The Power of Pride and Prejudice
In class, we did many activities with our Silent Reading Books, and I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- a book I implore everyone to read.
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“And those are the words of a gentleman. From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.”
These are the words of Elizabeth Bennett, the main character in the Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth Bennett is a strong willed woman who goes against the rules of society and attempts to form her own path in the world. Austen's representation of Elizabeth is so insightful and makes for a great protagonist. First, Jane Austen’s style and language are a masterpiece of great writing. She creates witty characters and develops them into complex and powerful women. Austen was a woman writing in a man’s world and defied many expectations of her day. Austen never married and remained a maiden. Her career was her writing which was frowned upon. Jane Austen took her own experiences as a single woman in the 1600’s and used it to develop strong female characters in her novels.
One of the best parts of Pride and Prejudice are the characters. I don’t want the focus of my blog to revolve around explaining the plot—so if you’re unfamiliar with the story here’s a short video. The second reason why I’m obsessed with Pride and Prejudice is the strong female leads. The main character, Elizabeth Bennett is told that she has to marry her third cousin Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins is a pastor who is extremely awkward, short, and boring. She refuses to marry him and that upsets her parents but Lizzie follows her mind and sticks to it. When Lizzie encounters Mr. Darcy, a very wealthy and very eligible bachelor she is not impressed. Lizzie has a complex relationship with Mr. Darcy but the core of her conflict with him is her refusal to betray personal values. She is protective of her family and does not want to marry someone she does not love.
Elizabeth Bennett spends much of her free time reading. She’s headstrong and determined. So, when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth because he has fallen madly in love with her—she “politely” refuses him but her words are pretty savage. This is my absolute favorite scene in the entire movie. The rain and the darkness of the setting add a flare to Elizabeth’s dramatic rejection.
One quote by Adrian Michael states, "She is a queen. Her soul is royalty." I believe that this quote is the perfect embodiment of Elizabeth. She holds her head up high and never doubts herself similar to Jane Austen.Finally, Pride and Prejudice is important because it’s a work of literature which positively portrays women. Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about how females are represented in media. The women in the book did not feel compelled to marry or obligated to follow gender norms. Pride and Prejudice embraces early feminist themes and focuses on the power of the individual in making choices. Characters like Elizabeth Bennett provide women with a strong leader. Hopefully, I can become a version of Elizabeth Bennett one day–someone who doesn’t feel compelled adhere to societal norms and makes their own path in the world. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed Storytime with Sejal!
