Pride and Prejudice

In his essay "Walking," Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment of literature:

    “In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and The Iliad, in all scriptures and mythologies, not learned in schools, that delights us.

From the works that you have studied in school, choose a novel, play, or epic poem that you may initially have thought was conventional and tame but that you now value for its "uncivilized free and wild thinking." Write an essay in which you explain what constitutes its "uncivilized free and wild thinking" and how that thinking is central to the value of the work as a whole. Support your ideas with specific references to the work you choose.

"Uncivilized" is a term that means someone who is not in sync with civilization. But as Jane Austen reveals in Pride and Prejudice, perhaps having some emotional distance from society is a good thing. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen not only paints an elaborate portrait of society but also comments on the nature and folly of it. Elizabeth Bennett, the main character, is attractive because she is not bound by “civilized” society and is the free thinker that Thoreau says so captivates readers. Elizabeth’s free thinking is what allows her to develop as a character, and in the end nullify her own social boundaries and prejudices. This breaking free of society is free thinking in the most wild manner, but because of the rigidity of the society in question, the novel is a fresh start to individualism, and all the more attractive because of it.

Elizabeth is not a character you'd want to contradict, nor is she typical of the characters in the book. Cultural and family prejudices tie Elizabeth down and attempt to force her to bend to society. Having grown up in a house full of frivolity and an overly trusting sister, Elizabeth is cynical and hesitant to trust—family prejudices of first impressions, manners, and impressions of wealth have left her tied to society. Her family’s focus is primarily on marriage. Mrs. Bennett, her mother, is constantly worrying about finding "suitable" husbands for her daughters—suitable in terms of wealth, looks, and social standing. Elizabeth's sisters and mother are for the most part more concerned with material wealth and marriage than anything else. Austen uses the mother and sisters as upholders of traditional societal values, to allow Elizabeth to stand in stark contrast to both most of her family and to society.

Not all of Elizabeth's family is like this, however. Mr. Bennett, Elizabeth's father, likes Lizzie the best for her wit and stubbornness. Because of her father, Elizabeth is shaped into a free thinker and realizes that men can both accept and love free thinking. This idea finds its foil in Elizabeth's pompous and narrow-minded cousin, Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins has a fit after Elizabeth rejects his proposal, and declares that he wouldn't want to marry a girl as stubborn as Elizabeth, anyway (though he'd obviously wanted to minutes before). Elizabeth refuses to consider not only marrying her cousin but marrying at all—as free as she believes herself, she can't fathom tying herself down. But, after all, Elizabeth isn't free.

Elizabeth has embraced family values, and because of their prejudice, she isn't quite the individual as she thought she was. For instance, Elizabeth immediately scorns Darcy when she meets him at a ball. Darcy’s condescending superiority reminds Elizabeth of her own bad connections in terms of both wealth and family. Because of his pride, Elizabeth is unwilling to give Darcy the benefit of the doubt and immediately discounts him. Elizabeth would be willing to overlook Darcy’s rudeness if he had not reminded her of her lower standing in society. Yet when Elizabeth meets Wickham, she finds it easy to believe his portrayal of Darcy as a thief, because Wickham appears charming whereas Darcy had been rude. Because of her family, Elizabeth believes that amiability defines one’s character. Her free thinking is hindered by her inability to look past her prejudices. She is prejudiced by her family’s views, though she prides herself on her perception.

Though Elizabeth is loathe to admit it at first, gradually she finds that her perception of Darcy was wrong, especially when she finds out Wickham is the actual thief. Elizabeth sees that she has been prejudiced and that, in fact, outward appearances aren’t everything. It is the epiphany not only for the novel but for society and for Austen's readers. Austen not only shows the charm of free thinking, but makes a statement about society. Elizabeth also realizes that her family has blinded her and is holding her back. She recognizes that her mother and sister are careless with regard to character and care only for appearances. This recognition is the next step in Elizabeth's breaking away from the traditional norms of society.

Once Elizabeth has come to terms with her identity and that of her family, she can view people with true, unprejudiced perception. She comes to see that Darcy is a kind man. This realization not only affirms Darcy in Elizabeth’s mind but elevates him even higher because of how badly she misjudged him. The fact that he is yet devoted and loving to Elizabeth even after her strong rejection is endearing. Despite her rejections, he loves her, not for her family status, wealth, or beauty, but for her wit and her spirit. Elizabeth, having discovered through Darcy her own error in judgment and also found a soulmate, begins to love Darcy, too.

 Elizabeth solidifies her new position and beliefs in life when she is confronted by Lady Catherine. She realizes she was wrong not to warn Lydia about Wickham. However, Elizabeth refuses to take abuse. In standing up to a lady of such high social rank, Elizabeth eliminates the barrier of class between her and Darcy. She has realized that class doesn't matter, and in this way Austen makes a statement about society, however "uncivilized" that statement may be. 

Elizabeth passes through many stages of development to reach the point where she can recognize society for what it is. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth must accept the fallibility of her own perceptions and her family’s faults. In the end, Elizabeth redefines free thinking and breaks free of the social boundaries between herself and Darcy. Through Elizabeth's growth and defiance of social expectation, Jane Austen defies her own social norms and shows that free thinking may not be so bad, after all. Pride and Prejudice may be wild for the time in which it was written, but it is all the more valuable for it.