Introduction
From the very beginning of Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, the readers understand that Elizabeth Bennet is a person with a high standard of integrity. Nevertheless, it seems more of a burden for her because life is majorly disappointing to Elizabeth when she sees other people’s behaviors. This frustration makes her often complain, especially knowing that there is nothing that she is going to change about how the world works. Therefore, she says that she becomes gradually more dissatisfied with the world and the inherent human inconsistency (Austen, 1813, p. 95). The idea of writing a character with such a high level of integrity allowed Austen to separate moral people from their debauched copies who might not know how to behave, even if they are self-confident and bear a positive image in society. This is why there are so many repetitions reinforcing Elizabeth’s integrity and motivating the audience to empathize with her.
Discussion
The fact that Elizabeth marries neither Mr. Collins nor Mr. Darcy (after the first proposal) shows that her view of the world is rigid but ethically sound. The importance of love and respect can be viewed through the prism of integrity as well. Elizabeth does not see any reason to marry a man if she is not sure if he is consistent enough in his feelings and worldviews. The problem with economic security is that she sees it as a bonus and not the key factor contributing to the marriage. When Elizabeth says that “there is a stubbornness about [her] that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others,” she means that her understanding of the world makes her even more rigid when it does not follow ethical reasoning (Austen, 1813, p. 122). Hence, it is a lesson for the readers to follow their ethical compass and give up on the idea of meeting societal expectations.
This witty attitude is what makes the readers sympathize with Elizabeth and think about how they could apply similar behaviors in real life. The descriptions of each of the characters in Pride and Prejudice are knowingly exaggerated by Austen. It has been done to draw the line between social expectations and behaviors that might make a person happy when following their code of ethics. Almost every time Elizabeth communicates with anyone else, she tends to bash contemporary social issues without being too upfront about them while shaping the context perfectly. For example, she says that one “shall not […] change the meaning of principle and integrity, nor endeavor to persuade […] that selfishness is prudence.” (Austen, 1813, p. 95). This is another example of repetition utilized by Austen to make the readers believe that integrity is the main ingredient required to live a righteous life regardless of what others think about it.
Conclusion
Ultimately, this commitment becomes the main reward for Elizabeth because she recognizes the meaning of true love and happiness. The ability to distinguish between people with integrity and those lacking it does not work naturally. This is why Austen teaches the readers to be considerate when judging and reflecting one’s principles on others. The superficial nature of some of the characters is ridiculed by the author in order to show how individual interests destroy morale and make it much harder to live an ethical life. Knowing that even Elizabeth’s mother was presented as an imprudent character, it can be safe to say that the concept of integrity was exercised by Austen perfectly by means of repetitions. Various exaggerations utilized throughout the novel make it possible for the audience to distinguish people with integrity and understand how such behaviors could be helpful in real life.
Reference
Austen, J. (1813). Pride and Prejudice. Web.