The works of Jane Austen are among the finest examples of Western literature, particularly in terms of realistic portrayals of love. Her writings ceaselessly weave creative stories in which both the characters and the audience are taught invaluable life lessons. Of these, few characters rival those of Anne Elliot, Harriet Smith, and Elizabeth Bennet, as their developments are as profound as they are numerous. Though there are a large number of lesson these heroines learn in the course of their narratives, eligibility, the situation of women, and marriage stand as being some of the most definitive.
Eligibility was a topic that Jane Austen incorporated into all of her works, frequently showing her understanding of it to be truly profound. In the case of contrasting Anne Elliot and Harriet Smith, an interesting comparison is formed as both dwell in opposite societal positions. For instance, Harriet’s illegitimate birth and uncertain parentage place her at the lower level of society, her only consolation in the form of presumably fair amounts of funding for her schooling being provided by her father (Austen 424). Anne suffers no such disadvantage as her father’s status of a baronet makes him among the bourgeois, her status being inherited (4). Elizabeth Bennet also lives under similar circumstances in which her father’s high class status and considerable fortune grant her a refined position in society (207). Each of these women contributes her own unique portion to the concept of eligibility to make a fascinating perspective on the topic.
In the case of Harriet Smith, Emma Woodhouse’s encouraging her to view herself in a more favorable light than her parentage would suggest sends her into a number of dangerous situations that almost bring about Harriet’s ruin (Austen 428). The primary problem faced by Harriet surfaces in the form of Mr. Elton, a man whom Emma encourages Harriet to form attachments with (495). However, both Emma and Harriet underestimate the bonds of their culture’s expectations when it is discovered that Mr. Elton bears no affection whatsoever for Harriet, vying for a much more eligible spouse (Austen 511). This results in an incredibly trying situation for Harriet as her ties to Mr. Elton, whom she believed herself to be falling in love with, are abruptly severed, replaced by malicious hostility. The pain is only increased by her having rejected Robert Martin, a man she felt a truly affectionate love for (440). Though she gains wisdom from a host of life lessons throughout the course of her story, the most prominent of Harriet’s developments is her understanding of her position in society and the proper modes of conduct for one of her class, a realization that, once employed, brings Harriet into great happiness and contentedness with the love of her life.
Conversely, where Harriet looks above her social position, Anne’s heart looks below hers to fall in love with Caption Wentworth, a man of no great social standing, or significant wealth (Austen 25). Though their love is tender and real, the expectations of those around them, primarily Lady Russell, persuade Anne to reject Wentworth, causing both of them great pain (26). Fortunately, Anne and Wentworth’s friendship is reformed and their union finalized in marriage, a joyful prospect for both that could only be undertaken through the rejection of the ideals of Lady Russell and the suitor that she believes to be much more favorable for Anne (Austen 245). Ultimately, though, this suitor, Mr. Elliot, is a veritable predator with a degenerative moral quality that renders his lofty position and fortunes ineffective in his attempt at claiming Anne’s hand (206). Though Anne is strongly advised and encouraged to accept Mr. Elliot, her conviction that neither the approval of her noble friends, nor a union of social equity could make her truly happy, resulting in her embracing Captain Wentworth and entering into what is assuredly a blissful and happy union.
Elizabeth Bennett has a different perspective from Anne in terms of society as she watches the results of culturally improper unions come into full fruition, not the least of which being that of her own parents. Elizabeth’s mother, being of significantly lower social standing than her husband, Mr. Bennet, who is a gentleman of substantial fortunes, constantly reaffirms the reality of her crude and uncultured upbringing, frequently heaping humiliation and problematic circumstances on her family (Austen 207). This manifests itself to the extreme when Lydia elopes with Wykham, a man of no fortune, pathetic future prospects, and a decidedly warped moral quality (Austen 364). This arrangement quickly results in financial problems for the young couple that are the fruits of frivolous expenditures and foolish decisions, much like their original choice to run away together (412). Contrasting this to the happy and well-planned unions of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy along with Jane and Mr. Bingley shows a need for the recognition of cultural differences in married couples, the result of ignoring this being obvious in the oft-embarrassing antics of Mrs. Bennett and Mr and Mrs. Wykham’s material and social deficit.
Contrasting these three characters on the subject of eligibility brings up difficulties as they create a stark contrast when viewed collectively. Where Anne Elliot enters into happiness through declining a perfectly eligible suitor, Elizabeth Bennet and Harriet Smith both marry within their own class, both seeing and suffering from the fruits of imprudent unions of largely differing partners in terms of class. Through these, Austen shows her readers the need for wisdom in forging a successful marriage as its longevity is generally indefinite and must be handled with extreme caution, taking culture into account where relevant and as context and situations dictate.
