Introduction
The novel pride and prejudice was written by Jane Austen in the eighteen century to portray different views about social classes and relationships in society using different characters. It shows how social status and wealth determine people's relationships and connections in the community. Also, the novel portrays the typical life of a family in the eighteen century, where every member has an ambition of achieving something new. In this novel, different characters have helped in the development of the plot, giving a clear understanding of the story. The story is captivating by addressing social classes, love, and money through the main character, known as Elizabeth. Her relationships with her family and friends depict the struggles each character face to become successful and hence, displaying happiness at the end. This paper will give an in-depth discussion on how social classes and social manners have affected today's society through Elizabeth's Character.
Elizabeth, the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, has played a vital role in the development of the plot throughout the story. In the novel, Elizabeth is an honest person and an open-minded woman whose self-assurance comes after critical thinking. This is expressed through the dialogue with her sister Jane after the ball event. In the conversation, Elizabeth clearly explained her negative feelings towards Bingley and stated the reason to dislike him. In the book, Elizabeth openly acknowledges her father's failures on the matter concerning manners when her sister Lydia ran away with Wickham, she urges her father to teach her young sister social manners, which will help in the self-realization of her siblings. Besides, she has shown efforts on the elimination of social discrimination in society on matters concerning social classes.
According to the novel, Elizabeth is a self-centered person, and people do not easily influence her in making life decisions but through self-realization. The first occasion that supports this statement is during the ball event, Bingley asks Elizabeth to dance with her, but she declines the offer. Elizabeth refusing the proposal shows that she does not obey societal rules about social classes despite knowing that Bingley was of high rank (Austen). The novel also states that Elizabeth rejects Collin's proposal, who expected to marry her after realizing that she was almost the same age as Jane, who was engaged to Bingley. Throughout the story, Elizabeth continues to demonstrate the importance of self-realization and the significance of deciding without being interfered with by people's decisions in society.
Elizabeth is a troublesome person who quickly annoys people who offend her by teasing them with humor. Several dialogues held by Jane and Elizabeth consisted of many fun. After the ball event, Elizabeth asks Jane why people praised Bingley so much, yet he is just as handsome as any other young man. Elizabeth has utilized a sense of humor during their numerous conversation with Darcy (Austen). Humor has helped in exposing Elizabeth's character and has led to the enlightenment of Elizabeth's character throughout the novel.
From the analysis, Elizabeth is an admirable character despite her judgemental nature; she tries to convince her father that she is marrying Darcy for love and that material wealth does not determine a happy marriage (Yu 678). Her biggest dream was to find a partner who is loving and caring, despite the societal rules about marriages.
Elizabeth is a caring and bold woman who wants the best for her sisters, and she is never shaken by societal rules about social manners and money. This is stated in the story, where Elizabeth questions Mr. Darcy for stopping Jane's marriage with Bingley and demands a quick response from him. Also, when Elizabeth received the information that Lydia ran away with Wickham, she unexpectedly leaves Mr. Darcy homestead despite having enjoyed the stay. Elizabeth also shows the act of caring when she visits her sister Jane in the Netherlands, who had developed a cold.
The marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy is a clear reflection that marriage is not all about satisfying own desires but appreciating one weakness dealing with it with maturity. The novel explains the conflicts between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy; for example, Mr. Darchy praises himself for cancelingBingleys and Jane's wedding despite knowing that it will hurt Elizabeth. Elizabeth has declined two marriage proposals from Mr. Darcy due to his judgemental nature, but in the end, she realizes that Darcy is a great man, and she has been wrong throughout. Despite their different views about marriage, they both accepted their failures, which helped them to live happily ever after.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Elizabeth realizes his blindness concerning love and prejudice. She is attractive but does not hesitate to make quick judgments first impression. She presents the act of honesty throughout the novel, as she tells Jane about her feeling towards Bingley. From the book, lack of self-awareness may lead one to be judgemental and may lead to sadness. Elizabeth urges his father to teach some moral lessons to her sister Lydia. The novel shows that social wealth should not be a key factor when finding a spouse like Elizabeth. One should learn how to overcome his or her pride and how to overcome prejudice to enjoy their love life, like Elizabeth and Darcy.
