Role Of Women: Jane Austen

Some decades ago women in this world had little to no power. During the 1600s inferiority was a synonym of women in the society and Jane Austen was the writer that presented the role of women as self-confident, and able to think by themselves in her book “Pride and Prejudice” trying to change peoples’ point of view. Literature was a way for strong-willed women to share their opinions and peacefully suggest societal changes and Austen knew how to use it. Therefore this essay, through the use of organized information, tries to show the role of the Elizabethan women, the perception that Jane Austen had about them and the examples that “Pride and Prejudice” delivers in relation to this.

The Elizabethan period was the responsible of the characterization of women. In this period of the History, upper- class women were viewed as the subservient to men without being relevant for society. Their genre was classified as the weak one, and that was the starting point that convinced those to depend of men and relatives for everything. Social scale was another crucial factor that decided women destiny. Marriages were the key to establish alliances with other powerful families and a wealthy welfare. Upper class Women at this time were limited, and it is impossible to imagine about all the things they were able to do to reach an established and wealthy family based on morality. Things such as to stay at home governing a household, taking care of children and performing duties were daily life plans. These types of activities were defining gender roles in the Elizabethan period. The influence that men had over women was a hide component of a false society that showed only perfect things. Women’s capacities were underestimated and their presence was not a relevant factor for the selfish society. Therefore they were always expecting the opportunity to join a wealthy man and grow up in the social scale. But it is important to say that not all women were thinking in the same way. There were some exceptions as is the case of Elizabeth Bennet, a character that appears in “Pride and Prejudice”.

On the other hand, to think about marriages establishes the presence of love and romances, but what happened with love at that time? In the Elizabethan period love was like a mask under which families were hiding. Women were pressed to marry men with money in order to save their family. It was difficult for them to survive in that fatalist world without love, submerged under lies that allowed them to reach a position. How were they surviving in that selfish society? This question is answered taking into account that being a woman was an arduous job. It is illogic to think that your husband is proud if you are all the time at home taking care of children and depending of him in all the senses. For a modern woman that would be the worst punishment. Following with the topic that deals with the role of women in the Elizabethan period, women were losing their confidence and purpose. It is difficult to think that your mission in the world is to giving birth of babies and organize a house. Female genre was devaluated; they didn’t have their own space to show their abilities in other areas such as education, politics or social matters. Continuing with marriages, these were the fever of that decade. A woman that was married with an important man was provided of goods and also was know in prestigious strong families. The reason for living of those poor girls was to raise children and appear as the perfect person that is capable to think about all the necessary things to success in life. Unfortunately women were under pressure by their families that only wanted a good reputation for their family members. It is clear that Elizabethan era was a domestic service. Women were under men presence, and their purpose was just learning about how to be a good wife not only at home, but also in society. Male genre was the based on which women were stated. Husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles or other were the ones that guide them to turn into a successful destiny. Religion also was hard for women development. It only was dictating the fate of women, and being an obedient woman was strong emphasized. It sounds unbelievable that a women in the golden age results the queen of the land, and it shows that women in some way had the power to change some ideologies. It is interesting also to say that disobedience was seen as a crime against religion. Women were limited, women were not important but all people knew that it wasn’t true. On the other hand, the church firmly believed this and quoted the bible in order to ensure the continued adherence to this principle. The Scottish protestant leader John Knox wrote: “Women in her greatest perfection were made to serve and obey man”. Can you imagine that perception about female genre? It was impossible for women to break the rules, although there were some exceptions these were considered immoral in front of eyes of everybody, and the punishment was the humility they could suffer being expulsed from strong family cores. In the case of the queen, she was reluctant to marry and it turns her intelligent. She didn’t want to lose her power in the hand of a man. Another example was Mary queen of Scots; she wanted to marry just to follow her wishes. These examples demonstrate that women in the deepest part of their hearts wanted to survive without depend of a man. Women were forced to do thing they didn’t want. Many marriages were organized by family members. Women were “free” in some way until they became adolescents. A girl that was fifteen years old was submitted to marriage without her permission. It results hard to analyze how these women could survive and be “happy” under those terrible rules, oppression and underestimation.

