Exploring the Theme of Pride and Prejudice Essay - 2643 Words

How does Jane Austen explore the theme of Pride and Prejudice in the novel? The original title of Jane Austens novel, Pride and Prejudice was First impressions. From this title it is clear that Jane Austen wanted to convey to the reader the importance of first impressions and how we form them so quickly. Other themes of the novel include pride, prejudice, conceit and vanity. Most people have these feelings or opinions without even realising it. Pride is a feeling of satisfaction that you have done well, however, it can also mean that you feel better than others. Pride can be linked to vanity, which can be described as a feeling of excessive pride regarding aspects of yourself, for example, your looks or abilities.†¦show more content†¦Elizabeths prejudice against Darcy is fuelled when she hears from Wickham that Darcy has treated him wrongly. Elizabeth accepts Wickhams story without exploring it fully because she believes that he is a gentleman and so is trustworthy. This is another example of how first impressions can be wrong, as Wickham is not a gentleman as Elizabeth first thought and has not told Elizabeth the whole truth about why Darcy treated him wrongly. When Elizabeth finds out the vital information that Wickham has not mentioned her opinion of both Wickham and Darcy changes dramatically. This is a crucial point in the novel as this is when Elizabeth realises how easily she has formed prejudices and opinions about people that are wrong. Austen has also guided the reader to have the same opinions, as Elizabeth and this is the point in the reader realises that they too have formed inaccurate opinions and prejudices against characters. At the beginning of the novel the reader is intended to dislike Darcy. Austen creates this through the use of language by the omniscient narrator. Without realising it the reader has been forced to form a certain opinion of each character by the narrator, which is later reversed.Show MoreRelatedComparative Study: Letters to Alice and Pride and Prejudice1502 Words   |  7 Pagesportrayed in Pride and Prejudice are creatively reshaped in Letters to Alice. The two texts, Letters to Alice and Pride and Prejudice, mirror and contrast the central values shared and explored by evaluating them; presenting them against Jane Austens context and that of Fay Weldon. Mirroring Austens novel, Weldon presents the central values for women such as the social values of moral behaviour, independence, and, literary values of reading and writing, from Pride and Prejudice and adapts themRead MoreThe Case Of A Christmas Carol1339 Words   |  6 Pagesfirst person narration. 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