Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is primarily concerned with the social norms of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, in which it was a patriarchal society ruled by men who held economic power and social. Pride and Prejudice has some components that focus directly on the mixing of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy during the era of the Napoleonic Wars and the beginning of an industrial revolution. Interested in the balance between pragmatism, or the need to secure a marriage, and idealism, particularly Elizabeth's romanticism and individualism, Austen dramatizes her heroine's struggle to find a place within the conservative, social institution of marriage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout Elizabeth's struggle, it is notable that she is also emerging as a feminist character. Through Elizabeth Bennett's outburst against Lady Catherine de Bourgh, her lack of horizontal hostility and being described as a sporty Georgian, one can see that towards the end of the novel Elizabeth Bennett truly emerges as the feminist character she had only subtly started. When Elizabeth meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the Lady visits Elizabeth's home, Lady de Bourgh confronts Elizabeth about her affair with Mr. Darcy during which Elizabeth tells Lady de Bourgh “he is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far we are equal." (Chapter 56, page 306) This is the first time in the novel that Elizabeth can truly be portrayed as a feminist character. Feminism is a doctrine that makes women and men equal, and in this moment when Elizabeth declares herself equal to Mr. Darcy is when Elizabeth emerges as the feminist subtly hinted at in previous chapters. From the beginning of the book Elizabeth was simply an outspoken woman with many opinions to express and who was not afraid of being suppressed by those around her. She never truly equated herself with men or her oppressors, she never truly paved a true path for herself with her own virtues and ideas for success for her future, unlike Charlotte Lucas who married Mr. Collins with the sole intention of living a comfortable life. The feminism of that time is very different from how it has evolved to the present day and a perfect example of a feminist of the time would be Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte can be seen as a feminist in place of Elizabeth during the early chapters of Pride and Prejudice due to her ability to make firm decisions for herself not based on wanting to live solely for her husband's every want and need. Charlotte says “I'm just asking for a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connections, and situation, I am convinced that my chance of being happy with him is as fair as most people can boast of entering into a married state. (Chapter 22, page 109) Elizabeth, during these early chapters, was very much a carefree and witty young woman, however, by making such a strong statement against Lady de Bourgh, she has truly risen above that rank to become a feminist woman. Equating herself to a man and that too with a much higher status than her shows that she has not only grown as a feminist but also in how she has become comfortable with herself and who she is and will not take criticism from anyone. There is also a lack of horizontal hostility on Elizabeth's part. Horizontal hostility occurs when members of an oppressed group fight among themselves because they cannot vent their anger on those in power. Duringthe late eighteenth century and the nineteenth century, the oppressed would be women and the oppressors would be men and those of the upper class. Women were treated like commodities and less valued, thus causing this horizontal hostility among their peers. Women typically vented their anger at each other by mocking, taunting, belittling, and backstabbing. Elizabeth goes through various situations in which she can show this horizontal hostility against her peers. For example, Miss Bingley who seems to have a keen interest in Mr. Darcy, however when she notices his apparent curiosity towards Elizabeth, begins to dislike Elizabeth determined to demonstrate her flaws to him. Through this hatred shown towards Elizabeth, he can easily take his anger out on another woman or Mrs Bingley again. However, he chooses not to do so and instead strikes his oppressors directly. For example, his outburst with Lady Catherine de Bourgh; instead of walking away from the situation with her head bowed in defeat and expressing her anger towards her sisters or her friends, Elizabeth promptly retaliates for Lady de Bourgh's comments. This type of stance shows the move away from the conventional woman of that time towards a more modern and self-concerned woman. The final moment in the book where Elizabeth truly emerges as a feminist is when Elizabeth is described as having a sporty character. Georgiana's behavior. “Georgiana had the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth; though at first she often listened with astonishment, bordering on alarm, at his lively and sporting way of speaking to her brother" (Chapter 61, Page 333) unlike Charlotte Lucas who assumed the conventional role of a woman after Having married Mr. Collins and taken care of him and his home, Elizabeth retains her livelihood and freedom after marriage. To Georgiana's surprise, it should be noted that women conventionally changed after marriage, taking on the role of caregiver housewife submissive to her husband's will. Sporty is defined as passionate or good at sports; describing Elizabeth as sporty gives her masculine qualities since they were the men who played sports and were active. Mary Wollstonecraft states: “I have heard exclamations against masculine women, but where are they? If by this name men intend to inveigh against their ardor in hunting, shooting and gaming, I will cordially join in the cry; but if it is against the imitation of virile virtues or, more properly speaking, the attainment of those talents and virtues, the exercise of which ennobles the human character and which raises women in the scale of animal being, when they are collectively called humanity, all those who see them with a philosophical eye must, I think, wish with me that they may become more and more masculine every day. (A vindication of women's rights) In this, Wollstonecraft introduces that calling a woman masculine elevates her to the pedestal of human being, endowed with knowledge, talents, and virtues – attributes of males. By portraying Elizabeth as masculine, she automatically receives all these attributes and is placed, once again, on par with Mr. Darcy; this time, not just by herself but by those around her. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett was a consistently stubborn personality. She was able to speak comfortably with a wide range of people, from the bourgeois to the aristocratic, with a sense of wit. However, these qualities did not show her feminist character, but simply the characteristics of a feminist character. Clearly, Austen believes that women are at least as intelligent and capable as men and considers their inferior status in the world to be unfair.