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Jane Austen's depiction of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice epitomizes the strength of character in a woman and also the fallibility of being a human, making her the most complex and attractive character in the novel. Austen's portrayal of Elizabeth is realistic and yet masterful; she is rational and intelligent but at the same time she is not infallible, making her character all the more sophisticated and interesting. The depiction of other characters in the novel, lacking many of Elizabeth's attributes, highlights her virtues and heightens her attractiveness to its readers. The strength of Elizabeth's character is displayed many times throughout the novel. This can be seen in her refusal of Darcy's initial proposal. It would have been very prudent for a woman of her social standing to accept a marriage proposal from a man of such high social and economic standing.
But instead she displays a passionate strength in her refusal due to her belief that he willfully prevented Jane and Bingleys marriage and also wronged Wickham. She explains to him without any hesitation that "you [Darcy] could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it (Pg 224). Also, Darcy's conception that he is going beneath his standard by offering this proposal to Elizabeth and his absolute confidence that the proposal will not be refused, ironically makes it easier for her to refuse the offer. This shows that she does not compromise her principles even when it means turning down immense wealth and worldly happiness. Her resolute decision in refusing Mr. Collins' proposal even at her mother's stern orders to accept it shows her mental strength and her ability to stand by her decision.
Elizabeth is also courageous, she is not afraid to stand up against the insolence of Lady Catherine at Rosings when Sir William and Mr. Collins are more than ready to be submissive to her, with Maria being "frightened almost out of her senses" (Pg 196). Elizabeth does not let Lady Catherine trample over her and she suspects herself to be the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified impertinence (Pg 200). Later on, when Lady Catherine hears a rumor about Elizabeth and Darcy's prospect of marriage, she is determined to impose her will on Lizzy and make her promise of never marrying Darcy. Elizabeth denies such an incredulous demand but her response is calm, earnest and respectful, even when Lady Catherine had blatantly insulted her and her family. This shows the strength of her character, which can hardly be seen in most of the characters in the novel.
Even with all the great virtues that Elizabeth possesses, she is not perfect, and she is fallible, which gives a new dimension to her character. This makes her more human with all mortal frailties. She has a tendency to be a bit impulsive in making judgment about a persons character. For instance, she thinks Darcy as overly proud due to his indifference to her and others. She was susceptible to Wickham's charm and good looks, and immediately believed his account of Darcy's dishonorable behavior towards him there was truth in his [Wickham's] looks.
So, because of that she becomes prejudiced against Darcy. Although her impulsive judgement about Caroline's insincerity towards Jane was correct, she was wrong about Darcy and Wickham. But again her strength of character can be seen when she finds out the truth. She has the courage of admitting that she was wrong in hastily judging Wickham and Darcy and soon changes her opinion about them. She not only accepts the fact but also scorns herself for being so blind and is completely ashamed of the situation. She says, Till this moment, I never knew myself (Pg 237) when she is finally able to understand the contents of the letter given to her by Darcy.
However, this fault in her character is nothing compared to others in the novel. She stands out very much favorably from other women in the novel in many different ways. She is different from other women because she neither bases her choice of husband on the financial security they may provide, like Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte, nor on foolish whims like Lydia and Kitty. She has a perfect balance of reason and emotion when it comes to making important decisions in her life. She is different from Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine because she is not pretentious or superfluous.
She is intelligent, but unlike Mary, she has more worldly knowledge instead of just book information. Although Jane has many aspects of her character which are very commendable, she is too nave and one-dimensional to be better than Elizabeth. So at the end, its only Lizzy who stands out as the most ideal woman and no wonder Darcy, who himself is very intelligent and accomplished, falls very much in love with her. In Jane Austen's own words, she says I must confess that I think her [Elizabeth] as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least I do not know. (Pg 8).
In all, Austen has created a truly accomplished character that is liked by many readers and ideal in many senses, in the form of Lizzy. Her strength of character and also her weaknesses make her complex and attractive at the same time. She has aspects of her character that make her a superwoman but also her frailties that make her humble and human. In essence Elizabeth Bennet is truly a genius of Austen's creativity. Works Cited Austen, Jane.
Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin Books, 1972.
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Research essay sample on Strength And Fallibility Of In Pride Prejudice
