Elizabeth Bennet Influence

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, conveys the classic tale of two lovers; after an initial acrimonious encounter, they develop a deep intolerance of each other, and as a result, fail to recognize their inherent compatibility. Elizabeth Bennet, a spirited and sensible woman, is considered inferior by the proud Fitzwilliam Darcy because of her lower social class. Inevitably, this leads to Mr. Darcy’s prejudice towards Elizabeth, which in turn, causes her to take great personal offense due to her own immense pride. Consequently, the novel provides an intriguing, yet critical view of the emphasis placed on social class, especially in terms of being used as a basis to judge one’s character. In fact, the characters in Pride and Prejudice epitomize
This is the case in Pride and Prejudice as many of the characters are primarily driven by money and material possessions. However, social class influences the characters in different ways. Mrs. Bennet's actions, for instance, revolves around appeasing those of higher social class, in hopes that her daughters can gain economic status through a beneficial marriage. This is shown when she puts her daughter’s health at risk, all for the sake of furthering her agenda of gaining social class. When Jane requests to travel to Mr. Bingley’s house by carriage, Mrs Bennet responds, “No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night” (Austen, 34). This is a calculated action, where Mrs. Bennet is fully aware that Jane would probably fall ill and have to stay at Mr. Bingley’s house, resulting in them spending more time together. Furthermore, Mrs. Bennet has willingly subjected herself to ridicule and insult forgoing her own pride and dignity. Overall, Mrs. Bennet pursues higher social class status, and as a result, sacrifices her family’s pride and