Tuesday, May 9, 2017

What are the social expectations for men according to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?

Pride and Prejudice is a product of the time in which it was written. Men and women have very specific rolls in society, and for the men, they are expected to be the wage earners and to pursue the women romantically.
What's interesting, however, is that, since it is written by a woman and from the perspective of a woman, it is clear that there is a higher expectation for civility, romanticism, and respect, than was more common in that time period.
Austen juxtaposes the actions of Mr. Wickham with those of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. While Wickham has a career and pursues a spouse, he is careless and rude, running off with Elizabeth's sister without regard for the family's pride or standing and, in the past, he had run afoul of Mr. Darcy's family due to his financial habits and rudeness. Darcy and Bingley, on the other hand, are well-mannered and caring towards the women they pursue (Mr. Darcy eventually so, refusing at first to admit feelings for Elizabeth due to his pride). Outwardly, the men are simply expected to make a living and marry the women, but the novel has subtle undertones which imply that the men should value and care for the women in their lives, not only making money for them—devoted and attention are expected.


In order to answer this question, we can look at the men in the novel who are held up as exemplars: men like Mr. Bingley and, eventually, Mr. Darcy. These men, when at their best, are gracious and charming, polite and well mannered. Mr. Bingley, for example, is always polite, even when faced with Mrs. Bennet's obnoxious gregariousness; even Mr. Darcy refrains from responding in kind when she is rude to him. Both men are also loyal to their families. Mr. Bingley, with characteristic good nature, puts up with his, frankly, horrible sisters—Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst—as well as his drunken, good-for-nothing brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst. Mr. Darcy assumes guardianship of his much younger sister, Georgiana, when his parents die, and he cultivates such a positive relationship with her that she cannot bring herself to elope without his consent; their love for one another, then, actually saves her from a mercenary marriage to the deceptive Mr. Wickham. Further, Mr. Darcy is most highly praised by Elizabeth when he is so gracious and kind to her aunt and uncle during their visit to Pemberley. These qualities, then, are prized in men.
If we look at the male characters who are ridiculed, like Mr. Collins and even Mr. Bennet, at times, we can see what men are not supposed to be. Mr. Collins is described as "ridiculous," and his speeches and personality are cringeworthy at best. We can see, then, that men are expected to be intelligent and socially savvy, able to pick up on social cues and conduct themselves with some grace. Mr. Bennet is taken to task for marrying a woman he didn't really know because she was good-looking and seemed to have a vivacious personality. He also fails to plan ahead for his wife and daughters, leaving them virtually penniless after his death. Qualities like these are obviously, then, frowned upon; men are expected to care for their families—no matter what—and to be good providers.

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