Elizabeth Bennett
The Headstrong Heroine
"It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began”
The Headstrong Heroine
Pride and Prejudice, as its title suggests, is a story about falsehoods and truth, a gradual love story for a time that encouraged no love at all. Naturally, it is expected that its heroine must be a lively handful, and she does not disappoint. Lizzy Bennet could be considered “one of the most well-known female characters in English literature” (Yu 679). Elizabeth is unlike any other Austen character, “she is lovely, clever, and, in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly as anyone” (Yu 679). Beyond that, and most importantly, Lizzy is courageous. While remaining within the guidelines of her society, Elizabeth rebels against the notion of marriage as a necessity, the differentiation of classes, and being criticized by other people. She is aware of her boldness, even admitting to Darcy there is a “stubbornness about [her] that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. [Her] courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate [her]” (Austen 118). Of course, the reader has witness Lazy live up to those traits countlessly; she rejected two marriage proposals, stood up to Lady Catherine, her mother, her father, and was never frightened to speak her mind. Darcy is unable to reason his falling in love with Elizabeth, but the reader can, just as Elizabeth does; she inspects that Darcy was “disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking, and thinking for [his] approbation alone” (Austen 256). Lizzy enchanted him- she was different, she “roused, and interested [him], because [she] was so unlike them” (Austen 256). Elizabeth is clever, and clearly is fully aware of her intellectual superiority to other characters, in fact:
Elizabeth is surrounded by immature people- by parents who are morally irresponsible toward daughters, three sisters equally irresponsible toward the community, another sister who is afraid to make unflattering judgments, one intimate woman friend who is cynical about marriage, with good reasons, and close neighbors in the Lucas family, who are all governed entirely by the cash ethic and by the same lust for social prestige that corrupts her cousin, Mr. Collins (Morrison 87).
She stands out, particularly through contrast, from any other female character. Jane, in comparison, is too soft, Charlotte, too typical, Mrs. Bennet, too hysterical, Lydia, too childish. She is often referred to as Mr. Bennet’s favorite, and she has his sarcasm. Austen wants her reader to believe in the novel’s heroine, and cheer for her as she wins Darcy’s heart.
Standing Up to Lady Catherine
Elizabeth repeatedly proves her bravery and boldness through many situations in which society would expect her to behave differently. Her treatment towards Lady Catherine is civil enough to pass as socially tolerable, and yet bold enough to set her apart from others. Lady Catherine, in fact, not only plays a crucial part in getting our hero and heroine together, but unintentionally highlights the most beautiful attributes of the heroine. Lady Catherine is by no means meant to be likable, and the manner in which she is admired and flattered by Mr. Collins is almost sickening. Evidently, “when Elizabeth refuses to be subdued by Lady Catherine, whether on the subject of her music or her marriage, we feel nothing but admiration for her ‘impertinence’- if this is, what her energy really is” (Clark 103). It is expected of society to treat her thus. Elizabeth, however, treats her as she deserves, and refuses to accept her rudeness. She talks back to her, both in their first meeting when Lady Catherine attempts to embaress Lizzy for her family’s situation, and when she confronts Lizzy for her relationship with Mr. Darcy. Particularly in the latter of the two examples, Elizabeth insists upon presenting herself as an equal to Lady Catherine, after all, she is a “gentleman’s daughter” (Austen 238). Lady Catherine, however, is willing to have none of it, and she “seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified impertinence” (113). Obviously, she is accustomed to such treatment as she receives from Mr. Collins, but no one had dared to put themselves on equal grounds with her as Elizabeth did. While Lady Catherine claims to be frank when confronting Lizzy, expecting a typical and undeserved civil treatment, the heroine does not let the heroine replies she does not "pretend to possess equal frankness with your ladyship. [Lady Catherine] may ask questions which [she] shall not choose to answer" (Austen 236). This is a BAMMMM sort of moment, and Lizzy’s bravery is presented at its peak throughout this conversation. She is, again, civil and mannered, while she stands her ground and does not give Lady Catherine the respect that her behavior does not merit.
This scene is huge! It is all about the indecency of Lady Catherine, and Elizabeth's bravery in standing up to her.
Lady Catherine is clearly snobbish. Due to her class and circumstances it seems no one has dared to speak to her in a manner similar to Elizabeth.
