Pride And Prejudice Symbolism Analysis

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, many themes regarding, love, society, gender and independence are all deeply explored. One activity that is extremely useful in bringing all these topics together is walking. In Pride and Prejudice, the act of walking holds significance, symbolism and thematic weight in many regards. Particularly when it comes to which characters are the ones walking, where they’re walking and, even if they don’t have one, what their destination is. By holding important dialogue between characters in all of these different settings and contexts, Austen adds important information for the reader to unpack without having to explicitly explain it. To give a brief overview, in early nineteenth century England women were allowed to do very few things and make very few choices without the aid or approval of a man. Often times the men who controlled every action they were allowed to take was usually either their husband or father. Women were virtually forbidden from making a living at that point in time or achieving any financial success, so whether or not they pleased a man would often determine their entire livelihood. This often meant that very few things could be done outside the house that did not involve domestic errands. However, from Austen’s description, walking was one of those very few privileges ladies in Pride and Prejudice were given permission to do at their leisure and on their own. Walking in Pride and Prejudice happens most often outdoors, an