The Individualization of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice Essay

The Individualization of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice Midway through Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet arrives at a moment of self-awakening which, notably, results from the influence of mortal else Fitzwilliam Darcy. For critic Susan Fraiman, this complication amounts to no less than, as she titles her article, The Humiliation of Elizabeth Bennet. From this moment forward, according to Fraiman, Elizabeth Bennet ceases to think for herself. She submits to Darcy as to a second father, relinquishes her trust in her own judgments, and thereby suffers a loss of clout.1 This pivotal moment comes because, after Elizabeth has rejected his proposal, Darcy justifies himself in a lengthy garner. It is true that Darcy claims that he has not, as Elizabeth has charged, separated Elizabeths sister Jane from Janes suitor, Mr. Bingley, regardless of the sentiments of either (127) neither has he inappropriately cut off Wickham, his childhood companion and son of his la te fathers steward, from a promised race as a clergyman.2 Darcys version of events challenges the talent in which Elizabeth prides herself most her ability to judge character. Yet Fraiman maintains that Darcys letter saps Elizabeths power to comprehend that is, that Darcys logic undermines Elizabeths own and, furthermore, that Darcy designs his letter to inflict pain on Elizabeth. By allowing Darcys logic to supercede her own, and receiving with enthusiasm the pain that he inflicts, Elizabeth accepts this humiliation.3 Although Elizabeth comes to agree that Darcys previous actions were indeed justified, Fraiman incorrectly assumes that this transformation disables Elizabeths content to arr... ...eths tribulations and subsequent accomplishments cannot be deemed as a symbol for womens liberation, her flawed character faces an even bigger battle a fight against the weaknesses of human nature. She, as be we, is prone to the gender-neutral weaknesses of prejudice and vani ty, yet by recognizing and responding to these all-too-human failings with level-mindedness and dignity, she shows us a way out. Notes 1. Susan Fraiman, The Humiliation of Elizabeth Bennet, excerpted in the Norton Critical 2nd edition of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, ed. Donald Gray (New York and capital of the United Kingdom Norton, 1993), 377. 2. All references to Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice are from the Norton Critical 3rd edition, ed. Donald Gray (New York and London Norton, 2001). 3. Fraiman, 382. 4. Fraiman, 382.