Love Transcending Gender Norms and Social Hierarchy in "Pride and Prejudice"

This paper focuses mainly on the representation of love and marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Love in the Georgian Era was arguably not considered as significant as it is now; there was more to marriage than love. Austen’s novel shows how many women in the 1800s were desperate to get married for financial security and social status. In her book, Austen criticizes the patriarchal society of her time where women had no option other than to devote their lives to marriage to save themselves from being poor or from being spinster. The book also exhibits the oppression and inequality faced by women during the Regency Era. Moreover, in the book, women are seen as object of desire and pressurized to appear perfect (physically). The protagonist of the story, Elizabeth Bennet is an independent and a strong-minded woman who stands against conventional social norms. She affirms her feminist stand several times in the narrative. However, she is not perfect, as she misjudges Mr. Darcy based on her first impression of him. Mr. Darcy also goes through radical changes, ones that are mostly inspired by Elizabeth. It is common for people to wrongly judge each other based on the first impression; however, some are lucky enough to get second chances. Although Elizabeth’s pride and Mr. Darcy’s prejudice create differences between them at first, true love unites them eventually. Through these characters, Austen is trying to convey her view on love, which involves not just romance, but also respect and equality. Pride and Prejudice is a feminist fairytale, but it is also a critique of class distinctions and the chauvinistic society of Austen’s time. The novel implies that there is no connection between the members of the upper class and virtue. The characters representing the upper class are repeatedly mocked for flaunting arrogance and supremacy