Elizabeth Bennet as an Empowering Female Character

Elizabeth Bennet as an Empowering Female Character A famous writer Mark Twain once said that whenever he read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, he wanted to “dig her (Austen) up and beat her over the skull with her own shin bone.” (McRobbie, 2013) It appears that Mark Twain was not the sole person who had strong dislike for this book as Emily Bronte, Virginia Woolf, and even Ralph Waldo Emerson also expressed their dissatisfaction with Pride and Prejudice. Hundreds of years have passed since Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published, yet the prevailing attitude among people towards it still differs; some people share the same feeling with Twain and Bronte, while the other thinks the opposite. A false perception that claims that there is no meaningful message conveyed in this book but whirlwind romance between men and women is one underlying reason why some people are not a fan of it. It is ‘a universally acknowledged’ misconception that Pride and Prejudice is simply a superficial novel that is not worth reading. There is a tendency to misinterpret this book as merely a story of women’s desperation in entrapping men to be their husband. Although the popular belief states that Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is simply about women’s quest in finding a perfect husband, the author actually tries to show female empowerment during the early of 19th century through the character Elizabeth Bennet and her unique characteristics. There are several factors to consider in determining a character as empowering or not. The word ‘empowerment’ itself is a broad concept that can be applied to several contexts. According to Collin English Dictionary, the word ‘empowerment’ has a meaning of someone or a group that has ‘a power and status in particular situation’ (Empowerment). In analyzing the character of Elizabeth Bennet, the discussed empowerment is female empowerment, in which the process of empowerment is focused on females. As the principal aim of feminism, female empowerment regards women’s self-autonomy and independence as two important factors in being empowered; you are the only important consideration in making a decision for yourself. Hence, from the description mentioned before, female empowerment can be interpreted as a condition in which females have power and control in doing something. Those who are both acknowledged by the society and capable of determining their own life despite their gender can be considered as empowering females. What does make female empowerment considered as an important issue? In the world where males seem to dominate the society, gender equality is something that has been fought for by a number of females, or even some males, around the world. The society, either consciously or unconsciously, adopts a doctrine which claims that males are superior compared to females. This dogma surely is unfavorable to women; it falsely overgeneralizes all women and builds invisible borderline that separates them from men in society. Achieving female empowerment, thus, can be done by creating a situation in which males and females are equal in every aspects of their life; one’s gender is irrelevant in defining oneself. As time goes by, the concept of female empowerment has been gradually accepted by the society; the discrimination against women has been decreasing significantly. However, in the past, the whole concepts of gender equality and female empowerment were seen as bizarre and alien to the society, and this was what made it extra challenging for Jane Austen to create an empowering female character such as Elizabeth Bennet. It should be taken into account how the social circumstances in the early of 19th century, in which Pride and Prejudice takes place, were significantly different with the circumstances nowadays. Back then, there was a rigid set of unwritten rules regarding gender roles in the society. According to Allison Stone in her book named an Introduction to Feminist Philosophy, besides being delivered by other people, certain gender roles are also enforced in a society by embodying them in social organizations and culture (Stone, 2007). It appears that the society believed in essentialism A view which believes that all members of a particular group share a common trait (Stone, 2007).; hence, a person, to be identified in a certain group of gender, must possess the traits that all of the members of that particular group also have. People, especially females, were expected to follow a constricting, predetermined set of arbitrary rules which was manifested in the established institution; school, church, and family institution carried indoctrinated messages regarding gender roles. As an illustration, it was considered as a disgrace for women to be seen in public places and not to stay at home, while it was normal for men to roam the street or to be spotted in public spaces (Sailus). Another instance of social injustice to women in the early of 19th century is how women, except for those who were the member of aristocracy, had a noticeably smaller opportunity to have a formal education compared to men, and those who wanted to educate themselves were