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| Bannet's Daughters |
Jane Austen was an England Novelist. She was born in Stevenson, Hampshire, England on December 16, 1775. Austen was from a small family who appreciated knowledge and took interest in reading so that she become a famous author. Among her masterpieces are Sense and Sensibility in 1811, Pride and Prejudice in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814 and Emma in 1816, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in 1818. Her works were paying attention in social condition, morality, education, marriage, and feminism. In fact, she was a very well-known novelist until this current century.
This article is going to present the
analysis one of Austen’s novels. It is Pride
and Prejudice. The writer is interested in the novel because Pride and Prejudice was a very popular
novel until today and so many critics toward this novel. Also, this novel was
full of gender issues and stereotype that the author wrote as the act of social
critic during the Jane Austen’s life.
Pride
and Prejudice novel brought the story about an upper-middle class family in
England. The time in the novel reflect in the early 19th century. Pride and Prejudice tells a story about
The Bannet’s family. They consists of father, mother, and five young daughters.
The problem figured out by the family is the lack of a son so if Mr. Bannet
were to die, all of his money and property would pass to a male cousin in the
family, Mr. Collins. That is why, Mrs. Bannet, the mother puts all of her
energy into marrying her daughters off to respectable men with a respectable
fortunes. The girls’ only purpose in life is to find a husband and marry, which
is reflected by the tradition of girls ‘coming out’ into society.
The main characters in Pride and Prejudice are Elizabeth
Bannet. She was the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bannet. She was described
by the author as an intelligent, lively, playful, and attractive lady. However,
she had a tendency to judge people on a first impression. As it is reflected in
the title ‘prejudice’. Based on Longman Dictionary Advance (2016), the word ‘prejudice’
means unreasonable dislike of people who are different in some way. The second
character is Mr. Darcy. He was a protagonist-twenty-eight-year old unmarried
man. Austen described Mr. Darcy as a handsome, tall, and intelligent person.
However, he was put his pride highly due to all the prosperity he had. The next
character in this novel is Mr. Bannet, the father of five daughters. He has an
ironic and cynical sense of humor that irritates his wife. As it is stated in
chapter 1,
Mr. Bennet was so odd a
mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humor, reserve, and caprice, that the
experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife
understand his character. Her mind
was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little
information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied
herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its
solace was visiting and news. (Chapter 1, the
last paragraph)
Unlike
his wife, Mrs. Bannet, who was frivolous, excitable, and narrow-minded. His
main ambition in her life is to marry her daughters to wealthy men. However,
she did not really put attention whether or not the daughter happy with such a
match she arranged. Jane Bannet was the eldest daughter in Bannet family. The
author, Jane Austen described her as the most beautiful young lady in the neighborhood.
She was sweet, shy, and sensible. She was favored by her mother due to her
beauty. In the story, she fell in love with Mr. Charles Bingley, a rich man who
had recently moved to Hertfordshire and a close friend of Mr. Darcy. Charles
Bingley is a handsome, good-natures, and wealthy young gentlemen. His nature
was very different with Mr. Darcy. As he was very charming, king, and had a pleasant
manner.
The stereotypes emerge in the story
are woman powerless, gender superiority,
and patriarchy. Firstly, about woman powerless which
are found in the novel are during the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Bannet
we can see that the Mr. Bannet was under the rule of her husband and unable to
do certain things without him. Mrs. Bennet acknowledged this social rule when
she argued with her husband about visiting Mr. Bingley. She said that, ‘…it will be impossible for us to visit him
if you do not’ (Chapter 1). Second evident of woman powerless is in the
conversation between Charlotte and Elizabeth ‘"I see what you are
feeling," replied Charlotte. It is portrayed women hang their happiness on
their husband and marriage. Furthermore, it is clearly reflected that marriage
is something that can save their pride.
"You must be
surprised, very much surprised - so lately as Mr. Collins was wishing to marry
you. But when you have had time to think it over, I hope you will be satisfied
with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a
comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and
situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as
fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state." (Chapter
22).
The
second gender stereotype emerges
in the story is about the gender superiority. It is describe in the first
chapter that Mr. Bannet has five daughters and has no son so that all his property and
money cannot be given to his daughter. Instead, the one who will inherit all
his wealthy is Mr. Collins, his cousin. It is obvious that woman has no
strength to take role as an
heir. Moreover, men, at that time, are very superior and women
are inferior.
The
second gender stereotyoe that the story brings is about the patriarchy. Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold
primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority,
social privilege and control of property. In the domain of the family, fathers
or father-figures hold authority over women and children. It is captured in the
story that Mr. Bannet holds the importat role as the head of his family.
Moreover, he is one who makes every decision for his family. Elizabeth was also
under the rule of Mr. Bennet, her father. When Mrs. Bennet wanted Lizzy to
marry Mr. Collins, she appealed to Mr. Bennet. ‘You must come and make Lizzy marry Mr. Collins…’ (Chapter4). If
Mr. Bennet had told Lizzy to marry Collins, she would have had no choice in the
matter. Also, Mrs. Bannet thought that Elizabeth would change his mind after
her father’s insitisted her to marry Mr. Collins although she did not. Thus, men
were still seen as the ones who gave commands, while the women obeyed them.
Women’s
role is also potrayed in the story. The highlited one is Mrs. Bannet role in
her family. She, as a wife, has five young unmarried daughters seems very busy
make her daughters marry to a fortune man. She put all of her energy to arrange
her daughter marriage. It is stated in Chapter 1 and 3 shows that Mrs. Bannet
role as a good wife and a good mother is to make sure that all of her daugters
will be married to a respectable man with respectable fortune.
"Oh!
Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five
thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!" (Chapter 1)
"If I can
but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield," said Mrs.
Bennet to her husband, "and all the others equally well married, I shall
have nothing to wish for." (Chapter
3)
Elizabeth
is symbolized the changes in the role of women in society. When she spoke her
mind, it sometimes was not accepted by the people around her. It was so far
different from other women’s characters in the story such as Mrs. Bannet and
Lidya Bannet who still followed traditional role. She was a strong wild young
woman and would not acquiesce to the desires of Mr. Collins or Mr. Darcy when
the two men proposed. Lizzy spoke her mind and wasn’t afraid to make anyone,
man or woman, angry. She was literate and could also write; showing that she
had had some form of education. Furthermore, when Jane was invited to come to
Mr. Bingley house, Mrs. Bannet forced Jane to come in order to get attention
from Mr. Bingley. Mrs. Bannet did not think any risk could get her favorite
daughter as at the story tell that it was hard rain.
Elizabeth's
spirits soon rising to playfulness
again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with
her. (Chapter 60)
Mr.
Darcy is symbolized as the powerful man. As he could run the estate after the
death of his father. Moreover, Austen explain that Mr. Darcy was a man with a
high pride so that he rarely danced with a any lady. He just danced with Mrs.
Hurst and Miss Bingley; both of them are ladies from upper class. Furthermore,
Mr. Darcy was very sarcastic to Lizzy for giving his sharp statemet about her.
He was the
proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would
never come there again. (Chapter 3)
"Which do
you mean?" and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till
catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I
am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted
by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for
you are wasting your time with me." (Chapter 3)
Furthermore,
symbol of powerful man reflected by the existence of Mr. Collins who come to
find a wife. He could choose a wife as he want although he was refused by
Lizzy. Mr. Collins finally married to Charlotte, a close friend of Lizzy.
Charlotte married to a man who had already owned his property so that she did
not need to work. Women at that time did not work but the men as a husband
would.
