Title x2: “Pathedy of Manners” is about a woman who seems to have a perfect life, but the woman is wrapped in society’s “pathedy” (pathetic tragedy) of manners (expectations), and is too concerned with what is expected of her. From the title, I can infer that at first the woman’s happiness depended on living up to the expectations of society. However, in the last few stanzas of the poem she realizes that there is more in life than wealth and living in high society, and she regrets the decisions she made on how to live her life because they were purely made from the societal expectations. Theme: The theme of “Pathedy of Manners” is remorse and the importance of self-worth. If you get too caught up on society’s expectations of you, you loose
Lydia is outspoken and completely self-absorbed, even though she is the youngest of the sisters, which foreshadows the trouble she will get into later on in the story. This contrasts hugely with Elizabeth, who is responsible, grounded and far more reserved. This is shown after the ball at Netherfield, when Jane is displaying her gratification of the admiration she received, and Lizzie “felt Jane’s pleasure” – although Elizabeth is not directly concerned with finding a suitable husband, she is able to empathise with Jane. The main plot is that of Elizabeth and Darcy – there were many prejudices between the two; without Darcy stepping in and forcing Wickham to marry Lydia, they would have remained apart. 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.
Rejecting a man whom a woman did not love was rebellious and unheard of during this time. Elizabeth Bennet did not fit the generalization of the women living in a patriarchal society whose sole purpose in life was finding a suitable candidate for marriage. Elizabeth Bennet is her father’s favorite child. When Elizabeth is departing for Kent her father entreats “Until you or your sister Jane returns…” Mr. Bennet has a high regard for his daughter’s intelligence and wit. In sharp contrast Mrs. Bennet has little value for these qualities “Elizabeth was the least dear to her of all her children” (Austen).
Her kind and gracious Aunt build’s Sybylla’s confidence and self esteem and is gentle and understanding, recognising her inner beauty, while reinforcing her physical beauty. Aunt Helen’s positive impact on Sybylla can be seen through the quote “No one would dream of calling you plain, let alone ugly; brilliant is the word which best describes you.” This quote assists the reader in furthering their understanding into the contradictive impression that others have on Sybylla. Similarly, the protagonist, Peekay, in the
The red dress depicts a feeling of passion. The little girl is adorned in pink, a color between the red and white, because she is still innocent and pure but age causes her to be infatuated with shiny things such as the woman’s gold and shiny pieces. She is too young to develop a wisdom that has value beyond material possessions. Cornelia and her children were historical Roman figures. She was a widow who lived to train and educate her children and was thought very highly of as a wise noble matron.
In her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Joyce Carol Oates emphasizes the theme that appearances are not everything through the development and fate of her characters Connie and Arnold Friend. Connie prides herself on her beauty; “she [knows] she [is] pretty and that [is] everything” (427). She believes that her plain, simple family is inferior to her; she views her sister Jane as “plain and chunky and steady” (427) and she does not pay any attention to her mother, who is “simple and kindly enough to believe” (429) anything Connie tells her, be it the truth or a lie— “everything about [Connie has] two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that [is] not home” (428). When she is away from home, Connie projects a mature, lascivious persona that is trapped inside her, waiting to be set free, but the only place Connie can satisfy her desires is when she goes to the shopping plaza with her best friend. At home, Connie’s mind is “filled with trashy daydream” (428), always “thinking, [and] dreaming, about the boys she met” (429).
Most important, she does not realize that, rather than being committed to staying single (as she always claims), she is in love with and wants to marry Mr. Knightley. Though these mistakes seriously threaten Harriet’s happiness, cause Emma embarrassment, and create obstacles to Emma’s own achievement of true love, none of them has lasting consequences. Throughout the novel, Knightley corrects and guides Emma; in marrying Knightley, Emma signals that her judgment has aligned with his. Austen predicted that Emma would be “a character whom no one but me will much like.” Though most of Austen’s readers have proven her wrong, her narration creates many ambiguities. The novel is narrated using free indirect discourse, which means that, although the all-knowing narrator speaks in the third person, she often relates things from Emma’s point of view and describes things in language we might imagine Emma using.
Before my conclusion, I will comment on the language used in the text and give reference to the structure adopted by Alice Walker, the author. Celie is initially portrayed as being helpless and always vulnerable. However, she is also warm, kind and gentle and is able to be strong despite the abuse inflicted upon her. At the end of the story, she grows to be an independent, free woman and is shown to be a radical feminist, not following the traditional ideals of a good wife and mother. Alice Walker has associated the qualities of goodness and the sense of emancipation together, which I feel works well to convey the message that despite all the abuse and brutality Celie remains resilient and is rewarded with the freedom of her Spirit.
Jane Austen Comparing both novels Women Both characters are strong, vivid, self-confident and, in some way, a rupture to the normal behavior on that time. They search their own path and destiny, disconnecting theirelves with the normal society's expectations. Love Love is the main theme in both novels. Not only love as a feeling, but love as a pursue of happiness and stability, this last being totally necessary, at the time, to girls with lack of fortune. In the case of Anne, her search for love serves to redeem her past mistakes and, finally, be with the one that she has chosen, not her relatives.
Lady Elliot’s very close lived near them and help with kids by giving them guidance and support. Lady Russell was the widow of a knight and became close friends with Sir Walter but they did not marry. She was well provided for and had no reason to remarry, but Sir Walter didn’t want a new wife for his daughters’ sake. He would do anything for his eldest daughter Elizabeth who was sixteen and very much like him. His other two daughters weren’t so important to him.