Jane Austen, a writer ambitious and aspiring to educate others through her books. In Pride and Prejudice she condemns pride. In the “capitalistic” lens, marriages are based on gender, wealth, social standing, and status. Jane Austen suggests in her novel to change this “capitalistic” lens into a moral one that focuses on character. Humans have always had a tendency to judge someone before they even meet them. During Victorian times, the class of a person defined their identity. Jane Austen incorporated this type of judgment throughout the novel. The characters of the novel judged one another based primarily on class and gender. These were further defined by the characters’ judgments about a character’s appearance, relationships, and money. Austen criticizes traditional judgments in her novel through relationships. By the end, Austen criticizes these traditional judgments through the relationships in the novel.
It is widely believed that a person is a reflection of the people with whom they associate. It is because of this that any mistake made by an individual in their social circle will reflect negatively on them. In the opening lines of the novel, it is stated that “it is universally accepted that a man with a fortune will need a wife”. Austen makes the point that women are a necessity in society for men who have money. Pride and Prejudice is so reliant on the opinions of society that it makes many decisions based upon what they think. When he proposed to Elizabeth, Mr. Collins said, “I couldn’t satisfy myself without resolving that I would choose a bride from his daughters so that they might suffer as little loss as possible when the sad event had occurred”. Mr. Collins married Elizabeth to make the transition easier when her dad died and Mr. Collins became the owner of the home. Elizabeth was not the main reason Mr. Collins proposed to her. It was more likely that he was motivated by who Elizabeth’s parents were. Within the novel, familiarity is also used to keep characters apart. In a letter to Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy writes: “But in spite of the faults of your nearest relation, and the displeasure you feel at their portrayal, may it comfort you to think that the fact that you have avoided any such censure shows your praise …”. Darcy explained to Elizabeth that he was trying to keep Bingley out of Jane’s family because she wasn’t good enough for Bingley. Despite the society’s disapproval, Mr. Bingley eventually married her. The marriage of Mr. Bingley to Jane shows that the couple was able overcome society’s opinion and maintain a stable relationship. Austen shows the weakening of social judgements by using acquaintances throughout the novel.
It is most often done by judging the characters’ social/economic status. An individual’s income can be a good indicator of their ability to provide for themselves and family. It was Mr. Bingley’s money that was widely known in the town when no one met him. Mrs. Bennett stated that Mr. Bingley was a single man with great fortune, earning four to five thousand dollars per year. What a nice thing to do for the girls!” Mrs. Bennet made her decision based solely on Mr. Bingley’s fortune. This shows that money was a major factor in the period. Lady Catherine had a very different opinion of Elizabeth. Lady Catherine was furious when she heard that Elizabeth had a chance to marry Darcy. Her opinion is clear when she says, “The cocky pretensions a young lady without family or connections can have.” Do we have to endure this? But it can’t be.” There is no doubt that Lady Catherine’s judgments of Elizabeth were based on material factors, such as her fortune and other things. They did not reflect Elizabeth as she truly was. Every marriage proposal seems to revolve around money. M. Wickham’s marriage to Lydia was solely motivated by economic considerations. In a correspondence to Mr. Bennet Mr. Gardiner explained: “All you need to do is ensure that your daughter receives her fair share of the five-thousand-pounds secured for your children by settlement”. In the letter, Mr. Gardiner explained that “all you have to do is ensure your daughter’s equal share of the five thousand pounds secured among your children”. Lydia’s marriage would have been accepted in society due to Mr. Wickham’s class. Austen uses a relationship like this to show the strength of relationships that are formed because of class.
Pride and Prejudice focuses on the physical appearances of individuals to determine status. When Darcy met Elizabeth, he stated that she was “tolerable, but is not handsome” enough to tempt him. He also said he had no interest in punishing young women who were slighted. Darcy stated that Elizabeth didn’t meet his standard of beauty, and so was not worth his company. Elizabeth’s beauty was not the only thing that was used to judge her. “…after Elizabeth walked across muddy fields in order to visit her sister who was sick, her appearance surprised many people… and Elizabeth became convinced that she had been treated with contempt. It was deemed un-ladylike that she looked dirty. Netherfield women judged Elizabeth based on her appearance, not her intentions for going to Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet stated that, when describing the Lucases: “But every person is entitled to their own opinion, and I can assure you, the Lucases make a great group of girls.” I’m sorry they aren’t handsome! She said the Lucases, although they are beautiful girls were less than worthy of her because they didn’t look as pretty as her daughters.
The expectations of society for women remain stifled. Austen explains that a woman’s scandalous conduct affects her entire family. Lydia, for instance, had an affair with a man other than her husband. This affected her family and her name. The same is true today. Most cultures prohibit a woman from sleeping with a husband if they are not together. She can ruin the family name by refusing to adhere to this tradition. Austen shows the absurdity of the demands placed on women by society through Lydia. Marriage and reputations are easily destroyed. The novel also discussed the issues of socio-economic class and appearance. Women were encouraged to marry wealthy men in order to support their families and enjoy a better quality of life. Women can’t live independently because they cannot get a good job. The majority of women depend on men. It is the same concept as most European families. Most parents want their child to marry a man with a high social status/income so they can be financially stable. Parents sometimes pick a partner that their daughters don’t like just for the sake of economic stability. Jane Austen takes a strong stance against marriages that are solely for economic reasons. She argues that marriages should be founded on love. She explains to her readers how to categorize social classes. Another way to classify social classes is based on values such as morality, intelligence, and virtue.