frowned upon by the society as well. Finally, the characteristic that is often attributed to the early 19th century is how women must marry a respectable man in order to gain other people’s recognition. Instead of their personal accomplishments, marriage and men became the parameters that determined women’s success; the criteria of a successful woman were determined by the type of man that she married. To sum things up, freedom of choice and personal liberty were luxuries that women could rarely afford in the early of 19th century. According to Susan Hekman, the primary cause of women’s subjugation in society is not the ‘objective structures’ that they have, but it is because of the way the society portrays women’s identity and manifests it in every part of our life (Hekman, 2006). This shows how important social circumstances are in creating the society’s archetypal characteristics of women; the society determines the ‘appropriate’ traits and roles for women, makes unwritten rules about them that shall be followed, and spreads them to the very corner of social sphere. It is mentioned in Pride and Prejudice how women back then were obliged to master the art of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and languages to be accepted by the society as a high-class woman (Austen, 1813). Because of the predetermined set of rules that controlled women’s behavior, the society back then had certain expectations for them, and they were highly encouraged to live up to those expectations. A system of reward and punishment was often used in exchange for a guarantee that males and females adopted the appropriate social roles based on their gender (Stone, 2007). In order to meet the demand of the society, women often altered their behavior in certain ways, and these alterations created a uniformity which made almost every woman acted in similar way. Most people believe that all of Pride and Prejudice’s women characters have the characteristics that reflect the archetypal characteristics of women back then. There are several tangible proofs, however, that show the character Elizabeth Bennet is an atypical women in her era. Some people argue that there are no significant differences between Elizabeth Bennet and the other female characters, which are often described like hopeless damsels in distress. Take a blogger named Feifei Wang, for instance, who shows her immense dislike against the characters of Pride and Prejudice, including Elizabeth Bennet, and states that Pride and Prejudice is “a boring book filled with hateful female stereotypes yet was treated as some kind of pioneer of feminism” (Wang, 2013). To some extent, it is true that Pride and Prejudice revolves around the typical life of women during the early of 19th century, and most of the female characters are portrayed based on the gender stereotypes which existed back then. However, Elizabeth Bennet, unlike the other female characters in Pride and Prejudice, is portrayed with striking characteristics that are contradictory with the society’s expectations of women; she puts up a resistance against females stereotypes through her brave actions which deviate from the social norms regarding female roles. The first distinguishing characteristic is her well-mannered disposition, which is very contrasting with her mother’s bold and aggressive demeanor. As marriage and men were the most crucial factors in women’s life, women were willing to do extreme measures to get a well-respected man as their husband. Mrs. Bennet, who has five unmarried daughters, is one of those women whose desperation often overpowers their common sense. Compared to her mother, Elizabeth Bennet is much more demure in nature when it comes to men. Upon meeting Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley for the first time, unlike Mrs. Bennet who hastily introduces all of her daughters to both men in hopes that one of them catches one of the men’s eyes, Elizabeth is not obsessed with the possibility of marrying one of them. Although she knows that Mr. Darcy’s wealth is untold, she still chooses not to interact with Mr. Darcy upon feeling uncomfortable with his aloof and cold demeanor. She is also capable of keeping her temper even after Mr. Darcy’s arrogance insults her and her family repeatedly. Different from her mother whose fiery state of mind tends to flare even at the slightest provocation, Elizabeth chooses to stay composed and express her anger through clever yet sardonic comments. To illustrate, when she accidentally hears Mr. Darcy regards her as barely tolerable, Elizabeth does not straightforwardly confront him and express her displeasure. However, when Mr. Darcy asks her about the activity that she usually does in encouraging someone’s affection, Elizabeth’s reply is dancing ‘even if one’s partner is barely tolerable’ (Wright, 2005). Mr. Darcy, who does not know that Elizabeth has overheard his conversation with his friend, was astonished when she repeats the exact phrase that he uses to describe Elizabeth’s physical appearance. The next unconventional trait of Elizabeth Bennet is her independence, which was rarely possessed by any women during that era. To illustrate, the fact that Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet’s