Pride & Prejudice Themes
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Love
Mr. Darcy’s first declaration of love for Elizabeth is a perfect illustration of how love functions in this novel: "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you [despite your awful family and your socially inferior position]." There are many obstacles on the road to love in Pride and Prejudice, not the least of which are …pride and prejudice. But Jane Austen pens a happy ending, showing us that there’s something about love that enables it to overcome all the pride and prejudice that society throws in its way.
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Marriage
In the world of Pride and Prejudice, marriage is a necessity (for women at least) – and a good marriage is like winning the lottery. Notice that we didn’t mention the l-word (that would be "love"). Marriage is celebrated in Pride and Prejudice as a goal in and of itself. Part of what makes Elizabeth, the protagonist, such an interesting character is her refusal to view marriage in those terms. Other characters show us alternate reasons for marrying: practicality, infatuation, etc.
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Society and Class
In Pride and Prejudice Austen satirizes the distinction between middle-class and the upper class society during her time, suggesting that character is more important than connections, and that love will overcome such boundaries. However, Austen makes almost no mention of the working class, and certainly does not delve into their lives or aspirations in any meaningful way. Within the middle and upper class world, however, she does suggest these class boundaries are artificial constructions.
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Women and Femininity
Although Pride and Prejudice begins with the anonymous figure of a rich, single man, the novel is actually concerned with the plight of the poor, single woman. So far as the novel makes a conscious statement about womanhood, it argues that poor, single women have an extremely limited range of
Mr. Darcy’s first declaration of love for Elizabeth is a perfect illustration of how love functions in this novel: "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you [despite your awful family and your socially inferior position]." There are many obstacles on the road to love in Pride and Prejudice, not the least of which are …pride and prejudice. But Jane Austen pens a happy ending, showing us that there’s something about love that enables it to overcome all the pride and prejudice that society throws in its way.
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Marriage
In the world of Pride and Prejudice, marriage is a necessity (for women at least) – and a good marriage is like winning the lottery. Notice that we didn’t mention the l-word (that would be "love"). Marriage is celebrated in Pride and Prejudice as a goal in and of itself. Part of what makes Elizabeth, the protagonist, such an interesting character is her refusal to view marriage in those terms. Other characters show us alternate reasons for marrying: practicality, infatuation, etc.
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Society and Class
In Pride and Prejudice Austen satirizes the distinction between middle-class and the upper class society during her time, suggesting that character is more important than connections, and that love will overcome such boundaries. However, Austen makes almost no mention of the working class, and certainly does not delve into their lives or aspirations in any meaningful way. Within the middle and upper class world, however, she does suggest these class boundaries are artificial constructions.
Pride and Prejudice Theme of Women and Femininity
Although Pride and Prejudice begins with the anonymous figure of a rich, single man, the novel is actually concerned with the plight of the poor, single woman. So far as the novel makes a conscious statement about womanhood, it argues that poor, single women have an extremely limited range of