Passion vs. Responsibilities

589 Words3 Pages
Prompt 1980: A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confront the demands of private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character and its significance to the work. The debate between what your heart wants and what your brain knows you should be doing is an argument which can never end. In the Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice, the main character Elizabeth Bennet is torn between two choices; wait to find true love or marry a man you have no care for because it is the age of marriage and your parents want you to. Neither seems like it could be to terrible of a choice, but one step in the wrong direction could have her living the life she always wanted or the one she never dreamed of having. Elizabeth Bennet was born into a family who eventually had 5 daughters including her. As you can imagine, the pressure to marry well is high. When Elizabeth is slighted with the opportunity to meet a ravishing young fellow named Mr. Darcy, she is drawn in by his wit and charm. Mr. Darcy is by far the passionate choice in the war between passion and responsibility. Elizabeth didn’t much like Darcy at the beginning of the novel but once he admits what he does for Elizabeth’s younger and older sisters, she realizes that he couldn’t possibly be a bad man. The conflict begins with Elizabeth’s parents. Her mother is insistent that she marry a fellow named Mr. Collins who is willed the estate in a few years. Not only is Mr. Collins Elizabeth’s cousin, he also is a dim witted and socially awkward man. Only a few days after
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