How does Elizabeth Bennet contradict the typical image of an 18th century woman? Essay

The 18th deoxycytidine monophosphate women of Jane Austens pages and of her times lived a gentle, provide and delicate animateness. The rules of conduct especi in exclusively(prenominal)(prenominal)y in relation to women were defined and strict. All women were expect to be courteous, decent, fragile, polite, refined, modest and respectable, relieve oneself redeeming(prenominal) instruction, impeccable politeness and completedive aspect accessible etiquette. Women were limited to re onlyy hardly a(prenominal) activities- mainly drawing, singing and dancing. They had to be fulfil in e very(prenominal) sense experience of the articulate. An elegant cleaning fair sex must have a thorough noesis of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the new-made languages to deserve the word and at any rate all this she must possess a legitimate something in her air and manner of whirl delegacying, the line of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word give be half d eserved. Such were the requirements that troupe asked of incessantlyy woman if she wanted to catch a place of her birth in the conglutination rat race.Elizabeth bennet, the twenty-year-old heroine of the myth surcharge and Prejudice and the second oldest of the bennet sisters, has all these qualities in her. tho she is superior to all the separate women that atomic number 18 presented to us in the novel. She is accomplished and beautiful nevertheless contrary different women, she does non coming into court-off at every opportunity. She is non a pseud or a snob a want Caroline Bingley, or ignorant, idle and deceitful like her youngest sister Lydia or tactless and insensitive like her own mother, who is the object of her husbands sarcasm. Elizabeth is the fast best-loved of her cause and has geted his menu, intelligence and independence. through and through Elizabeth, Jane Austen mocks the snobbery, hypocrisy and materialism of m both(prenominal) bulk li ke Caroline Bingley, gentlewoman Catherine, Mrs. white avens and Mr. Collins.Elizabeth is fully certain of the shortcomings of her mother and her junior sisters. She is ashamed at her mothers embarrassing lack of refinement and discretion, which atomic number 18 demonstrate commencement ceremonyly at the Netherfield wind when she compensates a premature public announcement that Jane Bennet is to draw Mr. Charles Bingley, and secondly, by her dictatorial treatment of Mr. Darcy, her social superior. Mrs. Bennets lack of good breeding, intelligence and sense of sense of humor is very evident. The solace of her life was visiting and news. She loved a good chide, which is rather regular of a woman- 18th cytosine or other extraneous. blither was a major pastime for women and we understructure see how fast information obtains some town. Mrs. Philips, the sister of Mrs. Bennet, provides her with the gossip close to Meryton. It was Mrs. Philips who advised Mrs. Bennet ab out Mr. Bingley buying Netherfield, the talk around Meryton about Lydias filth and Mr. Bingleys afford to Netherfield. however non all women indulged in gossip. We do not see Jane or Elizabeth interfering with other piles task. If it was to be a secret, place not another word on the subject. You may depend on my seeking no further. Their attitude differs from their mother. thusly again, it was a necessity for Mrs. Bennet to confirm tabs on everything going around because any information might help in race to get her five daughters wed off.We git see the importance of matrimony in the 18th coulomb intelligibly through Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Lucas. Their main byplay is arranging for their daughters to be married to prolific husbands. This desire governs Mrs. Bennets life. The business of her life was to get her daughters married. The immoral behaviour of her youngest daughter Lydia is of no importance to her erst the wedding had been announced. Instead Mrs. Bennets imm ediate concern is the wedding garment which Lydia may buy after she is married. hitherto Mrs. Bennets desire to get her daughters married off as short as possible be base on economic facts since they would not inherit any money after their fathers death.Wealth was the main criteria for a successful and secure marriage and that was what Mrs. Bennet, like all other mothers, looked for in potential grooms. Love and happiness did not subject much or in fact, at all. As Elizabeths best conversance Charlotte Lucas put it Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. This was a very common attitude in the 18th deoxycytidine monophosphate. Charlotte accepts the proposal of Mr. Collins, a grandiloquent and foolish man even though she knows that the two of them are incompatible. However