Conclusion

In the world today, the expectations of the process of courtship and the institution of marriage in early 1800s England would mostly be considered unacceptable. While many women in Austen’s time simply followed these expectations, Austen wrote her novel to satirize the lack of women’s rights in her time. Mr. Collins exemplify the great issue Austen battled with her entire life which was her inability to speak her mind without being suppressed by the males around her. Additionally, Mr. Darcy embodies the struggles Austen had with moving out of her social class which was so cemented in place because of her gender and the difficulty of moving one’s social power in England during the early 1800s. Austen creates Elizabeth Bennet as the vehicle to express her frustration with the institution of marriage. While Austen’s views on women’s rights were shut down and suppressed during her lifetime, women today have the freedom she sought for in her novel, Pride & Prejudice.