In the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ written by Jane Austin Is the conflict between Elizabeth and Dared. Set against the Regency Period when marrying well was the main route to financial security for women ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a novel revolving around Elizabeth Bennett-one of five unattached sisters as she refuses to marry for anything but love which makes her the heroine of the novel.
This conflict represents the pinnacle of Dairy’s pride and Elizabethan prejudice which are two of the key ideas in the growing of their relationship which expand onto describing important themes in the novel. Austin very skillfully uses this conflict as a climax in the novel hence explaining her choice of the title of the book. The theme that Austin explores through the altercation of Dared and Elizabeth Is pride. Dairy’s character is portrayed as a proud wealthy man from the upper class.
This is shown with Darers proposal of marriage to Elizabeth where he contradicts himself for In spite of saying that he loves her he highlights Elizabethan subject to lower class and inferiority. This understandably offends Elizabeth and she rejects his reports after which she asks:” … Why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting me, you choose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? One may think that Elizabeth should be flattered that Dared proposes to her penthouse with that action he goes against all the unwritten but nevertheless known rules of the upper class to keep the bloodline pure. Dared makes it apparent that he is proud of his status in society through his arguments. Through this conflict the reader is introduced to Dairy’s pride and wrought that the Idea of the Importance of class structure at the time of the Regency Period.
With Darers pride Austin shows the attitude of the upper class people to the lower class people and that the class system was even stronger than true love. Furthermore, Austin uses the conflict between Dared and Elizabeth to examine the theme of the tradition of marriage at the time. Elizabeth determined character breaks proper decorum and tradition in a time when a woman would feel privileged to get a proposal of marriage, let alone from a wealthy high status man Like Dared.
Elizabeth as the heroine In Student’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ will not be Intimidated by this. She stays true to herself as she rejects Dairy’s proposal. From this the reader learns that Elizabeth is very family oriented as one of her objections is Dared meddling into the relationship between her sister Jane and Dairy’s friend Mr.. Bentley, saying:” … Do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man who has been the means of ruining, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister? . This quote shows another side to her character and makes her more likeable. With this Austin shows the reader that Elizabethan rejection is Justified and her strong character Is once again shown as she doesn’t blindly follow the somewhat unjust rules of the society at the time but stays true to who she Is and is protective of her own feelings and her family.
OFF proposal was the onset of her very explicit arguments for her refusal as she unrelentingly accuses him of her sisters unhappiness and the means of ruining Nickname’s life. Later on in the book we see that she was naive to believe in Nickname’s story about Dared as it was not true. She doesn’t stay idle to Dairy’s insults as she finishes the argument saying: “… L had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry. Austin with this conflict leaves the reader with a message that forming an unfavorable opinions or feelings beforehand or without knowledge and thought is not a good human characteristic and that as such we need to remember to not Judge the book by its cover and to try and not be so Judgmental of others before we get to know them first. Overall, through Dairy’s pride and Elizabethan prejudice arrayed in a conflict that represents the turning point in the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Austin teaches the reader about the unfair norms of the Regency Period depicted with the strict rules of proper decorum and marriage.
It helps the reader realize that perhaps the things that we take for granted in today’s society weren’t always allowed to everyone as in today’s world women are thought to be equal with men and class discrimination is no longer existent. Perhaps it shows how much more liberal women’s role in society has become and how much freedom women have gained throughout the years of hardship.
