Secondary Characters In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

In her writing, Jane Austen used literary techniques to display her character’s integrity, poise, grace and charm, or lack thereof. Throughout most of Austen’s works, a common theme is women and their behavior. In Emma, Jane Austen weaves a story between the differences of society through the actions of a young woman, Emma Woodhouse. The strongest literary technique in Jane Austen’s Emma is the use of a foil.

Austen’s priority when writing Northanger Abbey was to defend the novel as a genre, whilst also addressing the concept of ‘reading’ itself. Essentially, by writing in the style of the gothic, she emphasised the ordinariness of the domestic gothic and, patriarchal domestic

Regarding Jane Austen’s heroines, one of the most important features of her novelties is the way she handled the characterisation and the progress of her heroines’ emotions and feelings, which is important since the progress is caused by their ‘fallible’ actions. Marsh discusses Austen’s novelties and developments in comparison with Fielding’s characterisation in Tom Jones. He explains

People such as John Stuart Mill were passionate advocates for women’s rights. In document 1, Mill begins by saying that traditionally, the vocation of a woman is the place of a wife and mother. He believes that one is supposed to consider of women in that way, but in truth, he recognizes that by denying women the same opportunities as men, the world is denied of the talents of women. He wrote The Subjection of Women with the help of his wife. Though he was already an advocate for fairness, his wife educated him on the real-world consequences of women’s legal submission.

She states a more modern view upon the subject about the female role in society where she states a desire that women should be able to do the same things as men, without a judgemental view from society. This view of gender roles was controversial in the Victorian era, but Jane Eyre represents a new and fresh feature in the early feminist movement with a more equal view upon the subject. Though, upon the marriage with Mr. Rochester, Jane shows another side of her feministic character. The independent Jane, starts to question her role in the marriage.

Emma Marriage For Jane Austen, marriage was a permanent affair that conferred financial and social security on a woman. This is due to the fact that women had limited rights such as earning one’s own property and wealth. The significance of matrimony is apparent through her female characters, Emma, Harriet and Miss Bates. Emma aspires to match-make Harriet by marrying her into a higher social position to Mr Elton – “she would detach her from her bad acquaintances, and

(Lane 2015) The original title of Austen’s novel is First Impressions, making the theme evidently significant, but is now rephrased to Pride and Prejudice. To begin with, the most prominent theme in the story is the initial thoughts of major characters affect the plot and influence the main scheme of the novel greatly. Elizabeth’s main perception of Darcy immerges from an overheard conversation Darcy has with his virtuous friend, Mr. Bingley. Darcy initially insults Elizabeth for being of the Bennet family when Bingley persuades him to dance with her.

Edith Wharton stated once that at some stage in a story there will be that turning point or “illuminating incident” that would be a window that opens to convey the whole message and show the deeper meaning of the work. Basing this on Pride and Prejudice, the most significant, shifting point would be when Elizabeth realizes that her first impression has done her wrong, and that she’s the one being prejudicial, not Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen follows the development of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship in how they both change in order to overcome their own vanities and be able to love each other. Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley, accompanied by her aunt and uncle, causes her to reconsider her thoughts about Mr. Darcy and shows how naïve and inconsiderate she was. After knowing the truth, Elizabeth’s reaction help build up the main themes of Pride and Prejudice which is to learn before making any judgments.

In Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, and Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens, two proposals, despite their few effective lines, end up being horrendously uneffective. In the first, William Collins proposes to Elizabeth Bennett, and in the latter, Bradley Headstone-his last name, which he will need after he dies from the painful embarrassment of his rejection- proposes to Lizzie Hexam. What makes a marriage proposal successful is a display of commitment, intimacy, and passion- though not too much or too little of any one factor! A lack of one or more of these factors, which both proposals are guilty of, will lead the proposer down the path of one of the main struggles of wooing: rejection. Both men do make one or two seemingly effective statements.

Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel written by Zora Neale, expresses a black womens growth towards independence. Janie Crawford, the protagonist, is in quest of her ideal love but is surrounded by powerful men who take advantage of her youth and beauty. Janie’s first husbands keep her dependent but Tea Cake, through true love, exposes her to independence she seeks and later learns to embrace. Logan and Joe treat Janie as if she is unequal to them and nothing more than an object to be used and observed, therefore secluding her from the independence she deserves. Janie’s first marriage, arranged at the prime of her youth by her nanny, was a forced relationship with a man Janie took no liking too.

Who is the true heroine? Jane Austen’s Persuasion is a story about a heroine named, Anne Elliot. Anne must have posse maturity and be ready for marriage; however, she must first become a marriageable woman by expanding her moral character in the novel. At the age of twenty –eight Anne is an extremely mature heroine, which is unusual for a young woman at that age.

The short story, “The Necklace”, by Guy du Maupassant, is about Madame Loisel, a young woman and her desire to lead a life of luxury, jewels, and dresses. On the other hand, the short story “The Journey to Galway” by Colm Toibin is about a mother and her struggle to accept the death of her soldier son. In the light of the texts, “The Necklace” is a better short story than the “The Journey to Galway”. This is because of the presence of strong characterization and the author’s effective use of conflict.

Lots of men and women around the globe have a job but should gender determine what that job is?In this book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, Charlotte gets paired up with many men who judge her based on her gender. The first couple days Charlotte did some of the work even though she wasn't the best, but after a while, when she was better at it, she helped out the crew. Charlotte started out the trip in a dress and bonnet, but she later changed into trousers and a shirt. In the beginning, Charlotte was just along for the ride, but later became so important that she became the captain. Men and women should have the same rights as each other if it makes them happy.

Oftentimes, minor characters help to reveal a theme or contribute to the characterization of the protagonist. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Helen Burns serves as a foil character to the protagonist, Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel, Helen’s docile and pious nature helps to emphasize Jane’s development from a passionate girl to a modest woman. Helen’s theological beliefs also allow her to serve as a foil character to Mr. Brocklehurst, the headmaster of Lowood Institution, and St John Rivers, a zealous missionary, in order to reveal how Christianity is used to control Jane. Compared to the male characters in the novel, Helen’s positive use of religion proves to be more effective in encouraging Jane to adopt Christian values.