Rejection of Two Marriage proposals
If any other woman in the novel was put in Elizabeth’s shoes, and matter of fact Charlotte Lucas is, it would be hardly expected of them to deny Mr. Collins, and uncomprehendable of them to reject the wealthy Mr. Darcy. You must understand, aside from her wit, charm, and likability, Elizabeth does not have much going for her. She has no family background, most of her family humiliates her in social situations, no fortune, and no promising prospects. To reject two men in such a comfortable (to say the least) financial position as Mr. Darcy and even Mr. Collins during the Regency, is unheard of. In rejecting Mr. Collins, Elizabeth denies her family a chance to keep their entailed house after Mr. Bennet’s passing, she offends her mother, and faces the awkwardness of the rejection and the proposal itself. Mr. Collins, as I constantly repeat, does not let Elizabeth forget the uncomfortable situation she is put in, and is amazed at her rejection due to it. I doubt he believes he or she will find happiness in such a marriage between two strickingly different characters, but he believe his situation to be enough to convince her. He can offer her a good home. Elizabeth, of course, hardly considers the proposal, and rejects it immediately under the grounds of knowing they are ill suited for each other. She does not appear to care for her situation as much as she cares for marrying without affection.
Such is the case with Mr. Darcy’s first proposal, only it proves to be even more shocking, due to Darcy’s wealth. She does not only reject Darcy, but she rejects him in the most direct and honest manner. She lays her accusations against him, and isn’t afraid to ask "why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting [her], [he] chose to tell [her] that [he] liked [her] against [his] will, against [his] reason, and even against [his] character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if [she] was uncivil? (130)”. Elizabeth's boldness and courage always circles around two notions: social class and love. Elizabeth refuses to be made inferior to any other character, and she is willing to gamble and risk her circumstances for love. Ultimately, love is why she rejects both Collins and Darcy. This notion, again, was unheard of during the Regency.
It did come back to bite her, but you must admire her guts in this scene. A man of Darcy's class would no expect such frankness from a lady in Elizabeth's class.
Austen and Elizabeth
It seems tragic that such a thoughtful narrator would not share Elizabeth’s fortune in love, and spent her short life writing about love and not living it. Nonetheless, Austen and Elizabeth share many commonalities despite that, and “to some extent, [Elizabeth] is the spokesman of the author.” (Gao 384) The Austen family’s love for books is evident. Austen composed most of her work for the entertainment of her family, and took great pleasure in reading with them (Kelly 11). Elizabeth shares her creator’s love for novels, and in fact, one of the first critical establishments she makes of Collins is in regards to his not liking to read. Anyone who doesn’t like to read would have been little liked by the Austens (Kelly 11). Elizabeth is highlight satirical, and to reflect on the biggest irony of the novel she states "Lady Catherine has been of infinite use, which ought to make her happy, for she loves to be of use" (Austen 257). This is ironic, of course, as Lady Catherine hardly intended to be of aid in the union of Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth shares this cleverness and satirical humor with Austen, who composed several highly satirical and critical works during her Juvenilia (Kelly 12). Both women share intellectual and humourous criticism of societal follies, and the importance of love and affection. Austen never married, possibly for love, and evidently Elizabeth refuses offers of comfort for the hope of love and respect. Jane Austen was also around Elizabeth’s age when First Impressions was written, and she too was allegedly in love with Tom Lefroy (Kelly 11). Austen also faced an entailment from her family home, and like Elizabeth’s, her rejection of a promising marriage proposal was either very brave or very thoughtless, depending on whom you ask. Similarly to Jane and Elizabeth Bennet, Jane and Cassandra Austen shared a strong sisterly relationship. Both women are stubborn, and held to their beliefs.