The state of women in Austen’s period was decidedly different from current times as women dwelled in a culture in which their destinies were primarily determined by the decisions of their male relations. On this topic, the characters of Anne Elliot, Harriet Smith, and Elizabeth Bennet all learn important lessons that echo Austen’s convictions on the matter.
In “Persuasion,” the situation of women appears to be one of deference to their male counterparts. For example, Mrs. Smith, one of Anne’s dearest friends, descends from her comforts and luxuries to find a place of poverty through her husband’s wasteful practices, the death of whom leaves Mrs. Smith in a position of complete ineffectuality to influence her circumstances, having to resort to appealing to the one man she felt could help her, Mr. Elliot (Austen 206). Unfortunately, Mr. Elliot’s refusal to aid her leaves Mrs. Smith in hopelessness, with no prospect of help presenting itself to the weak and now poor widow (206). Anne, though sympathetic, is herself unable to assist her friend until she is married to Captain Wentworth, who then helps restore Mrs. Smith’s fortunes to a comfortable position (Austen 249).
Despite the decidedly deferential role played by the women of “Persuasion,” Jane Austen did not limit herself to an exclusive subscription to this ideal, instead broadening her focus to include more outgoing heroines as seen in one of her most famous novels. In “Pride and Prejudice,” Elizabeth Bennet is a young woman who speaks her mind readily and subtly mocks the men around her, primarily Mr. Darcy (Austen 234). However, she avoids taking her freedoms to their extreme, keeping her comments from becoming too bold or brash. This is illustrated by the differences between her and her mother and sister, both of whom are completely lacking in propriety and restraint, sullying their family’s reputation with impulsive and careless outbursts of nonsense, an example of which is seen when Mrs. Bennett says, “What is Mr. Darcy to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe him no such particular civility to be obliged to say nothing he may not like to hear (Austen 258).” This line, which she says in the presence of Mr. Darcy and a table full of dinner guests, not only humiliates Elizabeth, but becomes a primary motivator for Mr. Darcy in his attempts to separate Jane from Mr. Bingley, one of the story’s great crises (Austen 309). Elizabeth Bennet’s ideal of the expression of women, being heavily influenced by her family’s shortcomings in this area, is one of caution, believing that discretion is paramount in the conduct of women, though it need not be applied so heavily as to notably stifle their articulation.
Harriet Smith, though lacking the bold character of Elizabeth, has ample examples surrounding her of strong women. The most unsavory example of this is seen in the character of Mrs. Elton, a women of little discretion and a commanding spirit. Her interactions with Mr. Knightley, in which she attempts to convince him to allow her to manage some of his affairs are presented in a satirical form that mocks her feminism, a subtlety made clearer by Mr. Knightley’s firm reaction that only one other person may manage his affairs, Mrs. Knightley (Austen 606). Conversely, Jane Fairfax is praised as the model of womanhood in “Emma,” her attitude of silent deference being one of her most defining traits (592). Finally, watching her close friend, Emma, Harriet also is exposed to a number of situations in which her friend attempts to influence those whom she believes to be destined for one another, all of which end with predictably disastrous results, the most traumatic of which being Harriet’s discovering Mr. Elton’s complete indifference to her( Austen 511). Harriet’s experiences with commanding and expressive characters of her own sex form collectively to create an impression that states the dangers of women who carelessly flaunt their ideas and perceptions, setting off a contrast with other feminine characterizations such as Jane Fairfax to express an appreciation for self-control and restraint in women’s conduct.
The three aforementioned characters indeed appear to learn greatly differing lessons relating to women, however, when viewed together, they collectively contribute to a mutual expression of the necessity for women to employ self-control regularly. Dr. Elizabeth Kantor states in her book on the topic, “Jane Austen is not a misogynist. It would be hard to find a writer whose attractive female characters are more attractive, and more truly admirable. But the women who let their “voices” just go or whose chief concern is how much power they have, are not her attractive characters (141).” This illustrates Austen’s lauding of the characters of Anne Elliot, Elizabeth Bennett, and Jane Fairfax as opposed to her mockery of personages such as Mrs. Elton and Lady Catherin de Bourgh, making an excellent contrast of feminine paradigms.
Finally, being the primary conclusion to most of Austen’s works, Marriage was an action that she portrayed with lovely realism that recognized the wonderful beauty of this timeless institution. The characters of Anne Elliot, Harriet Smith, and Elizabeth Bennett each learn similar lessons about love in their individual narratives, that add to the concept of Austen’s views on the matter.
