Pride, Prejudice, and Status Essay Online

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a novel set during a time of transition in society about characters of different social classes; Austen’s characters Darcy, Bingley, Elizabeth, and Lady Catherine either follow or go against the society and what England expects of women and men of that time. Fitzwilliam Darcy is from old money and a family with aristocratic ties. He starts the novel off as a man who sees himself superior to those in a lower class than himself, but he eventually he moves away from the societal stereotypes set for a person of his status.

Secondly, Charles Bingley is a self made gentleman from the trade class. The trade-class is the first form of middle class in Regency England. Thirdly, Lady Catherine is one of the only true aristocrats in the novel. She is proud of her wealth and looks down upon those who are of lesser beginnings. Lastly, Elizabeth Bennet is a young, educated woman from the working class who at some times is hypocritical.

She does look down upon the upper class because of their seemingly snobbish nature; As Darcy does, she realizes her preconceived notions about the upper class are not always true. Elizabeth has to set her stereotypes aside. Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice is a novel about a relationship between two people of different social classes and how those social classes affect each character individually.