Introduction
Review of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, reveal women have little control over their lives. After their father takes care of them until they are grown they must marry or find themselves in fear of becoming homeless. This was the structure of society during this era in Western culture. The advantages of such a system looks at not only how Jane Austen viewed gender issues as fitting the legal and moral aspects of her society but as the natural order of the world fitting into the Georgian era giving a view of the status of and the social evolution of society toward the equality of women.
Austen’s View of the Natural Order
Austen’s ability to comfortably describe the natural surroundings of the environment so carefully and intentionally in the novel speak to the natural order of the differences in gender of all living things including humans (Eliot 2001). She recognized the advantage of such an order also applying to the social norms where women were under the care of a male throughout her life. The comparison Austen diligently provides in her story speaks to the good of the natural order of things concerning gender and that the female – the weaker sex naturally must be under the authority and care of the stronger male sex – all because this is indeed the natural order as intended by the creator (Muji 2010)
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In describing the surrounding nature as a world of tamed and domesticated imagery Austen draws the reader into the comparison she wants to frame her story between nature and the genders as beneficial to both male and female. Parallels exist between the way nature is tamed and domesticated by men to the manner they tame and domesticate the women the women they marry as the natural order of things. Charlotte has subjugated herself to this natural order making her more desirable as wife material and therefore has the advantage over Elizabeth who continues flexing her independence and seeming less desirable wife material. The intention of Austen creating and developing these two different female characters provides the reader the choice to acknowledge the existence of two types of women existing in this society of regulated behavior. The law supported such a structure by legitimizing children through marriage for property rights so the advantage of such a society had a logical framework (Teachman 1997).
Charlotte fits into the natural order of society as learning her position as the subjugated and willing to do what the majority of society desires women do for the benefit of society. Elizabeth represents a minority view of society with her desire to escape the inequalities she sees and to escape the confines of marriage. Ironically, the domesticated and tamed description of the beauty of nature is the compelling element that feeds Elizabeth’s sense of freedom in escaping those expectations of her society. The benefit of marriage in this era looks at the limitations these women faced because of the core differences between men and women framed by society (Muji 2010).
Conclusion
The above research, review, and assessment successfully discussed the primary benefit of marriage within he limited society women existed as represented in “Pride and Prejudice”. This directly connected to her comparison of human gender to the order of nature with women considered the weaker sex and therefore inferior to men left the only advantage for women to move from the protection of her father into care of a financially-suited husband. This was a norm of the era supported by the law where few opportunities existed for single and particularly penniless women making the advantage logical in the natural order of things.
- Eliot, Charles William. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction, Vol. III, Part 2. Copyright © 2001 Bartleby.com, Inc. 2001. PDF
- Muji, Arbnore. Gender issues reflected within nature in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. 2010. Web.
- Teachman, Debra. Understanding Pride and Prejudice: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997. Book
