Pride and Prejudice Reinforce or Erode Sexist Essay

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Pride and Prejudice reinforce or erode sexist stereotypes of women (Research essay)

Jane Austen lived in a society where sexist values were believed to be perfectly natural and it was surely difficult for her to refrain from supporting some of these attitudes in spite of her feminist character. The individuals in "Pride and Prejudice" are each provided with a specific role that either reinforces or erodes sexist stereotypes in an attempt to paint a more complex picture regarding conditions in the early nineteenth century's England. While particular characters such as Mr. Collins put across discriminating behavior toward women, it is gradually revealed that Austen uses this strategy with the purpose of emphasizing the wrongness related to such attitudes. In contrast, the novel's protagonist, Elizabeth Bennett, has a series of attributes that women absolutely needed during the period in order to be able to receive appreciation from society in general and makes it possible for the novel to erode sexist stereotypes.

One can virtually consider that Austen's novel stands as a reference book that was purposed to change opinions in people during the early nineteenth century. The writer obviously acknowledged the opportunity to raise public awareness concerning the important role women played in society and focused on having the masses gain a better understanding of why it was important for them to change the way that they thought. According to Kirkham (158), "Jane Austen was equipped to withstand the Victorian form of Rousseauist restriction of women.

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Mr. Collins is certainly one of the most irritating characters when regarding matters from the perspective of a feminist. It is virtually as if he is reluctant to accept that Elizabeth can think correctly and ignores all of her ideas as he tries to emphasize her child-like thinking. "You must give me leave to flatter myself, my dear cousin, that your refusal of my addresses are merely words of course" (Austen 96). This makes it possible for readers to understand the ignorance present in Collins' thinking and actually influences them to accept that sexism is especially wrong.

Collins is the archetypal man in the eighteenth century and is appears that Austen wants to highlight that society has experienced much change as some people simply remained the same. Elizabeth is obviously more intelligent than Collins, but in spite of the fact that she tries to opens his eyes with regard to the negative effects that outdated thinking can have on himself, he continues to believe that it is in his best interest to continue to think that needs to employ a hostile attitude toward women who contradict men. One can actually be inclined to believe that Collins' character is meant to emphasize the fact that society unjustly promotes a patriarchal system in spite of the fact that many presumably interesting men are not even able to put across rational thought when speaking with a woman (Kirkham xxvi).

Not only does Collins express interest in.....

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