best friend, chooses to marry a stranger over staying unmarried shows how dependent women could be on men during that time. Elizabeth, on the other hand, refuses not only one, but two marriage proposals despite her mother’s coercion to do the opposite. Elizabeth is brave enough to break the norm in order to stick to her life principles; her independence prevents her from marrying someone she does not love even if that act can lead her to be a spinster and a disgrace to society. Her independence also gives her a sense of self-reliance, a trait that other female characters do not possess. Anne de Bourgh, for instance, is a passive woman who lets her dominant mother controls her life. In contrast, Elizabeth will not let anyone dictate her in living her life, including her persistent mother. Even when her mother threatens to disown her if she does not do things according to her mother’s wishes, Elizabeth still follows her own heart’s desire. She refuses to be anyone’s puppet, whether it is the society or her mother, and lives her life just like her heart’s desire. One famous quote that reflects her independence is “there is a stubbornness about me (Elizabeth) that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” (Chapter 31, pp. 103) Next, compared to her sisters’ triviality, Elizabeth’s witty charm and intelligence are other characteristics that distinguish her from other typical women characters. Her father, as a matter of fact, describes her to have ‘something more quickness than her sisters’, who are ‘silly and ignorant like any other girls’ (Chapter 1, pp. 4). Her habit, for instance, indicates how different she is with most of women in that era. Unlike her sisters whose main concern is to look beautiful in every occasion, Elizabeth prioritizes intelligence over physical appearance. Elizabeth’s fondness of reading is the opposite of her sisters’ keenness of gowns and ribbons. She also does not break herself of her habit of taking a solitary walk although it often gives her a disheveled appearance, showing that she is not afraid to look unattractive. According to Anita G. Gorman in her essay entitled Descriptions of Elizabeth Bennet’s Appearance, the way Austen describes Elizabeth’s appearance as average is to send an underlying message that the intelligence that this character has is much more important than her look (Gorman, 2004). However, Elizabeth still has some humor and cleverness on her that prevents her from becoming dull and uninteresting like Mary, another sister of hers. Elizabeth is somehow capable of balancing her manner and her wit, making her traits admirable. Unlike her sisters Lydia and Kitty, who are too impudent and audacious in interacting with other people, Elizabeth is capable of conducting herself properly in varying situation. The fact that she eventually marries a rich young man in the end of the book is also another reason why some people state that Elizabeth Bennet is no different with any other archetypal women who has nothing but marriage and financial security in their mind. Indeed, she marries a young rich man, but unlike other women, she takes careful and detailed considerations before she agrees to marry him. The first time Mr. Darcy confesses his feelings to her, her pride that has been wounded by Mr. Darcy’s arrogance makes Elizabeth reject him vehemently, showing that her dignity is much more important than the prospect of marrying a rich man. The fact that she does not accept Mr. Darcy’s feelings until she is completely sure that he is a good man also indicates that Elizabeth regards someone’s personality more than their wealth. Another instance which shows Elizabeth’s high regard on people’s personality is how she refuses to have any kind of interaction with Mr. Wickham once she knows his true nature, unlike her sister Lydia who agrees to marry Mr. Wickham even after she knows his materialistic tendency. Finally, if being financially secured is what Elizabeth really wants, she would not reject the wedding proposal of Mr. Collins, whose wealth will guarantee an easy life for her. For Elizabeth, the idea of marrying someone whom she does not love is more terrifying compared to live in poverty. Elizabeth claims that only the ‘deepest love’ that can coax her into marriage (Wright, 2005). All of these three actions that Elizabeth takes are the opposite of what a typical woman will do; rejecting wealthy men’s wedding proposal and prioritizing dignity over financial security are highly unlikely to be done by a typical woman in 19th century. Lastly, some people argue that Elizabeth is too cold and judgmental when it comes to other women. In an article published on the Guardian, Zoe Williams states that Elizabeth appears to be incapable in befriending any women characters except for those who have timid and demure nature such as Jane, her oldest sister, and Georgina Darcy. Elizabeth often criticizes other female characters; her mother, her younger sisters, and even Caroline Bingley regularly become the targets of her criticism (Williams, 2013). This entails one big question: what kind of empowering female character that cannot even stand her own kind? I personally believe that such an opinion is hastily formed without seeing the underlying