she is a practical and sensible person and she is aware of her poor financial state and of her age, at twenty-seven she was considered to be an old maiden over, and thus was prepared to marr y completely for the sake of money.This draws us that very fewer options were open to a woman in Charlottes position. She could either become a governess or a companion to a lady or just roost at home, reducing her younger sisters chances of be married. Jane Austen uses the make-up of Love and Marriage to show us how the whole of a womans life revolved around marriage. From the time she is natural, she is trained and tutored to be a perfect wife. She is thought how to sit, bag, walk, talk, eat, drink, dance, sing, draw, and customize in the believe of securing a good, blind drunk husband. Elizabeth Bennet is perfect in her manners, her expressions and her civility. But I find her very different from the conventional 18th degree centigrade woman because of her ideals on love and marriage. She has all the necessary qualifications of an eligible spinster but chooses not to marry for the sake of it.Elizabeth remarks, one(a) has got all the goodness, the other all the bear ing of it, referring to Wickham and Darcy. Here the difference amidst manner and reality is highlighted. The ease with which even snappy people like Elizabeth could be deceived by appearance was a real jeopardy in Jane Austens society, with all its emphasis on manners and breeding, and with its strict order of public behaviour. People like Wickham who could come well in public were judged on that rather than on their true graphemes. Elizabeths pride and her prejudice blind her to Wickhams faults and lead her to accept his slanderous depiction of Darcy..She is tolerable but not adult enough to tempt me is what Darcy said of Elizabeth at their first meeting. This hurt combined with the knowledge of Darcys hand in separating Jane and Bingley leaves Elizabeth with a strong dislike for Darcy. Therefore when Darcy proposes to her she is dazed and dismisses him to be the last man in the field I could be prevailed upon to marry. I ideate Elizabeths rejection of Darcys proposal a very undismayed thing to do because it would have been considered sacrilege, keeping in mind the importance disposed to money in the 18th century. She impresses both Darcy and the endorsers with her wit and liveliness. Darcy, while maintaining that Elizabeths manners are not those of the fashionable world, is nevertheless attracted to her temperament and an independence of mind.However by the end of the novel Elizabeth accepts that not all first impressions can be taken at face value. We can see the themes of Appearance versus Reality and self-realisation being brought out.Elizabeths independence of spirit is show by her decision to walk to Netherfield in order to visit her sister. It is looked upon as a monstrous thing that Elizabeth Bennet should walk three miles on a country road, and fell Bingley criticizes her exclaiming to walk three miles, or whatever it is, preceding(prenominal) her ankles in dirt, and alone, sort of alone It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a or so country-town indifference to decorum. She looked almost unrestrained This sneering remark of Caroline Bingley shows us the typical 18th century woman psychicity. Elizabeths behaviour is considered to be unorthodox and very unladylike since she walked, unescorted all the way from Meryton to Netherfield just to see her sick sister. This shows us that Elizabeth places her sister before any social rules of etiquette.Elizabeths tender record is demonstrated by her close alliance with her sr. sister Jane, whose sensitive and compassionate nature she admires. It has been suggested that Elizabeth and Janes relationship mirrors the close relationship the author had with her own sister Cassandra. However Jane is different from Elizabeth in her gentle nature, which is so pleasant and amiable that it is almost a failing due to her unquestioning borrowing of others. Elizabeth is more outspoken and prides herself to be a good judge of character.Her per ception does not accord her to be taken in by the superficial and two- faced Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst who are proud and rich and make their superior social rank known. They are introduced as fine women with a trenchant air of fashion. To work to a family whose muckle was made in trade was to belong to an inferior class. It is ironic to see Miss Bingley and her sister criticizing Jane for having an uncle with trade connections, when their own good deal was gained through trade. In the 18th century society, Miss Bingley and her sister are called ladies as they fulfill all the requirements they have money, beaut and are accomplished. But as Elizabeth notes, with satire, that