Pride And Prejudice Social Class Essay

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is set in the 18th century, when the future of society relied on social class. According to social class the relationship between Mr.Darcy and Elizabeth should have been impossible, but they are able to break through these restrictions.The novel is dominated by the progression of Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship through the obstacles of breaking through social class. Jane Austen illustrates the restrictions of the social construct of class based on wealth along with her own views of social class in the fiction novel, Pride and Prejudice, through the relationship of Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy.
The importance of social class to some characters is introduced in volume one of Pride and Prejudice through the treatment
Before Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth she discovers through Colonel Fitzwilliam that Mr.Darcy sabotaged Mr.Bingley and Elizabeth’s relationship. This results in a disappointing ending for Mr.Darcy. Elizabeth views Mr.Darcy as the cause of her sister’s unhappiness, so when he proposes Elizabeth is furious and out of anger says, “I 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” (192). This is a result of her hiding her feelings for Mr.Darcy and him intervening with her sister's relationship. In order to try and fix things with Elizabeth, Mr Darcy writes a letter to her where he defends himself. In Mary Basson’s article, Mr.Darcy’s Letter-- a figure in the dance, she says that “Austen gives us a significant glance into his character, both clarifying his behavior and revealing his personality, and with that glance, redeems him in the eyes of many readers” which is very evident with the effects of his letter (Basson). Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth is a major turning point in their relationship. He owns up to his mistake of interfering with Elizabeth and Mr.Bingley’s relationship by saying, “if you have not been mistaken here, I must have been in error”(195). Darcy has changed so much through the novel and his letter is an example of that.
Bingley and Lady Catherine in volume three. While Mrs.Gardiner and Elizabeth are visiting Miss.Bingley says the removal of the Militia “must be a great loss to your family” in a spiteful manner (262). Miss.Bingley says this to try to assert her dominance over Elizabeth. Miss.Bingley is trying to pursue Mr.Darcy, but he likes Elizabeth so Miss.Bingley feels threatened. The Bennet name was almost ruined by the actions of Lydia and Mr.Wickham, but Mr.Darcy is able to save their family name. Lydia and Mr.Wickham run away together an elope, and if people were to find out that they were not married then the Bennet name would be ruined. In a letter to Elizabeth, Mrs.Gardiner tells her that “Wickham still cherished the hope of more effectually making his fortune by marriage”, so Mr.Darcy paid him the money for Mr.Wickham to marry Lydia (313). Darcy only does this to help Lydia because she is Elizabeth’s sister and he did not want their family name to be ruined. Elizabeth’s opinion of Mr.Darcy has completely changed, and an engagement between the two of them has been rumored. Lady Catherine hears about this rumor and tries to stand in the way of Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy’s relationship. Lady Catherine ridicules and insults Elizabeth by saying she is not good enough for Mr.Darcy and that his engagement to her would “ruin him in the opinion of all his friends” (347).