Monday, May 2, 2011

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen



Pride and Prejudice is a great novel, dealing with the effect society has on people and the status of women. Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist in the novel. She has four other sisters, and in that time period, marriage was all that mattered, since women could not make a living on their own. The novel starts off with a new, wealthy man moving into town named Mr. Bingley. Mr. And Mrs. Bennet are thrilled to hear the news, since all five of their daughters are unmarried. Mr. Bingley is amused by Jane the oldest daughter. His friend Darcy is also amused by Elizabeth. However, Darcy is prejudiced and his pride does not allow him to get to know her. He is perceived as haughty and the women are appalled by him. Darcy degrades Elizabeth at the first ball when he refuses to dance with her. As time progresses, Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice and sees another side to Darcy. Darcy even helps the Bennet family out when the youngest sister, Lydia, elopes with a cruel man. Eventually Darcy and Elizabeth let go of their pride and prejudice toward one another and fall in love.


1. Mr. Bingley's sister is a wealthy snob. She looks down upon the Bennet girls because they do not have money like herself. What influence does money have on the way that people perceive other people and the world around them? Is the situation the same now as it was in the past?


2. Marriage is all that mattered to Mrs. Bennett. She wanted all of her daughters to be happily married so that they could be accepted socially? Is there still pressure today for women to marry?

11 comments:

Kelsey M. 11/12 said...

2) I think that throughout history, women have always been pressured to get married. If a woman is old and not married, people begin to talk or spread rumors about her. Many people joke that some women will become old cat lady's that are not married and only love their cats. Today, I still think there is pressure, but there is a little less. This is because women have a more prominent role in society and are more independent of men than they used to be. Still, people find it unusual to see an older woman who is not married.

Bojana Duric said...

I definatly agree with you Kelsey. The joke about cats is true. I think there is less pressure today because as you said women are more prominent in society. Women can hold careers instead of the stereotypical "clean, cook, kids" that they were expected to take care of in the past.

Kristen T. 11-12 said...

2. I feel that this is still pressure today for women to marry, but this pressure is not as great as it used to be. At the time of this story, women were defined by marriage and by their husbands, and social status and reputation was very dependent on marital status. In today's society, women are perceived as being much more independent and likely to look out for themselves. I feel that today women marry simply because they want to, where at the time of this story many women likely married because they had to.

Bojana Duric said...

Yes, I agree with you Kristen. Going along the same lines as Kelsey, there is not as much pressure as there was in the past. I agree with you that social status and reputation depended a lot on marital status. In the novel, Mrs. Bennet wants her daughters to marry so they can inherit land and have an admirable social reputation. If all five of her girls were married, she would look good too.

Kelsey M. 13-14 said...

2. I think that there is some pressure for women to get married today but nothing like there used to be. Today many women have children and raise them by themselves and never get married.

Kali D. 13-14 said...

I think there is still pressure today to get married but not how it use to be in the past. In the past it was expected for women to get married and often times they would just be set up with a man. Today women are more independent and have their own role.

Leah A 5-6 said...

2. I believe there is still some pressure on women to get married, but not as much as back then. Back then a woman married to cook, clean, and do "motherly" work. Today women marry but not for those reasons. More women are staying single and independent and focus on their work and their life.

Jacci L. 11-12 said...

To answer question two no there really isn't any pressure on women today with marriage and the need to marry. I mean sure parents would like for their daughter to settle down and marry but they don't make the daughter do it forcefully. The only pressure women would face would probably be to not marry when they're young.

Natalie S Mods 5-6 said...

2) I think that there is some pressure left for women to marry but not nearly as much pressure as there was in the past. In today's society, women marry to have a children and a family where as in the past women married to have a man to "bring home the bacon." Women marry for different reasons than they did in the past.

Anonymous said...

1. money is definitely a big part in a lot of people's lives. money decides social status in today's world just like it did in the past. i think its relatively the same because those who are wealthier usually look down upon those with less money.
2. women are not at all pressured like they were in the past. women are stronger in the present time and are more independent than ever.

JessieW 11-12 said...

1). Money influences the way people view eachother. To a rich person, the amount of money someone else has is what determines if that person is worthy enough. The situation is the same now as it was in the past. If anything I think it's worse lately because the gap between the rich, middle-class and even the poor has expanded greatly.