motives that Elizabeth has behind criticizing other female characters. As a female, Elizabeth wants to prove that women must not conform to the gender roles established in the society. Her mother and her younger sisters are the epitome of typical women back then, and her criticisms are some kind of forms that show her protest against their unaccepted behavior. The character Caroling Bingley, who is also targeted in Elizabeth’s critics, proves that even women from the high class can too become a stereotypical woman. Her pinning over Mr. Darcy and her obvious desperate attempts to catch his attention do not get away from Elizabeth’s silent observation, and this becomes the reason why Elizabeth often criticizes her. The fact that Elizabeth only has few female friends do not necessarily mean that she has strong dislike for women in general, but it means that she refuses to surround herself with typical women. Surrounded by typical women, it is a wonder that Elizabeth can grow into an exceptional young woman who is brave enough to break the norms. The concepts of nature and nurture might explain this particular phenomenon. Originally introduced by Francis Galton, nature and nurture are two concepts which explain about the possible reason of one’s personality traits; those who believe in nature claim that every person has a blueprint which predetermines their characteristics since their birth, while those who believe in nurture state that people’s personality is gradually shaped by the environment surrounding them (McLeod, 2007). Using these two concepts in analyzing the characters of Pride and Prejudice, it appears that most of the female characters’ personalities are socially constructed; they are nurtured by the environment to be the way they are. For most of the female characters, the gender stereotypes mold their characteristics until they meet the social expectations. All of the Bennets, with the exception of Elizabeth, are the products of the environment. Their traits, beliefs, and mannerism are the output of the norms established in the society. Elizabeth Bennet, on the other hand, is a reflection of the nature concept. Despite her surrounding and her environment, Elizabeth still manages to develop her own personality without being bounded by the stereotypes. The fact that she does not see the importance of meeting the social standards is what makes her an empowering female character. Through the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen criticized how unfavorable the situation was for women in her era. She challenged the gender stereotypes by creating the character Elizabeth Bennet and all of her distinguishing characteristics. Even after more than a hundred years when Pride and Prejudice was first published, the character Elizabeth Bennet is still popular among people, especially women, these days. One factor that makes her so popular among us is because of how we often see ourselves reflected in the character Elizabeth Bennet. In the time where every woman was proposed to serve a social purpose to be someone’s wife, Elizabeth Bennet proves that women’s life should not be valued based on their husband or marital status. Her life decisions and unconventional traits contradict the prevailing belief which disputes that Elizabeth Bennet resembles a stereotypical woman in search of a husband. Claimed to be Austen’s most beloved female character, Elizabeth shows that women can be feminine yet still empowered at the same time. Works Cited Austen, J. (1813). Pride and Prejudice. London: Egerton. Empowerment. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2015, from Collin English Dictionary: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/empowerment Gorman, A. G. (2004). Descriptions of Elizabeth Bennet's Appearance. In H. Bloom, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (Bloom's Guide) (pp. 71-73). Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publisher. Hekman, S. (2006). Feminism. In S. Malpas, & P. Wake, The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory (pp. 91-101). Oxon: Routledge. McLeod, S. (2007). Nature vs Nurture in Psychology. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from Simply Psychology: http://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html McRobbie, L. R. (2013, January 3). 7 People Who Hated Pride and Prejudice. Retrieved April 2015, from Mentalfloss: http://mentalfloss.com/article/32099/7-people-who-hated-pride-and-prejudice Sailus, C. (n.d.). Feminism in the 19th Century: Women's Rights, Roles, and Limits. Retrieved April 9, 2015, from www.study.com: http://study.com/academy/lesson/feminism-in-the-19th-century-womens-rights-roles-and-limits.html Stone, A. (2007). An Introduction to Feminist Philosophy. Cambridge: Polity Press. Wang, F. (2013, December 1). Why Do I Hate Pride and Prejudice. Retrieved April 15, 2015, from http://feifeiandgames.quora.com/Why-do-I-hate-Pride-and-Prejudice Williams, Z. (2013, January 28). Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice at 200: Looking Afresh at a Classic. Retrieved June 02, 2015, from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/26/pride-prejudice-200th-anniversary Wright, J. (Director). (2005). Pride and Prejudice [Motion Picture].