The Love Story
Of course, the protagonist of such an iconic love story must possess characteristics worthy of such a title. What of the love story itself though? In fact, the growth of the love between Darcy and Elizabeth does not reflect particularly well on the heroine. Elizabeth is hasty to judge and dislike Darcy, and only following his letter understands the graveness of her mistakes. I do agree with her about the possibility of receiving a second proposal from "a man who has once been refused!", and the unlikelihood of "one among the sex, who would not protest against such a weakness as a second proposal to the same woman" (Austen 229). Elizabeth has been speculated to further, or even initially, change her mind about Darcy after visiting Pemberley:
"I might have been mistress! With these rooms I might now have been familiarly acquainted! Instead of viewing them as a stranger, I might have rejoiced in them as my own, and welcomed to them as visitors my uncle and aunt. But no,"—recollecting herself—"that could never be; my uncle and aunt would have been lost to me; I should not have been allowed to invite them… This was a lucky recollection—it saved her from something very like regret. (Austen 166)
Evidently, there may be some merit in such a speculation, and “no one can deny that Elizabeth’s choice is partly because of [Darcy’s] wealth and social status” (Gao 387). This does shed some darker tones on this lively heroine, and I personally chose to inspect (as most critics do) that the point in which she changes her mind is when she reads Darcy’s letter. The moral lesson here is that she does learn to pay for her hasty judgment, and as much as she humbles Darcy, Darcy also humbles her. She understands when she arrives at Permberley the class and social circumstances of which Darcy spoke in his proposal, and that have initially disgusted her. Part of her prejudice against him, initially, is for his wealth. After seeing Pemberley, and perhaps more importantly receiving a very positive critique on Darcy’s character from his maid, Elizabeth understands her prejudice. Elizabeth cares very little for what others think of her, but “with Darcy she is enraged because of his hold over her, the fact that his opinion really does count” (Morrison 92). After admitting Lydia’s elopement, Lizzy hastily regerts doing so, and for the first time in the novel admits that “never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved [Darcy}, as now, when all love must be vain (Austen 184)”. Suppose even Lizzy’s fight for equality understands there is little chance she could regard herself as his equal with a fallen sister. Mr. Bennet, after approving of Lizzy’s marriage to Mr. Darcy, notes that he does not believe Lizzy could be happy with a man she did not consider superior to her. Pemberely, the letter, Lydia’s elopement, and the part Darcy plays in patching her marriage with Wickham, all convince Lizzy Darcy is her superior in kindness and character. They share an intellect, clearly. They learn to respect and understand each other, and the love that "has been coming on so gradually, that [Elizabeth] hardly know[s] when it began” (Austen 252) is indicative of that. The growth and understanding of their love merits the most rewards; they live in the best house, have the best marriage, and share the most mutual respect.
Contrast
Lizzy and Charlotte
If we consider Pride and Prejudice a story about love, the contrast between Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas is immense. Charlotte marries the recently rejected Mr. Collins, for his offers of comfort and security. Lizzy rejects him on the grounds she will be incapable of loving such a ridiculous man, and she is sure he could never love her. The point is that again, love serves as the ultimate contrast. After Elizabeth hears of the match between Charlotte and Collins, she inspects:
She had always felt that Charlotte's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture! And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen (Austen 87).
Charlotte is not half a romantic Lizzy is, but that is not the point. The point is that this reflect on Elizabeth in good lights, and in many ways criticizes Charlotte for making a decision society would consider prudent and acceptable. In fact, Charlotte’s parents are thrilled about the match. Austen and Elizabeth criticize the archetype of a Regency woman found in Charlotte Lucas, and though Lizzy pities her friend, she does not fit that archetpye. Curiously, Elizabeth criticizes Wickham far less for doing something similar to Charlotte, and going after the wealthy Miss King. When Wickham follows money to matrimony (before learning of his character), Elizabeth appears to understand and accept it without criticizing him further on the subject. She is, however, incapable of empathyizing with Charlotte for accepting Collins. Whether this be because Wickham is a man and Charlotte is a woman and it is what is expected of her, or that somehow Elizabeth expected more of Charlotte (which hardly seems the case in the passage above), is unclear. What is evident, however, is that Austen uses this contrast to have the reader further approve of Elizabeth and her morals. The reader automatically understands and pities Charlotte, and yet pays little attention to her next to her friend.
