The social structure Austen creates for women at the time in the novel, Pride and Prejudice, seems to be that women are submissive, polite, and do not speak their minds. This also includes not doing things that are deemed unladylike in society. Elizabeth Bennet breaks these social norms and goes against what is expected of her and is instead outspoken and confident in her views. This can be seen throughout the novel in all three volumes.
In the first volume, Elizabeth goes to Mr. Bingley's home, Netherfield, after her sister Jane has fallen ill. She first walks there, making people comment about her and how that is absurd for a young woman to do. In chapter eight, Miss Bingley starts to discuss her and how walking to Mr. Bingley's house was described as “very nonsensical”(43). Miss Bingley goes on to say that Elizabeth's “manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no taste, not beauty”(43). In this passage, the description is separating her from the women who are of wealth and a high social standing, due to the way she acts and her characteristics. While continuing her stay at Netherfield, Elizabeth continues to not conform to how a lady should act in her social standing when she discusses topics with Mr Darcy and vexes him even. When he asks her to dance a reel she ignores him, then when he asks again she responds wittingly that she heard him but does not want to. She spoke her mind to Mr Darcy and she thought it was going to upset him, but instead, it reads “Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed by his gallantry”(63). This quote shows that Elizabeth knows that she is going out of the normal. Speaking to him out of her station, which is why she is amazed he took it so well.
In the second volume, Elizabeth goes against what is expected of her from society when she refuses Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal. A girl that is in her social standing, not wealthy and in need of a husband, should want to be a wife to a man with his social standing, a single man with good fortune. When Elizabeth rejects him, though, she says, “I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed to marry”(Austen 234). When she says this, her strong sense of self coms through especially since she won’t accept a marriage from a worthy suitor. She is outspoken and has a strong mind and she knows how she feels and will not participate in doing anything just because she's supposed to.
In the third volume, she ignores societal expectations when she does not bend to Lady Catherine de Burgh's trying to assert her social superiority by interfering in Elizabeth's and Mr. Darcy's engagement. Elizabeth speaks openly of her own opinion back to Lady Catherine. When Lady Catherine is trying to intimidate Elizabeth, she responds with, “But you are not entitled to know mine (concerns), nor will such behavior as this, even induce me to be explicit”(424). This quote shows the way that Elizabeth is standing up and not giving in to Lady Catherine. Lady Catherine can not believe that Elizabeth is not being submissive and says, “Obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you!”(425). She reacts in this way because Lady Catherine takes Elizabeth stating her feelings and views as disrespect since she will not just obey Catherine. This goes against social norms because women in the social standing as Elizabeth would not be expected to speak freey. She would be instead be expected to be submissive to a woman of Lady Catherine de Burgh standing. This showcases Elizabeth's strength in character to not let others make her contradict herself or her choices.
Jane Austen uses Elizabeth's character to go against the societal norms in the novel for women. In a way, this was Austen's way of being able to express her feminist views that women should be able to say what they want, marry who they want, and be able to be just as witty as men (and not get punished for it). Austen gives Elizabeth her happy ending and rewards her character because of the example she gives to be true to oneself and step out of the ‘mold' society tries to make women fit in to make them more agreeable.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. W.W. Norton, 2016.
