From the beginning of the novella Pride and
Prejudice Elizabeth comes across as a very strong young woman, and as an
independent thinker. However, her first real experience with people, other than her
immediate circle, happens when her family becomes acquainted with the Bingley
party.
Therefore, we witness how Elizabeth is actually
discovering for the first time the harsh realities of hypocrisy, class separation, and
snobbery.
She discovers hypocrisy through Wickham; a man
whom she first admires as a result of the lies he said about his upbringing, and then
fights to defend. The result was only to find out he is neither an honorable nor
dignified man. This shows that Elizabeth had never before experienced such a blow to her
good intentions.
Elizabeth is exposed to class separation
and snobbery through the actions of Lady Catherine and Ms. Bingley. Both women show
Elizabeth the extent to which any connection to the Bennets would be a socially
detrimental move to them, as upper class people. Perhaps Elizabeth never thought before
that she (or her family) would be such a social burden to anybody, but she definitely
knows now.
Conclusively, Elizabeth is consistently
bombarded with new events and experiences that allow her to see society for what it
really is: A charade of masks in which people hide behind good manners, and family
names, only to engage in their consistently condescending treatment of others that they
consider to be "below" their level.
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