For example, turning down Mr. Collins may demonstrateher as a no-brainer woman among the society at that time. But by rejecting him, this suggests that Elizabeth places her own judgment over social pressures to comfort. In spite of the fact that she has been forced to get married with Mr. Collins by her mother, she persists to her strong position of rejecting his proposal. Plus, although Lady Catherine tries to strong-arm her into rejecting any proposal from Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth gets angry and asks her to get away. Hence, it can be noticed how Austen stresses on the empowerment of women through Elizabeth’s
She knew that if she had accepted Mr. Collins proposal it would bring unhappiness to both “you couldn’t make me happy, and I am convince that I am the last women in the world to make you so” (73). Even though this marriage would secure her inheritance when Mr. Bennet would pass away, she knew that she couldn’t
To begin with, Tess’s two names allow the reader to see that she belongs to two separate social classes. While she is of d’Urbervilles descent, one instantly realizes that her family members are simple peasants and with no sign of being an upper class. The name Durbeyfield can be seen as a typical name of the poor, uneducated lower-class. One soon realizes however, that her name is actually debased version of the high-class name d’Urbervilles. The readers can also notice qualities of the higher-class in Tess.
Due to Desdemona’s never ending, continuous love for Othello, she ultimately played a role in her own death. The love Desdemona feels for Othello is seen in the fact that she goes against her family and marries the man she loves, not the man that may necessarily be more suited for her. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, believes that Othello lures Desdemona away with his witchcraft and that her life would be much better if they never married. However, Desdemona ignores her father’s instruction; despite the fact Brabantio believes their relationship is unnatural: “She [Desdemona] is abused, stol’n from me and corrupted by spells and medicines bought of mountebanks; for natures so preposterously to err, being not deficit, blind or lame of sense, sans witchcraft could not” (Othello, 1.3.60-64). At first, Brabantio believes that his daughter was tricked by Othello, that he stole her away with his magic spells and witchcraft.
All of them carried documents of recommendation provided by reputable persons, when they sailed to Virginia to become prospective wives for the unhappy settlers (Ransome, 1991). These young women had nothing in common with the abandoned vagrant children and skills which made them desirable as wives; many were good with thread and needle, some, fine needlework, weaving, lace making, knitting, button-making, brewing, baking, spinning, cheese and butter
Lydia is incapable of seeing the shame she brings on the family through running away to be married, as shown in her letter to Harriet; “I can hardly write for laughing.” Her thoughtless attitude to marriage is highlighted here – although she is motivated by love, she hasn’t thought about the consequences of what she’s doing. This again illustrates a difference between herself and Elizabeth, who tells Lydia later that “I do not particularly like your way of getting
As much as she tried, Anna could not completely mask her high class upbringing. Even from the moment she asked for a job her employers knew she was a lady (“For the girl’s accent, with its rolling “r”s and lilting intensity, quite failed to disguise her educated voice, as did the shabby coat and skirt the grace of her movements” pg 24). Inevitably, with Anna’s well-bred past came a lack of knowledge about the work and social rules that came with being a maid. Rather than simply struggling through, however, Anna borrowed and thoroughly read the three volumes of Domestic Compendium. The book taught her the general motions of being a maid including which people to curtsy to, nevertheless Anna decided that everyone was worthy of a curtsy and proceeded to do so to everyone she met (“I shall curtsy to the butler,’ decided Anna…‘And the housekeeper.
Charlotte's acceptance of Mr. Collins’ proposal is a prime example; “marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want” (p105)1. Austen makes use of Charlotte's character to illustrate the social norms for women of the time. Charlotte's reaction to Collins' proposal is cleverly juxtaposed with Elizabeth's own values and more romantic views on marriage, as she is offered his proposal first; “You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world that could make you so”(p92)2. Elizabeth's concerns are predominately her overall happiness and mental wellbeing, as opposed to her anxieties about her future financial security. These oppositions of values offer the reader a chance to balance their own views on the sanctity of marriage.
Returning home from school with a new name, look, attitude, and man; Dee continuously finds reasons to insult the lifestyles of her mother and sister. Walker shows that one’s culture and heritage are represented by neither the possession of objects nor external appearances, but by one’s lifestyle and attitude. In this short story, Walker shows us how Dee was not only greedy with money but also with her heritage and had a total lack of regard for her family. It seems as if acquiring collegiate educated, she realizes that her heritage really has meaning in her life. Walker characterizes the different sides of culture and heritage in the characters of Dee (Wangero), her mother and sister -Maggie.
Antigone believes that without burying her brother he will not have a good after-life. Antigone even goes as far as burying him twice. Antigone is more admirable in that she is not selfish. She cared for her brother so much that she would go through all this trouble to give him a good after-life. She wanted to marry Haimon but sacrificed this to bury her brother.