Pride and Prejudice Themes and Motifs Essay

Class is the target of much of the novels criticism of society in general. Austen makes it collect that people exchange commensurate madam Catherine, who ar overly invested in their social position, ar guilty of sagacity that a persons social rights argon strictly define by their seg mentationify. Other characters, like the stuck-up Mr. collins and the scheming Caroline, are depicted as thoroughly empty, their opinions and motivations altogether defined by the dictates of the class corpse. Mr. Collins is non a part of the very high class, only driven by pride, he thinks he is.His wedlock to Charlotte was his attempt to be restored his pride after being rejected by Lizzy. That is what makes him so objectionable his focus is al authoritys on showing dour himself and his situation in life. To contrast them, Austen offers more positive examples in Bingley and the Gardiners. Bingley is someone from the upper class who wears his position lightly and g wholeantly. The Gard iners represent the honest, generous, and industrious middle class and are examples of how even the middle class can be as am fire and refined as the upper class.Austen does seem to respect the class system in a few ways, especi wholey when it operates non as a dividing power in society, tho as a force for faithfulness and decency. Darcy is the primary example of Austens ideal high-class winningman. Though earlier he seems to be an arrogant and selfish snob, as the novel progresses it becomes clear that he is capable of change. Eventually, thanks to Elizabeths influence and criticism, he combines his inwrought generosity with the integrity that he considers a crucial attribute of all upper-class people.He be colleagues the Gardiners and plays a key role in fate the ungrateful Lydia out of her crisis. The marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth shows that class restrictions, while rigid, do not determine ones character, and that whop can vote down all obstacles, including class. Pr ide Pride is a constant presence in the characters attitudes and intervention of each new(prenominal), coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mis builds. Pride blinds Elizabeth and Darcy to their sure feelings about each early(a).Darcys pride about his social site makes him look down on anyone not in his immediate circle. Elizabeth, on the other hand, takes so much pride in her ability to reckon others that she refuses to revise her opinion even in the face of clearly contrasted evidence. This is why she despises the good-hearted Darcy for so long, but initially admires the lying Wickam. up to now while Pride and preconceived idea implies that no one is ever completely free of pride, it makes it clear that with the proper moral upbringing one may overcome it to lead a life of decency and chassisness.In the end, the two reverers are able to overcome their pride by helping each other see their respective blind spots. Darcy sheds his snobbery, while Elizabe th learns not to place as well as much weight on her own judgments. Prejudice Prejudice in Pride and Prejudice refers to the tendency of the characters to judge one another base on preconceptions, rather than on who they really are and what they actually do. As the books title implies, preconception goes hand in hand with pride, often leading its characters into making wrong assumptions about motives and behavior.Austens gentle way of mocking Elizabeths and Darcys biases gives the impression that such mistakes could, and at that placefore do, happen to anyone that faulting someone else for loss is easy while recognizing it in yourself is hard. Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a persons moral development, something that can be overcome with reason and compassion. Austen only condemns those people who refuse to set aside their prejudices, like the class-obsessed Lady Catherine and the scheming social climber Caroline.Austens work offers a powerful illustration o f the damaging effects to people and to society that prejudice can inflict. Marriage Pride and Prejudice is a love story, but its author is also concerned with pointing out the inequality that governs the relationships mingled with men and women and how it affects womens choices and resources regarding marriage. Austen portrays a reality in which choices for individuals are very limited, ground almost exclusively on a familys social drift and connections. To be born a woman into such a world means having even less choice about whom to marry or how to determine the shape of ones life.The way that society controls and weakens women helps to formulate in part Mrs. Bennets hysteria about marrying off her daughters, and why such marriages must always involve practical, financial considerations. As members of the upper class, the Bennet sisters would have been expected to become Governesses if they did not marry. However, their beat did not make sure they had a thorough education, so they are not qualified to be governesses. Yet as women they are not allowed to inherit anything. As a result, marriage is basically their only option for attaining wealth and social standing.Yet Austen is also critical of women who marry merely for security, like Charlotte. The ideal for her is represented by Elizabeth, who refuses to trade her independence for financial comfort and in the end marries for love. Love The biggest and most obvious al-Qaeda of this story is love. The book is a big ole love story that is not just about how beautiful love is, but other aspects of love as well. Jane Austin also shows how love complicates the stick ups of the characters throughout the plot. Caroline Bingleys love for Mr. Darcy makes her bitter. And Janes love for everyone makes her fall victim to the schemes of others.And how Elizabeths love for her family, make her blind to the reality of how people perceive them. Jane Austin shows that there is a difference between love and lust. S he shows this through Lydia and Wickhams marriage as well as how Mr. and Mrs. Bennett married foolishly and did not unfeignedly love each other and therefore had a bad marriage. In every true love story the lovers must weaken and overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers own personal qualities. In Mr. Darcy and Elizabeths relationship they had many hurdles. in that location was the pride shank from both of them, the prejudice theme from both of them, Lady Catherines attempt to control her nephew, elude Bingleys snobbery and attempts to take Darcy all to herself, Mrs. Bennetts idiocy, and Wickhams deceit. In the end, love triumphs all. Through this, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most uncorrectable of circumstances. It is not something that can be defined with marriage or confusable class, etc. In each case, love seems to trump class and the other themes mentioned. Aust in used these obstacles to create an ultimate love story.She also highlights this theme more by having the very first sentence of the book be, It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, and development the character of Charlotte Lucas, who was the one who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. By using love as the theme of her book, Austen inputs her views on love as something nonsymbiotic of these social forces, as something that can be captured if only an individual is able to escape the warping effects of hierarchical society.MOTIFS Courtship/Dating There are two major courtships that occur in the storythose between Darcy and Elizabeth and between Bingley and Jane. Darcy proposes twice to Elizabeth throughout the course of the novel, and Jane and Bingleys relationship is continually deepening. There are also other less significant cour tships which take place, such as the failed attempt of Mr. Collinss proposal to Elizabeth followed by his successful marriage to Charlotte Lucas.Another example would be the Miss Bingleys unsuccessful attempt to attract Darcy Wickhams pursuit first of Darcys sister Georgianna, then Elizabeth, followed by a rich heiress in Meryton, and finally of Lydia. Courtship therefore takes on a profound wideness in the novel. Courtship constitutes the real working-out of love. Courtship aka dating, is just a way to figure out if this person likes that person. Its a sort of formulate of a persons personality, and each courtship becomes a distinct type of love (or different ways to abuse love as a means to social advancement).Therefore, courtship proves to be of great splendour at various points of the novel. Each courtship contains a different kind of love, with marriage usually as the ultimate goal. Journeys There are some(prenominal) pilgrimages in which the characters take, even though most of the action is usually pertain around the Bennet household in Longbourn. Jane when hearing word that Bingley has left hand town, she takes a Journey to London. Elizabeths first journey is to visit her friend Charlotte and Mr. Collins, however, on this journey, she encounters Mr.Darcy and during this time he also makes her his first proposal.Her mo journey is with the Gardiners, and it leads her to Pemberley, Darcys beautiful estate. Another major journey occurs at the end of the novel, where various people are in pursuit of Wickham and Lydia. This journey ends with Darcy saving the Bennet familys honour, and then returning to Longbourn again to make his second proposal to Elizabeth. At the end of the novel, Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, Jane, and Mr. Bingley get married and all live near Hunsford. Which is a big journey from where they started in Longbourn.