Jane Austen was a woman that wanted to show the sarcastic side of society and she did it through literature. This was the mean she used to release all her repulsion against the ugly women´s true. In all her books she tries to express her disagreement about rules and leaves us clear that she wanted to break the rules. In her works, she is often critical of the assumptions and prejudices of upper-class England. In other words, Austen was in many ways realist, and the England that she depicts is one in which social mobility is limited and class consciousness is strong.

In one of the most famous books she wrote “Pride and Prejudice”, she portraits in a sarcastic way the role of women in the golden age society. Austen`s powers of subtle discrimination and shrewd perceptiveness is revealed in this interesting book, and through it she is able to convey such a complex message using a simply, yet witty, style. Jane wanted to figure out that she was against women’s perception. She believed that female genre was able to shine by them, without being depending of a wealthy man. She was making a cartoon of society, saying that women were stupid objects that performed all that men wanted. Jane Austen also wanted to wake up women`s mind. She wanted to teach them that they were capable to reach their dreams; unfortunately dreams for women of that era were only to marry a wealthy man and get pregnant to increase family. It was interesting to discover that through “Pride and Prejudice” Jane wanted to connect her life. Her book is defined as typical of the century because its satire literature allows realizing the period in which it was made. Jane Austen was able to connect characters with all the feeling she was experimenting in that occasion. She was a romantic girl that wanted to portrait her maybe through the figure of Elizabeth Bennet, who was the protagonist of the book. Passion and reason were the perfect ingredients that Austen joined in order to produce a dramatic story that reflect society in the 18th century. In “Pride and Prejudice”, Austen denounced the elements of marriage and society that she found distasteful. These are the conclusions of her observation of the people in her world. However in her writing, Jane has also reflected her own enjoyment in life among these people with and without their faults .As women were not able to decide their own future or make their own choices and men ruled the world and depicted women to be weak and passive, Literature was a way for strong-willed women to share their opinions and peacefully suggest societal changes, therefore Jane Austen is the perfect example of this. In her book Jane tries to portrait women as self-confident, able to think for themselves and able to hold their own beliefs, drawing a fantastic picture of society, breaking rules with something that was far away of being true. The whole story of Jane Austen in her book illustrates the typical roles of a traditional male and female. Jane I her book defines women as an instrument that men obtained in order to complete a perfect life. Romance and love were in second place in exception with the main characters Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy that were in love. After all love triumphs and a woman can be happy even though living in a narrow society. In pride and prejudice we can observe also that the author believed that women were able to change a man`s mind. The feminist view of Austen was delivering the message that women were puppets of a monotonous society. On the other hand, Pride and Prejudice” reflects the idea that society in the 18ths was putting attention only in people’s belongings instead of feelings and senses as was the case of many marriages. It is important to mention that, Austen was thinking about female dependence over male genre, through “Pride and Prejudice”, she tries to portrait marriages as the safest way to social standing and economic security. Jane also, portrait the idea of moral issues in her works, she believed that breaking rules was a way of express disagreement about society and it was reflected in the security with which she developed her book. It is true that Jane Austen has the reputation of writing about young women that just wanted to marry wealthy men like a fairy tail with a Prince charming. However, it is not true, and it is based on the statement that she wrote not only about marriages, but also about relationships that were representing reality as were the problems between men and women, and scathing criticisms of society. So, women in Austen´s book were represented as they were in real life, all of them worried about future leaving in second place what they really wanted to do. Love was not important, at least, no more than the social scale and the money that “the prince charming” could offers in marriage. Austen`s feminist view was strongly perpetuated in Pride and Prejudice, she demonstrates all the situations that women had to suffer to be happy. Morality is an ingredient that makes her point of view interesting in the book. She delivers a view that express that women`s role were to depend of men, and that they were accepting that reality without be worried about it. For those women was more important the social standing instead of true love. Now a days the situation could be the same, but there is a lot of immorality that is visible everywhere. Jane wanted to show that her feminist view and repulsion for a fatidic reality was the central motor of her literary works. In “Pride and Prejudice” she leaves clear that she still believes in the perfect match that fights against the ugly and dirty money and reveals her own conceptions about love. Women´s intellectual `power is also represented in the story of Jane Austen`s book. In the plot she tries to figure out the idea of power controlled by a woman and this woman is represented through Elizabeth, she was changing a man`s mind so, that was a triumph for Austen, mainly because she was demonstrating that love can change everything and is the best weapon to fight against prejudices that are present in society. While social advancement for young men lay in the military, church, or law, the chief method of self-improvement for woman was the acquisition of wealth. Jane Austen describes her own world, her own oppression, her own disagreement about world injustice in life and world that female were suffering from.

