“Admiration to love”
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth Bennet is one of the major character. Elizabeth’s nick name is Lizzy to his friends and family. She has four sisters. And she is the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She is very innocent, witty, smart, intelligent type of person. She is very close to her father and her elder sister Jane. For Mrs. Bennet, she is not a good daughter because she is very straight forward kind of woman. Mrs. Bennet that means her mother push her to seek a marriage of convenience for economic society. But Elizabeth wishes to marry for love. She is not interested in money, famous or more beautiful or handsome men. She wants love. Whoever she want to marry he must has to be romantic. And she also wants a kind heart man. Who never be selfish or proud about himself.
In Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen represents Elizabeth with very realistic character. Also she is considered one of the most beloved characters in British literature because of her complexity. Elizabeth Bennet is the second eldest of the five Bennet sisters of the Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire. She is very romantic person and very charming lady. When Bennet family went to the party to saw Mr. Bingley. There Elizabeth first saw Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy who is the friend of Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth is considered a beauty and a charming young woman with ‘fine eyes’ to which Mr. Darcy first drawn later he was attracted more particularly to her light and pleasing manners, her mind and personalities.
In the first met they had a very bad impression to each other. And she is actually very serious about the impression of the person. Darcy did not like her at first glance. And at the party Mr. Darcy said to Bingley about Elizabeth, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.” (chapter3, page 59) When Elizabeth heard this words from Mr. Darcy then she assumes that Darcy is very rude, arrogant and very proud of himself. His behavior is very unpleasant, arrogant and pride. So, she hate him when they had very first conversation.
Elizabeth is interested in George Wickham, who had a good relation with Mr. Darcy once. But later Wickham eloped with her younger sister Lydia. Mrs. Bennet eagerness to have her daughters married off to wealthy men. But Elizabeth is never interested in wealthy men. She always wants a man who loves her very much and cares about her. And when Mr. William Collins propose to her then she directly and indirectly refused him. Because she feels that Mr. Collins is a robotic person. He has no feelings and he has not at all a lovely person. Because his proposal style was very weird, like he said, “I shall be uniformly silent; and you may assure yourself that no ungenerous reproach shall ever pass my lips when we are married.” (chapter19, page148) So, if a man proposed any woman with such this words then it’s very simple that no one will like him. So, Elizabeth refuses him with very seriously when Mr. Collins thinks that maybe she is very shy. But she is very straight forward type of woman. She does not like him that’s why she refuses Mr. Collins. Elizabeth said, “I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time. I am perfectly serious in my refusal.” (chapter19, page-148.) Later, when she went to her best friend Mrs. Charlotte Lucas’s house for visit her friend then he met with Darcy and he proposed her. But she refused him because when he proposed her then she feels that Darcy is not actually value her and he did not mean it. And his attitude is very rude towards Elizabeth. So she refuses him and ran away. And later when she went to Pemberley Woods with her uncle and aunty then she thinks that if she said yes to Mr. Darcy then maybe she might have been the mistress of this beautiful house.
Elizabeth is such a realistic character of Jane Austen. Because we all have this kind of desires in our life that we might be the princes of a charming and handsome prince. So when she saw the house of Mr. Darcy then she regret in her mind. And Jane Austen write in this way that, “This was a lucky recollection- it saved her from something like regret.” (chapter43, page 268) That means she desires that if she accept his proposal then maybe she was the wife and mistress of his beautiful palace. When Elizabeth is heard that Mr. Darcy is not actually a very bad person and helped her sisters marriage and he is actually a kind hearted person. And later when Darcy proposed him for the second time she accept and said yes to him. Because now she understand that Darcy is a nice man and he loves Elizabeth. When Darcy said that he did everything not because of her family but just because of Elizabeth. So she feels so lucky to find her love and she accepts her proposal.
Elizabeth Bennet is universal character. Because we see many people like her around us who is like Elizabeth. She is not want to marry a rich man or who has famous. She actually wants love and respect like many woman want. Everybody thinks that women are just want to marry a handsome and rich people but this concept is not correct for all women. There are many women like Elizabeth who wants love and a kind person. Yes, but everybody has some expectation and desires in their life. Like when Elizabeth went to Darcy’s palace she was so amazed with the look of the palace but its not real reason why she accepts his proposal. He is actually a kind heart person and helps everyone but never tells anyone. And that’s the reason why she fall in love with Darcy. So, there are many people who do this kind of thinks in their life. And when they observe the person very closely then they understand that maybe the person is not so bad. So, always the first impression is not always correct.
There are many woman like Elizabeth. And I see myself when I were read this novel. I find me as Elizabeth Bennet. Coincidently the name of this major character and main is same. But not only the name but also the character of Elizabeth is quite similar. Like she is very humorous and straight forward kind of woman so that I. Money is not really important for me. I want such a person who was actually exactly my father who loves me the most. Like Elizabeth Bennet she wants to marry a man who has care for her and respect her.
Work cited
Austen, Jane. Pride And Prejudice. Penguin English Library, 1972.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bennet
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