Saturday, May 30, 2020
Elizabeth Loves Power, Not Populism - Literature Essay Samples
The community featured in Jane Austenââ¬â¢s Pride and Prejudice has entrenched societal systems known as ââ¬Å"proprietyâ⬠. This ââ¬Å"proprietyâ⬠is a cultural code of conduct that dictates the lifestyles of the cultural citizens and defines success for the community. On many occasions, the protagonist Elizabeth Bennett criticizes or doubts this system of propriety. She feels it judges without worthy evidence and denies citizens the right to fulfill their identities and desires. However, Elizabeth uses the same methods to assign others a social value lower than her own. The inconsistency in Elizabethââ¬â¢s attitude towards judgment suggests that she believes social inequalities exist between people, but just refuses to acknowledge those without her at the top. One person who Elizabeth judges as unworthy of equal respect is Mr. Collins. Elizabethââ¬â¢s initial judgment of Mr. Collins is that he is not worth spending her time on. Elizabeth resists speaking with Mr . Collins in the first place, and consents to the conversation only to ââ¬Å"get it over as soon and as quietly as possibleâ⬠(91). Her feelings ââ¬Å"[a]re divided between distress and diversion,â⬠and his mere presence ââ¬Å"ma[kes] Elizabethâ⬠¦near laughing,â⬠indicating she does not respect his thoughts (91 ââ¬â 92). Because she disagrees with his perspective, she disagrees with his existence. In refuting upper class expectations of conventional marriage, Elizabeth simultaneously refutes Mr. Collinsââ¬â¢ right to agree with those conventions. She judges him as having misaligned priorities, and is not interested in genuinely listening to him or considering that there is validity to his perspective.Elizabeth extends these judgments of conformity to her friend Charlotte, who decides to marry Mr. Collins. While Elizabeth refuses to marry Mr. Collins even though it would have been financially beneficial for her and her family, her best friend has differen t values. Charlotte Lucas prioritizes her economic security and social reputation over the satisfaction of her lust or her ideal of romantic love and agrees to Mr. Collinsââ¬â¢ proposal. While Elizabeth feels emotional satisfaction will come only from love, Charlotte feels she will be emotionally satisfied by the assurance of a stable position. Elizabeth cannot imagine that there is validity to Charlotteââ¬â¢s choice. Indeed, she has difficulty imagining that the choice actually happens: ââ¬Å"she could not have supposed it possible that when called into action she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage,â⬠(110). The use of ââ¬Å"betterâ⬠prominently indicates the Elizabeth is judging Charlotte; she believes Charlotteââ¬â¢s feelings to be less worthy of respect and acceptance than her own. Furthermore, Elizabethââ¬â¢s judgment of Charlotte fittingly represents her approach to her entire community. In Elizabethââ¬â¢s mind, everyone should follow their ââ¬Å"feelingsâ⬠ââ¬â which she seems to think are abstract emotions independent of external conditions, like love but not like security ââ¬â and those who do not are lacking in character. However, Elizabethââ¬â¢s community tends to function as if everyone should follow the ââ¬Å"rulesâ⬠ââ¬â which have everything to do with external conditions like security and little to do with abstract emotions like love ââ¬â and as if those who do not are lacking in character. By marrying Mr. Collins, Charlotte decides to participate in this cultural ideology and the corresponding systems. Thus, when Elizabeth says that ââ¬Å"it [is] impossible for [Charlotte] to be tolerably happy in the lot she ha[s] chosen,â⬠she is furthermore suggesting that it is impossible for someone to be ââ¬Å"tolerably happyâ⬠in a society that mandates such choices (110). The judgment that offers the most insight into Elizabethââ¬â¢s conflict is her h ierarchical placement of her servants. This relationship shows that Elizabethââ¬â¢s feelings about a general inequality change depending on whether a specific instance of that inequality increases or decreases her power. That Elizabethââ¬â¢s family has servants, and that, moreover, Elizabeth raises no objection to this demonstrates that Elizabethââ¬â¢s concerns over the restrictions of social class are very self ââ¬â centered. Elizabeth seems to dislike Lady Catherine de Bourg, as is demonstrated by her anxiousness to depart from Rosings and her contempt towards the Lady when she pries into Mr. Darcyââ¬â¢s feelings towards Elizabeth. She takes issue with Lady Catherineââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"condescensionâ⬠towards Elizabeth and the Bennett family, as well as the arrogance Lady Catherine displays in dictating the terms of Elizabethââ¬â¢s relationship, or lack thereof, with Mr. Darcy (184). When Lady Catherine arrives unannounced to the Bennett residence, ââ¬Å"more than usually insolent and disagreeableâ⬠, she repeatedly emphasizes the elevation of her social class in comparison to Elizabethââ¬â¢s by saying ââ¬Å"[Elizabeth] ought to know that [Lady Catherine is] not to be trifled withâ⬠and threatening that Elizabeth ââ¬Å"will be a disgrace; [her] name will never be mentioned by any of [the upper class]â⬠if she does not comply with Lady Catherineââ¬â¢s wishes (303, 305). While many people, including much of Elizabethââ¬â¢s family, would submit to these assaults and passively comply to the Lady, Elizabeth ââ¬Å"colour[s] with astonishment and disdainâ⬠and responds with stinging frankness, reflecting her invalidation of upper class superiority and dissent of the cultural norms (303). She feels she has individual rights, and that other individuals do not have the right to encroach on these rights. In other words, she has the right to ââ¬Å"not choose to answerâ⬠Lady Catherineââ¬â¢s questions and to k ick Lady Catherine off the Bennett property, but Lady Catherineââ¬â¢s personal choices are not entitled to ââ¬Å"have [an] effect on [her]â⬠(304, 305). However, simultaneous to all this rebellion and dissent, Elizabeth acts like Catherine de Bourgh in relationship to the Bennettsââ¬â¢ servants. Lady Catherine demands Elizabeth complies with her desires; the Bennetts demand the same from their servants. Indeed, compliance is the function of a domestic worker; their job is to attend to the necessities and personal wants of their master. Just like Lady Catherine, Elizabethââ¬â¢s family exhibits condescension and arrogance by subjugating domestic employees, and by valuing them not as human beings but as material possessions that indicate social success. Thus, Elizabeth is, in no uncertain terms, a hypocrite. She wishes her family was treated with respect despite their reputation. She finds the commonly accepted cultural norms to be unjust and thinks it unfair that she c annot achieve her desires as a result of those norms. She believes in individual rights and individual values. However, she does not respect people with different perspectives or priorities. She refuses to expand her definition of happiness or include other factors or emotions. She exploits an economically disadvantaged class in order to increase her own power. In short, she wants the best for herself. She will combat anything that oppresses her, and conquer anything that will reward her, all under the false umbrella of system ââ¬â wide ideals.
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