," were therefore buying manor houses and estates in the country, and setting up their heirs as members of the landed aristocracy. However, these new middle class was not accepted as a member of the "gentry." They were still "in trade," and the gentry looked down on them. In Pride and Prejudice the two leading male characters represent this social change are Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy's aristocratic family goes back for generations, and he draws his income from his vast estate of tenant farms. Darcy was classified as gentry and like most of them "He was haughty, reserved, fastidious," and he looked down on the society below him. However he did surrender to his feelings and married Elizabeth Bennet-a lady socially below him. His friend Mr. Bingley, however, is heir to a fortune made "in trade" and is looking for a suitable country estate to establish himself in the upper class, "They (Bingley's) were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade." Elizabeth's uncle, Mr Gardiner also made his money through trade and so they were rich but no socially as well of as Bingley.
             The society in the late 1700s held different values and attitudes compared to society today. For example, marriage was seen as an essential act for women who want a healthy future. This is because women in the 1700s were considered as second class citizens and they weren't eligible for higher education, hence they lacked the ability to obtain a career and make money on their own. They were also unable to inherit property because they were simply female. So their goal was to seek a wealthy husband who can take care of them in the future. One of the main themes in "Pride and Prejudice" concerns marriage. Marriage in that time was not seen as a choice; rather it was seen as a necessity. Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters and...