Pride and Prejudice
" 'Eliza Bennet,' said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, 'is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own,' " (Austen 29). In Pride and Prejudice, author Jane Austen criticizes and ridicules traditional female roles and attitudes through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet. She challenges the contemporary society's expectations for her as a woman and is self-reliant and rebellious. Elizabeth's lack of an intimate role model drives her to be morally autonomous while virtually ignoring the standards that a woman in her position is to abide by. Her apathy for acquiring the usual skills that are necessary to be known as an "accomplished" woman as well as her opinions and conduct concerning marriage prove that Elizabeth is a feminist heroine. Pride and Prejudice demonstrates feminist tendencies through Elizabeth's apparent lack of a close confidante, her admitted shortage of female accomplishment and her relative indifference to marriage pressure. Elizabeth's individuality is partly a result of the absence a trusted friend to advise her. When she is first introduced, Charlotte Lucas is described as an intimate friend of Elizabeth and yet later in the novel
To this supposed deficiency, Darcy says, "You have employed your time much better. More than simply not arduously pursuing men, Elizabeth turns down two marriage proposals that, by all practical measures, could provide more than adequate financial security. Besides being Austen's observations on prudence in marriage, this reluctance expresses a feminist notion that the woman's opinions and values should be taken into account. They reflect a value system all her own that she has created while examining the accepted expectations for her with a critical eye. Instead of learning to attract a man, she has read widely and attempted to educate herself. Collins marriage offer because she recognizes that the marriage would be purely mercenary. Miss Bingley believes that, to be truly distinguished, a woman must also possess social graces. The self-sovereignty that Elizabeth displays would be virtually unheard of and undoubtedly scorned during Austen's time. She is not particularly interested, unlike most ladies in her position, in doing all that is possible to attract a valuable man to married. Elizabeth's relationship with her sister Jane is even closer than hers with Charlotte and still she does not tell Jane of her undecided feelings for Darcy until their engagement is confirmed. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you can think anything wanting.
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