Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

In this novel the writer depicts a unique feature of the era during which it was written. That is it weren’t men who sought after women but women who tried to catch rich young men. The reason behind this was middle class families of that era had very little money & therefore the ultimate quest of the mothers with daughters was finding partners for their daughters before they even reached marriageable age. This was known as “Hunting for men”, especially rich ones. It’s almost funny how the mothers of that time were so eager to get rid of their daughters by giving them away in marriage.

Another main aspect highlighted in this novel is how an accomplished woman had to be able to play the piano, possess a graceful gait, be well mannered, be able to read properly and knit in order to get qualified for marriage. This accomplishment was highly necessary to become eligible for a good marriage. We also notice that upper class people didn’t involve in any professions and instead inherited huge fortunes from their parents while people who engaged in employment were considered as middle class people.

Mrs. Bennet was a silly woman.  But in a way we feel sorry for her because she had five daughters to get rid of. From among these daughters Jane was the prettiest of all. She was sweet tempered but had a weakness. That is she never spoke ill of anybody & was too innocent. Even though Elizabeth was not as sweet as Jane, she was very clever, sharp & had a clear insight to people’s minds. She always fought vehemently against injustice.  Austen portrays her as the sunny heroine of the novel. Mary on the other hand was a very peculiar character.  She was very pedantic and was always ridiculed by other people because of this. The youngest two daughters were as silly as their mother and their passion was to flirt with men, especially with officers who have come to relax in Meryton. Jane and Elizabeth had similar qualities and they were more like friends than sisters.

Another aspect conveyed in this novel is the relationship between husband and wife. Though they loved each other,  Mr. Bennet ridiculed his wife in the presence of his children which is inappropriate. It’s humorous the way Mrs. Bennet coaxed Mr. Bennet to pay a visit to Mr. Bingley as it was customary for the heads of surrounding families to pay a visit if somebody arrived in the neighbourhood. It’s true that Mrs. Bennet had an ulterior motive to unite Mr. Bingley with one of her daughters. But Mr. Bennet should respond more positively to his wife’s efforts to find suitable spouses for their daughters as it was his responsibility as well. Even though he is a sensible and intelligent man he doesn’t behave in a responsible manner & should support his wife more. But rather than trying to find solutions for their problems he always tries to escape from conversations with his wife and avoids discussing their daughters’ future.

Source: My own ideas