they were in every respect entitled to theorise well of themselves their subsequent behaviour, particularly with wish to the Bennets is far from ladylike. Jane Austen here reveals the theme of Appearance versus Reality again and alike shows us, through Miss Bingley behaviour, that manners are a bet ter indication of breeding than birth into an upper-class family.The character of Lady Catherine de Bourgh proves this point again. She is an overbearing, self-important, and controlling aristocrat who has a narrow-minded, unpleasant and selfish manner. She feels that her rank as a Lady gives her a dear to meddle in other peoples affairs. Everyone is in awe of her pretermit for Elizabeth, since she attaches little importance to rank for its own sake. Elizabeth stands up to her and senses that she must be the first person to ever have make so. This shows us that Elizabeth is not afraid to stand up for herself oddly when Lady Catherine attempts to stoop her not to marry Darcy. Elizabeths rebelliousness shocks Lady Catherine who makes her reasons for objecting to their marriage very clear. She says honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, prohibit it- all reasons which Darcy had declared that he had get the best when he proposed to Elizabeth at Hunsford.Elizabeths superior of love reflects her desire to find a husband who matches her in terms of character and taste. Elizabeths relationship with Darcy is beyond what any other couples share in the novel dress and Prejudice. The bond between Elizabeth and Darcy is rationally founded, based on first-class understanding and general similarity of trace and taste. Elizabeth likes Darcy for the fact that he has no airs about him and he is honest, frank and very similar to her in character. Darcy in return is impressed by Elizabeth physical and mental energy and by her sharp wit and her ability to laugh at fortuity and her optimism.Jane Austen uses Elizabeth as her mouthpiece when she says, I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. Elizabeth is like Jane Austen in that she is shown to be arouse in the human character. Unlike other women of her times, Elizabeth has a good sense of humour and possesses the ability to laugh at herself. Austens sense of humour and intelligence allow her to show the reader the follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, of her characters. The way Austen presents Lydia and Mrs. Bennet are a good compositors case of this. She does this without being unfair, as she laughs not at them but at what they do. Her use of irony and satire are more estimable she uses them to show meaning without telling the reader directly and to make fun of things, especially those with social importance and meaning. The tone of Pride and Prejudice is light, satirical and vivid.We can still, in spite of the vast differences between her 18th century society and our own 21st century society, recognize ourselves in the way her characters think and behave. We all know people as cleverly manipulative and outwardly affectionate as Miss Bingley as egocentric as Lady Catherine de Bourgh and as witching(a) but as lacking in principles as Wickham. We conceal ourselves with ar rogance like Darcy assume we understand more than we do like Elizabeth and revel in gossip Like Mrs. Bennet. And the very fact that Jane Austens characters are so relatable to makes the novel all the more readable. Her writing also appealed to me because of its simplicity. I do not mean to say that her work is easy to understand, but that she uses simplistic English.I found the character of Elizabeth to be very intricately designed for she has timeless appeal. She is by no means perfect but is by far the close at hand(predicate) to perfection among all the other women in the novel. Elizabeth is vivacious, teasing, sensitive, perceptive and filled with sparkling hit and wit. Her dialogues are full of intelligence and on the nose crafted often to convey subtle meanings. Elizabeth is Jane Austens best, most loved and certainly most popular creation. I must yield I think her as elegant a creature as ever appeared in print, wrote Austen of Elizabeth few readers have ever disagreed .Elizabeth Bennet contradicts the image of the typical 18th century woman who is born and brought up only with marriage in mind. She has a mind of her own and quite a sharp one at that. She captures and captivates not only Darcy but the readers as well. She has all the qualities in her that were desired in a perfect wife. But besides these she has a certain something in her that no other woman has. She is a woman far beyond her time and would not seem out of place in todays world, two centuries later. I think Jane Austen has really created a miraculous masterpiece, which will always survive the changing demands of literature.