Challenging Society's Expectations

Mr Darcy is a character in Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice who challenges society's expectations. This is due to the way that he falls in love and proposes to a woman, Elizabeth Bennet, who is of a lower class than himself. Lady Catherine De Bourghs, reaction to this engagement clearly shows what society's expectations are and will be if they are to be married. In this quotation she clearly is very upset that a man of a class as high as his is not marrying someone, like her own daughter who is at the same position in society. Lady Catherine sayes 'because honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest forbid it. Yes, Miss Bennet, interest; for do not expect to be noticed by his family or friends, if you wilfully act against the inclinations of all.' (p.366)This quotation shows what the society's expectations are, according to Lady Catherine. Mr Darcy has rebelled against society's expectations by marrying someone from a lower class for love, instead of marrying someone for wealth and their postition in society. The opinions of Mr Darcy and Mr Collins have an effect on the way that the reader is positioned to respond. Because the novel postions us to satire Mr Collins as an odd and obsessive man, the reader does not value his belief in abiding with society's expectations However we as the readers are in the postion to support Mr Darcy and his love for Elizabeth and the way in which he doesnt take society into consideration when deciding who he loves and who he is going to marry.