Social Norms In Pride And Prejudice Analysis

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In society of the Regency period, every aspect of one’s life was greatly analyzed and examined. Any deviation from the set norm was considered uncivilized. In a time period where reputation was the most memorable part of a family's life, being considered uncivilized would entirely ruin their standing. Some may say that all of the characters were simply fighting to be a normal part of society; Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s desires ended up with disagreeable results, each of the daughters deviated from society’s expectations, and Elizabeth did not allow any social norms to stand in her way of marriage for love. These examples exhibit the characters’ struggle to not be average and compliant members of society. In Pride and Prejudice’s time period, the Regency period, reputation was everything. Wealthy folks spent too much of their time gossiping and judging everyone else’s money, homes, and appearances. This means that a single event could greatly disrupt the family’s …show more content…

The two oldest managed to handle their parents with minimal issues. This is a combination of Jane and Elizabeth both having fairly tolerant personalities as well as their parents being much more hopeful for a son, since their family was just beginning with the birth of Jane and Elizabeth. Jane and Elizabeth both differed from society due to their holding out for true love. Neither of them were considered old for when they still remained unmarried, but the both of them should have been actively pursuing any possible opportunity. Proper society determined that if Jane did not marry, none of the girls would be allowed out. It would greatly tarnish the family name for Jane to remain unmarried, and even moreso if the younger sisters went and married before the older sisters. The daughters’ methods of dealing with their parents show that they were different from the norm, but not overly concerned about their seemingly uncivilized