Jane Austen portrait her view about life “Pride and Prejudice”. There we can find the model of women that lived 18th century. There all the examples necessary to show what happened in that era full of prejudices and social mobility. To start, the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet was submitted into her ideals and perceptions about society. Her prejudices were a great obstacle that she had to overcome to reach love. This character teaches as how to triumph in love forgetting about rules, breaking them without be worried about consequences. Her sensitive side allows as realizing that was a noble woman that was against the built destiny that her family and specifically her mother wanted for her. She believed in love but, she was submitted in the constant prejudices about upper-class men. She demonstrates the perseverance that a woman is able to obtain when she believes in love. She is the exception to the rule; she wants to do what is better for her although she is responsible of her family establishment. She tries to figure out that a woman doesn’t depend of a man and expresses her disagreement with all the words that are necessary. She is the perfect image of Jane Austen; she represents her and her repulsion to a society that discriminates the lack of money. She breaks rules and looks for happiness but is confused, and in the deepest part of her heart she is afraid of loneliness. On the contrary, her dear friend Charlotte Lucas is just fighting to obtain a husband that save her from a fatal destiny of loneliness. She is worried about her future and love is not important for her. She thinks that loves comes with time, she is the example of the woman that believes that years don’t pass without taking something important. She represents the woman of the Elizabethan period that is just taking the role of a puppet that does all for her husband. She looks for a comfortable home and wealthy destiny, morality is a important key in her world, she is just thinking about future that means marriage. In “Pride and Prejudice” we also find the woman that is full of prejudices and that is strongly based on social standing, she is Lady Catherine de Bourgh. As she is a rich, bossy noblewoman, she is capable to do everything to keep away Elizabeth from her nephew Mr. Darcy. She represents discrimination between social classes. She portraits her selfishness and hate for middle class, and she doesn’t accepts that her nephew establishes his destiny with a poor woman. On the other hand the old fashion woman also appears in the book. Mrs. Bennet is Elizabeth`s mother and she represents the idea of the woman that just want to see all her daughters married and with children. She delivers the impression that she was born just to get married and to take care of family members. She wants that Elizabeth be aware about social standing, even though she knows that Elizabeth is not easy to handle, she tries to manipulate her in order to obtain what she really wants. All these characters are the perfect ones that describe different types of women in the Elizabethan period. Discrimination and social standing are representing the plot of “Pride and Prejudice”. Prejudice is the best description of the demanding social scale. Elizabeth is the heroine of story, when she demonstrates that she will do anything to obtain what she wants.

As a summary of all the topics explained in this essay, discrimination and prejudice are the key factors of the book explained before. The Elizabethan period is showing us that women`s role was just to be in charge of the house and t children, and that they were looking for a wealthy man that could safe them from loneliness. It explains us that women are always expecting for marriage, is like if they were with the wedding dress in their purse, and that they are not going to shine and success by themselves. It is also expressing the idea that a woman depends on a man and that man are fundamental in her life. On the other hand Jane Austen expresses to us the repulsion and disagreement that she had for society and social discrimination. She teaches us how to reach true love without be worried about the rules and her best example is the creation of “Pride and Prejudice” that is representing her in Elizabeth character. “Pride and Prejudices leaves us the message about love and reality. It shows what really happens in women`s life from 18th century and her perception about love. This book demonstrates that women are different in many senses, and that there is still someone that wants to change her destiny. Now days there are some relations between old age and modern age. Today`s life is similar but not in all aspects. Modern women learnt that they are important in society and they are not worried about marriages and wealthy men although there lots of exceptions. The teaching of “Pride and Prejudice” is that past society was underestimated women, and their role was not relevant for men`s life. On the contrary Austen portraits changes in this situation demonstrating that women are capable to change men`s mind with the most noble and beautiful weapon: Love. Although it wasn`t in first place love always triumph over everything.

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