Restrictions Of Women In Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

The Regency Period was a time of patriarchy and strict societal rules. All people were expected to follow these rules including those of lower class, though to+ a lesser degree. People sought after the wealth and status through the means of marriage. Families would encourage their daughters to seek a wealthy man of the higher class in order to ensure the life of the higher class and preserve or improve their own families status.. Through Jane Austen’s portrayal of the actions of certain characters in the setting of the regency period in Pride and Prejudice, she highlights how women of the era accepted restrictions and repercussions that were thrust upon them without fighting back. The set of rules that highlights these restriction resides
Jane is portrayed as a perfect example of a woman, kind caring, and elegant, a contrast to the other crude ladies, such as Mrs. Bennet, and those who were unruly, Elizabeth, Because she is put out as a perfect example of what a woman should be, it can be inferred that she clearly meets the near impossible requirements listed by Miss. Bingley. Jane, being a perfect woman, clearly conforms to the rules set down by society. The final bit that sets this in stone is when Jane accepts that Mr. Bingley leaves her. She shows some sort of disappointment but it wasn’t towards Mr. Bingley, but towards herself for not being able to keep him close to herself. She doesn’t even attempt to chase after him and stand up for herself. Jane proceeds to state “[Women] must not be so ready to fancy ourselves intentionally injured.[...]It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us. Women fancy admiration means more than it does” (Austen 124). It can be seen here that by defending Mr. Bingley in a way that demeans women, Jane establishes the fact that men are the dominant gender in their society. She even goes as far as to blame herself, showing how the society put all the blame on women, should anything negative happen. As a result of such blame, women looked down upon
Darcy. She shows the “age-old fantasy women have – that however ordinary [Women] may be, [Women] still snag the best-looking, richest, most powerful man in the room”(Webb) and of all the people she could have married, she choose the most arrogant, demeaning and wealthy male in Pride and Prejudice, Mr Darcy. The way in which Elizabeth waits for Mr. Darcy to court her shows how she came to accept the social rules and restrictions put upon women. She didn’t show any initiative to seek out Mr. Darcy even though she has that fierce and fiery nature. Elizabeth herself represents the “idea that the love for a man should govern a woman’s choices in life. Not her own comforts, not her need for a roof over her head, not her desire to be perceived as successful and accomplished and strategic” (Bloomfield). For Mr. Darcy’s sake she changes herself to fit Mr. Darcy and his social standing. She ignores all else and creates a world that revolves around Mr. Darcy and her love for him. None of her actions show any independence or coexistence of equal rights and standing for males and females. Instead they show the opposite, the dominance and superiority of males and the reliance on the male in a