Pride and Prejudice Essay
The Social Conflicts of 19th Century England A woman without her man is nothing. A woman, without her, man is nothing. The first statement implies that a woman needs a man to be valued. In the second statement, the roles are switched and suggest that man needs a woman to be something. Both statements praise the identical concept of needing the opposite sex to be something. "When something is missing in your life, it usually turns out to be someone" - Robert Brault. Can obtaining the opposite sex as a mate be morally justified to make something of yourself? Or is acquiring a companion just a means of selfish lusts and desires? People marry for many different reasons, sometimes for love and sometimes for other selfish reasons such as increased wealth and reputation. In the 19th century, a controversy arose over what the true foundation and purpose for marriage should be. The basis of this conflict was whether one should let reason or emotion be the guide of their love life and if a balance between the two could be maintained. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen creates her protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, to be a strikingly unconventional female with respect to her time. Mr. Darcy is described to be the archetype of an aloof romantic hero, an aristocrat, a comparable Prince Charming. Austen 's influential novel "Pride and Prejudice", written in 1813 portrays the underlying satirized themes of women and femininity, love and class, as this narrative effectively illustrates the different social conflicts of 19th century England. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen paints the different issues involving women, femininity and the stereotypical depiction of women being housewives during the 19th century. The novel demonstrates how people such as the character Charlotte need to marry men they may not love, simply to gain financial security. The novel offers a startlingly complete continuum of women characters, such as Lydia and Mrs. Bennet on one side as the least responsible
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