The Middle Class Woman by Jane AustenJane Austin insightfully portrays the class mentality of the middle and upper classes in the early 19th century in her novel Pride and Prejudice. Society back then was overly concerned with class distinctions, and with these shameless distinctions there was an obvious hierarchy that governed people's behavior and obligations to their respective societies. Austen's story focuses on Elizabeth Bennet and her family, who are wealthy members of English middle-class society. Throughout the novel, the Bennets maintain social contact with their middle-class peers and upper-class characters; and while vanity, love and gossip permeate the development of the story, Elizabeth struggles to remain composed and balanced in the midst of small follies. However, her struggle is not an easy one, as standards of behavior and social acceptance, as well as society's traditional expectations of a young, middle-class woman, become more and more pressing throughout the story. In recounting the constant social dilemmas faced by Elizabeth and her sister Jane, Austen paints an intricate picture of the life of a middle-class woman in this era, and through the attractive individuality of Elizabeth, a wonderfully wise and insightful woman, ridicules the woman. irrational social conventions that oppress its female characters. A central theme of the book is the class consciousness that is held so high by many characters. People of a lower class were expected to realize their inferiority and act accordingly. Furthermore, the occupants of the upper classes have the privilege of regarding their inferiors with disdain and even disdain. Middle-class women are especially vulnerable... middle of paper... daughter unworthy of your affection forever, and let her reap the fruits of her heinous offense" (282). a sister's infidelity could irreparably tarnish one's reputation of the others. In the end Darcy pays Wickham to marry Lydia, and the Bennets' problems are solved. However, Austin wants us to see the injustice of such a situation and the unnecessary emphasis on women's behavior as well as the helplessness of women in remedying such a situation, Pride and Prejudice is not simply a flowery love story. It is a critique of society's flaws, and Elizabeth Bennet is Austin's instrument, as she transcends convention and popular thought. her opinion. and of course Elizabeth is a role model to which all women should aspire, and her individualism is articulated with infinitely more force than the stale voice of society.)