Opinion On The Criticism By Jane Austen Essay, Research Paper

In my opinion, pride comes in for the sharper criticism by Jane Austen. She has chosen to personify this characteristic in several characters in “Pride and Prejudice”, although it is hard to find one character that portrays prejudice alone, throughout the novel. When prejudice does occur in this novel, Jane Austen showed with a famous character. Because prejudice is not real, I believe that it was not to be the main point of Jane Austen sharper criticism.

Jane Austen has depicted pride in her characters that are less important as a means of demonstrating its importance as a theme of this novel. Lady Catherine is one of the main offenders, her affectation, arrogance and pride are fuelled by other characters like Mr. Collins who put there to irony those proud people and their followers. Mr. Darcy, who is another important character in this book, he is an extremely important character in this novel, a major character, and I think that the fact that he was perceived to have been rude? From the beginning of the novel his character, has changed throughout the novel along with Elizabeth points to Jane Austen criticism of pride and snobbery (insinuating that once pride is done away with and along with it, prejudice) a character becomes much more favorable. But Lady Catherine does not fluctuate from her proud arrogant position, from beginning to end of the novel, this partly to provide a contrast between the supposed arrogance of Mr. Darcy at the beginning of the novel, and his behavior by the end.

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Throughout this novel we are shown the arrogant and proud dispositions of the upper class of this society. There are also some the exceptions to the rule, namely Mr. Bingley and Miss Darcy. These people are exceedingly proud of their great fortunes and estates and as a result of the emphasis at that time on monetary issues, they are prejudiced and commit acts of prejudice towards their financial, and social, “inferiors”.

An example of this is the beginning of the novel, the ball, when Mr. Darcy insult Elizabeth Bennet in an act of prejudice. He refuses to dance with her on account of her not being handsome enough to tempt me . He had being described as the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world through out the chapters, because he would not socialize his refusal to dance with Elizabeth Bennet. This consistent with the rest of his snobbery and it is logical that he is being rude to Elizabeth Bennet, by reason of that he is excessively proud and does not feel that her pretty is worth of his. He danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party.

Another example of proud character executing prejudice on an “inferior” candidate is Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy conspiracy against Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet dating and unavoidable marriage. Together, Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley decide that Mr. Bingley and Jane are not suited and therefore should not be married because Jane background is not worthy of Mr. Bingley rich, socially handsome estate. Firstly, Mr. Darcy influences Bingley to leave Netherfield, then Miss Bingley fails to tell him presence of Jane in London. It is because of their pride and their twist perception of their own, and it influences they think they are doing the right thing by keeping Jane and Mr. Bingley apart.

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Lady Catherine was being rude to Elizabeth who she thinks that not worth as much socially or in monetary value, in an effort to dissuade her from marrying Darcy, in her feeling that her own daughter was more entitled to Mr. Darcy than Elizabeth. She argues Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?” This is an act of extreme arrogance stemming from her prejudice against Elizabeth. Lady Catherine, as a result of her pride, believes she is more important than everyone else and that everyone else should respect and honor them by rejecting a proposal from a man who she loves and who loves her. This obscene assumption on Lady Catherine behalf is as a result of her prejudice towards the Bennets because of their lower income, and social status. The prejudice against them for such a reason is rooted in her arrogant pride.

In the case of the characteristic pride and prejudice, the two theme keys in this novel, I think that pride comes in for the sharper criticism by Jane Austen. I think this because of her personification of pride such as Lady Catherine and the fact that the prejudice, which does occur in the novel, is occur with pride. Through the incidents spoken on above, prejudice has been shown to be a result of arrogant pride and because it is an underlying emotive in the prejudiced actions of the characters I feel it is more sharply criticized.