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Lizzy and Lydia
Even discounting the age gap between Lydia and the heroine, everything about Lydia’s unfortunate circumstances favors Elizabeth. If we look at the novel in terms of ‘reaping your rewards’, Elizabeth and Lydia serve as the ultimate contrast. Lydia does chase what she considers love and elopes with Wickham. For her defense, she is sixteen, raging with hormones, and Wickham is a handsome charming young man who paid attention to her. An Austen reader, however, would have immediately understood Lydia’s tale was to end badly when she eloped. Yes, Austen does encourage love, but cheaters and people who escape their responsibilities never have it good in her novels. The reward Lydia reaps for her selfish misdeed is basically a lifetime of misfortune with the novel’s antagonist. Charming in appearance, Wickham is gravely ill suited for Lydia, as she is for him. This couple also serves as a contrast for Darcy and Elizabeth, who share and intellect and mutual respect. Lydia and her irrationality contrasts with Elizabeth’s rationality. Elizabeth constantly attempts to compose herself through her refusal of Mr. Darcy, and though she does rebel against social norms, she does so in a respectable and approved manner. Lydia, on the contrary, places little interest in the good of others and completely betrays social norms when she spends days privately with Wickham before they are married. This is unacceptable in Regency society. Similarly to the case with Charlotte, Lydia is used to better reflect on the heroine.
Wickham and Darcy
At the point in which Elizabeth approves of Wickham’s character, she notes that though she is not in love with him, and that “he is, beyond all comparison, the most agreeable man [she] ever saw—and if he becomes really attached to [her]—[she] believe it will be better that he should not. [She] see[s] the imprudence of it” (Austen 99). Immediately following this claim, she goes to exclaim at “that abominable Mr. Darcy!” (99). There is contrast here too; Elizabeth is using the likes she finds in Wickham to reflect on the dislikability of Darcy. Of course, this proves to be completely ironic, as Darcy is to be the love of her life, and Wickham proves himself a proper villain for the Regency. Evidently, however, for whatever short period, though “Elizabeth is flattered by Wickham’s particular attention to her” it seems that “she is equally aroused by the fact that his story justifies her anger at Darcy” (Clark 103). Wickham plays a very crucial point in embodying falsehood. He is what appears to be good and is not, and Darcy is what appears to be bad but is not. This contrast reflects on the prejudices and hasty judgment of our heroine. Ultimately, Lydia’s elopement could partially be Elizabeth’s fault, as she failed to share her knowledge of Wickham with her sisters. Wickham becomes Elizabeth’s mistake more than anything else in the novel, and this contrast further ignites her later appreciation for Darcy.
This is another YAY for Darcy and Elizabeth moment…
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Elizabeth is different from the other women in the novel
Elizabeth is far more fearless and headstrong than any other female in the novel. In regards to reading, for example, she make her love for books evident despite the criticism Caroline Bingley passes upon her for it. Reading, essentially, would help no woman get a husband, and so for that it was unnecessary. A woman must know how to read, but Elizabeth’s love for reading is too passionate and too deep to suit her time. When offered to play a card game, Lizzy prefers to read. This is very odd for the time period, and as I mentioned, Miss Bingley has a lot to say about it. Of course, Austen ensures that when “Miss Bingley despises Elizabeth for what she calls ‘conceited independence’ simply enhances our sympathy for conceit and independence” (Clark 103). The reading suggests for the reader to dislike Caroline, while respect Elizabeth, and thus whatever criticism Miss Bingley has to offer on Elizabeth is seen in good lights.
It is, however, noteworthy to mention the majority of the opinions and circumstances the Narrator appears aware of and informs us of, are Elizabeth’s. We are meant to sympathize with her, and understand her part of the story best. In fact, we are hardly aware of what goes on in anyone else’s mind. Occasionally we see glimpses of other characters, but essentially, every description or opinion somehow relates back to Elizabeth. There is also the matter of the ending that should be considered. While the ending could be read subjectively, a more pessimistic reading would suggest “the end…witnesses a decline in Elizabeth Bennet, for in Pride and Prejudice as in much of women’s fiction the end, the reward of woman’s apprenticeship to life is marriage, and marriage demands resignation even as it prompts rejoicing” (Morrison 83). Yes- Elizabeth does conclude the novel with a prestigious marriage, and the reader could make whatever he/she wants from that. It could be regarded that Elizabeth reformed at the end, accepted societal conventions, and settled down, as it also could be regarded that Elizabeth found love, and every strunggle and rebellion she faced led her to it.
This song captures Elizabeth's charm. Certainly, she made it clear she "can take you or leave you", and she is "ahead of her time".