Jane Austen was an ambitious writer who wanted to enlighten other people through her novels. He condemned pride, and this is best seen in Pride and Prejudice, where the basis of marriage in the 1800s is changed to maturity and education. The normal “capitalist lens” judges based on gender, social status and wealth, which is the basis behind most marriages. However, Jane Austen argues in her novel that this should be changed to a character-based “moral lens”. It has always been human nature to judge an individual before even meeting them. During the Victorian period, a class defined who the person was. This class-based judgment has been accepted throughout Jane Austen's novel. The novel's characters judged their peers based on their class and gender, which they further defined through judgment of a character's relationships, money, and physical appearance. Austen critiques these traditional judgments through relationships within the novel. At the end of the novel, the marriages that appear to be the strongest are the relationships that have overcome their partners' "weaknesses" within society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay An individual's acquaintances and family members can drastically influence a character's appearance within society, as an individual is seen to be a representation of those with whom he or she associates. This being the case, any flaw in an individual's social circle will reflect negatively on that individual as well. The novel's opening line states: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Austen makes it known that having a wife is a must within society if a man has the monetary means to do so. Acquaintances are so important in Pride and Prejudice that many decisions are based on how society will think about the relationship. Mr. Collins demonstrated this during his marriage proposal to Elizabeth when he mentioned, "I could not content myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible, when the melancholy event should have taken place." ". ”. Mr. Collins wanted to marry Elizabeth so that when her father died and Mr. Collins inherited the house, the transition would be smoother. Mr. Collins' proposal to Elizabeth seemed to be about who her family was rather than who she was. Acquaintances are also used as an excuse within the novel to keep people apart. Mr. Darcy said in his letter to Elizabeth: "But notwithstanding your anxiety at the defects of your near relatives, and your disappointment at this representation of them, let it be some consolation to consider that, in having so behaved as to avoid any part of such censure, it is praise…” Mr. Darcy explained that he tried to keep Mr. Bingley away from Jane, part of his family, and that she was not “good enough” for Mr. Bingley’s hand in marriage. However, at the end of the novel, Mr. Bingley married even though society would not approve of his worthiness. From the marriage of Mr. Bingley and Jane it can be seen that they were able to overcome society's opinions and have a relationship. stable Within the novel, Austen uses acquaintances to show the weakness of the social judgments of her time period The most common way of judging characters in Pride and Prejudice is by measuring their income/social status. A character's income isseen as a measure of how well they can take care of themselves and their families. When Mr. Bingley first came to town, and no one had a chance to meet him, it was his sum of money that was well known in town. Mrs Bennett said: “A single man of great fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a beautiful thing for our girls!”. Without knowing anything other than his fortune, Mrs. Bennet decided that Mr. Bingley would be a good husband for her daughters, proving that money is of enormous importance over a period of time. This is quite a different situation from Lady Catherine's opinion of Elizabeth. Lady Catherine was furious that someone with Elizabeth's past had any chance of marrying Mr. Darcy. His point is clearly demonstrated when he said: “The claims of a young woman with no family, connections or fortune. Is it something to bear? But it shouldn't, it shouldn't be!”. It is evident that Lady Catherine judged Elizabeth based on her fortune and other material judgments, not reflecting Elizabeth's true self. Money seems to be a social necessity in every marriage proposal. The marriage of Mr. Wickham and Lydia occurred solely for economic reasons. Mr Gardiner, in a letter to Mr Bennet, explained: "All that is required of you is to insure to your daughter, by settlement, her equal share of the five thousand pounds insured to your children." It is shown quite clearly that Mr. Wickham would not marry Lydia unless he received a certain sum of money. Due to Mr. Wickham's class, this marriage was approved by Lydia's family and would have been considered acceptable within society. Austen uses this relationship to show that the relationships within the novel, which are only formed because of one's class, do not have the same strength and happiness as those who have overcome class differences. An individual's physical appearance was used in Pride and Prejudice to determine one's status, especially for women. When Mr. Darcy first saw Elizabeth, he commented that "She is tolerable, but not beautiful enough to tempt me, and I am not at present in the mood to attach importance to young women who are despised by other men." In this statement, Mr. Darcy explained that Elizabeth was not beautiful enough to meet his standards and was therefore not worthy of his company. However, it wasn't just her physical beauty that Elizabeth was judged on. After Elizabeth had walked a long distance across muddy fields to see her sick sister, “…her appearance created much surprise…and Elizabeth was convinced that they despised her.” Her dirty appearance was seen as very unladylike and the women of Netherfield judged her based on her appearance rather than her purpose for traveling to Netherfield. Describing the Lucases, Mrs. Bennet explained that “But everyone must judge for themselves, and the Lucases are a very good kind of girls, I assure you. Too bad they're not beautiful!”. Although Mrs. Bennet made it clear that the Lucases were good girls, she also explained that they were less worthy because they were not as attractive as her daughters. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Societies' expectations towards women are still stifled. Austen suggests that a woman's scandalous behavior affects everyone she is related to. For example, Lydia slept with a man who was not her husband and affected not only her name but the entire family. This is still relevant because, in most cultures, if a woman is not married to a man, she cannot.