride and Prejudice is one of the most loved novels of Jane Austen .Published during 1813 , the novel tells an intensely personal story in which the money mindedness and pride of the then people influence the family life. This novel untangles the victory of true love above all obstacles of financial security and status offered to all on the basis monetary benefits. Jane Austen’s views about marriage and married life are conveyed effectively through the characters she introduced. The influence of pride and prejudice in the familial relations and how family controls the society and its norms above all how the self realization leads to recognize the true love etc are magnificently woven in the novel. Thus the novel is a social commentary. The novel starts with ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a god fortune must be in want of a wife’(p 5). Austen exposes the main idea of the novel, loveless marriage in this context. The characters Austen uses to expose this idea are Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy. It is evident that Elizabeth Bennet is a tool in the hands of Austen to reveal her own ideas about marriage. Elizabeth is freer than anyone to break the societal conventions and accept a man whom she likes. She stresses the point that marrying for reasons other than ‘love is ridiculous’ . Elizabeth considers Mr. Collin as “conceited, pompous narrow minded, silly man (P115). This reaction is beyond the concepts of the then society. Darcy reveals his sense pride and authority when Bingley suggests to dance with Elizabeth. He says “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me and I am in no honor at present to give consequences to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me” . But later in the novel we could see the happy union of Elizabeth and Darcy. We could see Darcy recognized his own appreciation towards Elizabeth. He approaches her with his open heart ,”In vain I have struggled ,it will not do. My feelings will not be repressed you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire you and love you”(P 157). The exposure of the real mindset happens here when Elizabeth starts to see him in a new light. Thus prejudice in Elizabeth and that of Pride in Darcy begin to drop. The true vision of Austen about marriage is the keynote of the novel. The marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth is based on true love. It is not the love at first sight. It needs appropriate circumstance to develop. Here Darcy understands that Elizabeth is his fittest choice in life. It is the advice to the readers that the real relation must be established on love, not on external beauty. Proper understanding of both the partners is necessary lead a happy married life. The life of other lovers like Wickham and Lydia Mr. and Mrs Bennet, Charlotte and Mr. Collins is portrayed to delineate what she was specifying in the relation of Darcy and Elizabeth. The life without enough understanding will definitely end in chaos and anarchy. The life of Lydia and Wickham shows this inexperience and ignorance. Lydia gives importance to money and status . Wickham also has the same ground. When Lydia announces her love immediately Wickham was ready to accept her as his wife. Thus Austen presents loveless marriage in contrast to true marriage successfully. Familial relations in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet is explained by Austen as “he had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her. Respect esteem and confidence had vanished for ever(194). The life of Jane and Bingely is rooted only in bodily attractions. Early in the novel Bingley makes comments about Jane as” She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld(130. But love between them was genuine and fit to lead a happy married life because they share love and respect equally. The treatment of women is another predominant them closely related to family. The novel is a warning note to the then society who places women in custody and sets limitations to her actions and voices. They are confined safely in the house and never expected to step out of that social norms. When Elizabeth comes with mud-covered skirt Mrs Bingley and other friends are conscious about it. Lydia’s decision to live with Wickham without wedlock is really a blow to Bennet family. Here Austen approaches this matter very seriously. Another important point stressed here is the treatment of class consciousness the middle class and upper class family. Pride and Prejudice is about the pride of Elizabeth and prejudice of Darcy who succeeds in winning Elizabeth. In Chapter 5 Mary says “Human nature is particularly prone to pride. In the novel pride prevent the characters from seeing the truth of a situation and thus preventing them from achieving happiness in life. The main obstacle in the way of marriage is between Darcy and Elizabeth is Pride. Darcy has such high social status that leads him initially to scorn anyone outside of his social circle. Elizabeth’s vanity makes her think bad about Darcy and like Wickham. But we could see at end Elizabeth make Darcy realize his faults and change his behavior. Austen mocks at this class division by presenting Mr. Collins in relation to Lady Catherine. Mr. Darcy is another character who claims to be aristocratic. Mrs. Bingley is also like that. She never makes company with people who are not socially accepted.. Raging against the divisions in the society, Austen places love and happiness in married life above all other conventions. Money also plays its own role in the novel. The 19th century attitude towards money is well pictured in this novel. Just for gaining financial security Charlotte marries a man whom she does not love. Bennet family suffers with the entailment of Longbourn estate and their daughters are in poor financial state due to that. Austen tells us that both men and women are equally capable but the mindset of the society is to be changed. Here Elizabeth acts more freely to marry a man whom she loves than setting her future economically sound. The set rules of the society play major roles in the life of individuals. Individuals are bound to the society and also as the members of the society we want to fulfill the expectations of the society. Austen tells us that the society has the power to introduce certain virtues in the life of individual. Individuals should channelize their interest and ambitions reasonably to lead a good life. From the family, an individual is molded up. Family is responsible for the physical, rational and ethical development of children.Mr. and Mrs. Bennet failed to bring up her properly and that leads to the shamelessness immorality and playfulness. Elizabeth and Jane have polished nature due their chances of education even though their parents neglected them. Elizabeth was there to advice her father about Lydia, but he ignored the words and felt the difficulty with Lydia and her elopement with Wickham. The theme of marriage, family money or power of wealth , women etc makes the novel an outstanding one . The views presented in the novel is well read and appreciated even after centuries because of its relevance. The depiction of marriage and the related beliefs and convections are still in practice. Austen always stresses the point that in familial relation money and class never matters but the mutual understanding of the partners. The novel shows the intense world of the feminine characters of the 19th century where the middle class women struggle to get a life for themselves. Though the setting may be odd to the present generation, the message put across through the novel is quite relevant especially for the youngsters. Work Cited Austen , Jane, Pride and Prejudice , Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1956.. Read More