In the case of Elizabeth Bennett, equality becomes a vital issue in her marriage, exemplified in the problems rising from Mr. Darcy’s first proposal. In his first attempt at gaining Elizabeth’s hand in marriage, Darcy excessively stresses the societal stigma of their union that will undoubtedly be viewed by his family and friends in a disapproving way, making his inflated view of himself in proportion to Elizabeth’s modest situation quite clear, a shortcoming that Elizabeth illustrates in her reply, saying “I might as well inquire why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character (Austen 306)?” This, though far from being the most pressing problem in Elizabeth’s speedy decision to reject him, stands as a vital issue in their relationship as Mr. Darcy learns humility and appreciation for Elizabeth after this in a way that completely ignores his substantial material and societal status.
Elizabeth too learns equality in a different fashion, discovering the pivotal importance of mutual respect in a couple, her primary experience with this stemming from Charlotte Lucas’ marriage with Mr. Collins. Elizabeth, sensing the intellectual inequality of the two, knows that Charlotte can never be satisfied with her husband and proceeds to discover that her perception is accurate when she finds how Charlotte experiences shame at the blatant stupidity of her husband (Austen 288). Having seen the unfortunate traits of this union, Elizabeth moves on with a superior understanding of mutual respect in marital relations, one that is played out in her own life. Though not respecting him at the outset of their connection, Elizabeth, having experienced a number of revelations on his character, falls in love with Mr. Darcy, their assurance of mutual reverence obvious in the total respect that both hold for one another, exemplified in the last page of the story when Austen writes, “He, who had always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, she now saw the object of open pleasantry (413).”
Harriet Smith also learns the importance of this form of equality in her lessons from her own romantic ambitions and those around her. In her own case, Emma’s council to inflate her material and societal expectations in a potential partner make her ignore her heart and seek out a husband based solely on other people’s interpretations of his demeanor and position: beliefs that are proved to be grossly erroneous later in the book (Austen 511). Her understanding of this is shown to be strong when she accepts that Mr. Knightley is her superior in too profound a way for her to entertain hopes of courtship with him, leading her back to her true love Robert Martin, a man of much more acceptable character traits to her personality.
Anne Elliot, differing from Harriet and Elizabeth, looks to the example of one of her association’s unions in the form of the Musgroves. Through viewing Mr and Mrs Musgrove, Anne sees the danger of a significant disparity of upbringing as she describes her perception of the two, saying, “Charles Musgrove was civil and agreeable; in sense and temper he was undoubtedly superior to his wife; but not of powers, or conversation, or grace, to make the past, as they were connected together, at all a dangerous contemplation; though, at the same time, Anne could believe, with Lady Russell, that a more equal match might have greatly improved him; and that a woman of real understanding might have given more consequence to his character, and more usefulness, rationality, and elegance to his habits and pursuits (Austen 41).” Their disparity of manner furthers this as Mary is a self-obsessed wife whose ignorance of any form of acceptable conduct is made quite obvious (42). Conversely, Charles’ good breeding and refined propriety remain clear throughout the narrative and clash often with his wife’s opposing conduct. Ultimately, Anne’s experiences with the couples around her show that there is indeed a great need for a solid form of equality in manner and class in marriage, a reality she lives out in her marriage to Captain Wentworth.
Throughout the three aforementioned works, Austen frequently reaffirms her insightful understanding of marriage and the circumstances required for its longevity and bliss. The inclusion of portraits of inequality in breeding and manners among partners, though only one of many, is one of her greatest lessons on marital unions, a truth she shows her heroines to learn. Whether it’s the great similarity between Anne Elliot’s view on the matching of partners in marriage and Elizabeth Bennett’s as a result of her exposure to similar disparities of decorum in less than ideal unions or Harriet Smith’s personal experience with ignoring this truth and suffering for it, Austen incorporates a skillful level of didacticism into her works that showcases her artistic brilliance.
No matter which book, Austen’s pervasive employment of development in her heroines continues to fascinate audiences with its in-depth analyses on the social issues of her time. Her understanding of the situation of women her time offers not only an increased knowledge of the subject but a clever solution that her heroines exemplify. She also weaved the topic of eligibility into her plots with an excitingly subtle methodology that challenged the conventions of her day. Finally, though never married herself (Pemberley), Jane Austen’s insights on marriage were displayed excellently in her plots, exposing the important issue of equality in unions with the exposition of her heroine’s perspectives on the less savory aspects of certain marriages, making the lessons learned plausible and applicable to both the audiences of her day and today. Doubtless, Austen’s works will remain as a kind of paragon to romantic writers for ages to come, their brilliance shining brightly throughout untold generations of readers.
Citation of Resources
Austen, Jane. “Emma.” San Diego: Canterbury Classics, 2009.
---. “Persuasion.” New York: Knopf Publishing Group, 2006.
---. “Pride and Prejudice.” San Diego: Canterbury Classics, 2009.
Kantor, Elizabeth. “The PC Guide to English and American Literature.” Washington: Regenery Publishing, 2006.
Pemberley. “Biography: Life (1775-1817) and Family.” Web. 22 April, 2011.
