Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice is a famous novel related to mixed emotions concerning family issues. The main theme of the novel is marriage and its importance in the society. Pride and Prejudice portrays the significance of how marriage was treated in the nineteenth century, where the elopement of a woman with a man was very common yet it wasnt socially accepted.
In the nineteenth century women had a lower status in society than men, for instance they were not allowed to vote. At the time women were not permitted to inherit their fathers wealth and therefore had to choose husbands who were financially stable. Even though the novel is set in the nineteenth century it has great relevance to current times. The feelings attached to marriage in historic cultures are still the same today, especially in Asian cultures. By and large Pride and Prejudice is a romantic comedy showing how the elopement of Lydia has an effect on the entire family. Throughout the novel we become familiar to themes of love, respect, greed as well as friendship.
The central theme of the story hangs of the opening sentence,
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
This introductory line is the foundation for the all the events in the story.
Lydia Bennet is the youngest member of the Bennet family, aged only fifteen. Lydia is described as being superficial, immature, entertaining and unreliable. She is self-centred and only bothered about her personal pleasures. She is also unaware of how she shows up her family at social gatherings. Her careless character makes her vulnerable to people like Wickham. However instead of stopping Lydias risk full habits, Mrs Bennet gives her great support. Lydia closely resembles her mother in many ways, for example both of them have affectionate feelings towards officers.
Due to her mannerism she elopes from Brighton with Wickham.
Mr Bennet is nonchalant, quiet and self-centred. Due to these characteristics he is unable to fulfil his responsibilities as a father. On numerous occasions he has overlooked serious matters with his humorous remarks.
Mrs Bennet is very much like Lydia. She is selfish, mindless, vulgar and in need of morality. Her main aim in life is to marry off her five daughters to men, who posses good fortune. She tries her best to find husbands for her daughters at parties. However because she lacks social decorum, the result is usually negative and her daughters face the embarrassment. Mrs Bennet seems useless, but she has a disparaging authority on the family.
Elizabeth and Jane, the eldest daughters, are very grown-up and sensible. Jane is a calm and withdrawn girl whose main weakness is that she sees good in everyone. Elizabeth is very cheerful and lively. She is not laid back like Jane, but is strong-willed like Lydia. Kitty is greatly under the influence of Lydia and also has similar intentions to those of Lydia. Mary is a gentle and intellectual character, who later on socialises.
The Bennets have differing views to each other over Lydia going to Brighton. Elizabeth shows how thoughtful she is when she warns her father of the dangers involved in sending Lydia to Brighton considering her vulnerable characteristics.
She represented to him all the improprietiestemptations must be greater than at home.
Elizabeth tries to say that her behaviour will get extreme at Brighton because Mrs Foster isnt mature enough to look after her uncontrollable behaviour. Elizabeth is responsible and considerate because she thinks about the possible dishonour the family could face if Lydia went to Brighton.
Lydia will never be easy till she has exposed herself in some public placeunder the present circumstances.
Elizabeth shows great concerns over Lydia going to Brighton, as she is sure of Lydia doing some harm to the family status. Elizabeth approaches her father and attempts to convince him of Lydias weaknesses and how she could bring disgrace upon them all. She warns her father,
'If you were aware, of the very great disadvantage you would judge differently in the affair.
Elizabeth says all this to ensure that the family pride is not affected in any possible way. She is conscious of the great possibility of Lydia exposing the family honour at Brighton. However she expresses her dissatisfaction to no constructive effect as she fails to persuade her father because he has different views of the matter. Elizabeth is left angry and feels Lydias foolish behaviour is because of her fathers lack of concern.
Mr Bennet is not greatly concerned about Lydia going to Brighton. He feels that Lydia will mature slowly and doesnt give her behaviour too much thought. Mr Bennet allows Lydia go to Brighton not because of her own happiness but rather to maintain peace at Longbourn, as he says,
We shall have no peace at Longbourn if Lydia does not go to Brightonus to lock her up for the rest of her life.
This shows his laid back and careless character. He is more bothered about having peace at Longbourn than the possible disgrace that Lydia could cause the family. He is the father of the family and should think more responsibly like Elizabeth did. His character is weak because he isnt successful in being a good father. There are indications that he his easily deceived, as Mrs Bennet talks him into letting Lydia go to Brighton even though Elizabeth had warned him.
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