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ESSAY SAMPLE ON "STRONG WOMEN, STRONG VALUES" |
Throughout history, society has played an important role in forming the value and
attitudes of the population. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Margaret Atwood's The
Edible Woman are two novels which exemplify the negative effects of society's influence.
Both Elizabeth Bennet and Marian McAlpin are strong women who rebel against society's
influences in their lives. They refuse to accept the pre-set roles and identities handed
to them. Both women realize that the individual's needs are not necessarily the same as
what society imposes on them; they rebel against this very society in order to gain the
independence necessary to discover what they want from life.
Society in the early 19th century world of Pride and Prejudice is represented through
Mrs. Bennet and those like her, who are "of mean understanding, little information, and
uncertain temper" (Austen 53). From the beginning of the novel, society prominently
displays its views on marriage. When Mr. Bingly moves to town, Mrs. Bennet immediately
entreats her husband to go introduce himself. Mrs. Bennet describes Bingly as "a single
man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
(51). Bingly is immediately acceptable due to his money and connections, and Mrs. Bennet
is already dreaming that one of her children will marry him. In fact, "the business of
her life was to get her daughters married" (53). One of Elizabeth's close friends,
Charlotte Lucas, feels "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance" (69). She
feels that marriage is a vehicle to gain wealth and connections, a view which has
obviously been pushed upon her by society. Elizabeth refuses to accept this view. She
feels marriage is for love, not money, and finds it a "fantastic nightmare" that
"economic and social institutions have such power over the values of personal
relationships" (Harding 167). However, Charlotte later marries Mr. Collin and sacrifices
love for worldly advantage. Mr. Darcy also assumes everyone marries for wealth. He feels
the Bennet's lack of money "must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of
any consideration of the world" (Austen 82). Darcy "is mindful of his relationship to
society, proud of his social place, and aware of the restrictions that inevitably limit
the free spirit" (Litz 104). Darcy's admiration of Elizabeth grows when she demonstrates
her wit in a conversation with him. Darcy "really believed, that were it not for the
inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger" (Austen 96). He thinks he
loves Elizabeth, yet he continues to degrade her on the basis of her family's
socioeconomic situation. Society's view of marriage is evident through the many
characters who express monetary views of the sacred institution.
Elizabeth finally finds happiness when she takes control of her situation and completely
disregards society. After a series of events both Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love for
real. However, the two are still not free to be together. Lady Catherine de Bourgh,
who represents high society, soon pays a visit to Elizabeth and informs her that
Elizabeth and Darcy are completely unsuitable for one another. She tells Elizabeth that
to marry "a young woman of inferior birth, of no importance in the world" (364) would "
disgrace him in the eyes of everybody" (367). Lady Catherine does not care about her
nephew, instead she is only concerned with what "everybody" will think. Elizabeth,
however, will not let herself be intimidated, and refuses to promise that she will not
marry Darcy. Lady Catherine replies to Elizabeth's defiance by asking, "do you know who
I am? I have not been accustomed to such language as this" (364). Hence, society is not
used to being rejected. But due to Elizabeth's resistance to what society dictates as
her needs, she and Darcy find their way back to each other and are betrothed. While
this marriage may not be suitable in the eyes of "everyone", as Lady Catherine thinks,
it is right for the two people who matter.
Atwood's late 20th century novel also illustrates society's influence on people when it
comes to marriage. The "office virgins" hope that after a few years of work and travel
they will "get married and settle down" (Atwood 15). Marian assumes she will do the
same, although the prospect is far from appealing to her. However, she holds the
conventional assumption that she must "marry someone eventually and have children,
everyone does" (100). Peter exemplifies the acceptable male. He is a rising young
lawyer, socially acceptable, all around popular guy. For this reason Marian accepts
Peter's marriage proposal. She is not in love with him, but accepts because she feels it
is what she is expected to do with her life, even if it is not what she wants. Before
her engagement Marian was self-supportive and outgoing. However, she now attempts to
change herself to fit society's pre-set role of women. When Peter asks her a simple
question, she replies with "I'd rather leave the big decisions up to you" (87). Thanks
to society, not only does Marian become engaged when it is not what she wants, but she
also reverts to pre-set feminine roles that are the exact opposite of her natural
personality.
Marian proceeds to subconsciously rebel against society's pre-set role for her, using
food as her vehicle for rebellion. The first time she is unable to eat is the morning
after accepting Peter's proposal, when she discovers that she is no longer able to
consume eggs. At this point in the novel there is a dramatic switch from first to third
person. The viewpoint is not that of a detached narrator; "rather, Marian has resolved
to view her own actions from an external perspective" (Keith 43). The next time Marian
encounters her problem is during dinner with Peter, where she discovers that she can no
longer eat meat. Her mental state becomes progressively worse when, preparing for a
dinner party, Marian begins to visualize the vegetables as living things. As she peels a
carrot, she begins thinking of how people come along and dig it up, maybe it even makes a
sound, a scream too low for us to hear, but it doesn't die right away, it keeps on
living, right now it's still alive" (Atwood 183). Marian believes she is torturing the
carrot, and is now unable to eat them also. Even vitamin pills, now her main source of
nourishment, become forbidden as she "wonder[s] what they grind up to put into these
things" (234). Finally, the morning after her affair with Duncan, which is a rebellion in
itself, Marian is unable to eat anything at all. She finally realizes that something
must be done, and proceeds to take matters into her own hands.
Marian breaks the spell of anorexia when she finally decides to stop trying to change
herself and instead to take control of her life. Marian loses her psychological
stability in her quest to be normal. She became engaged because it was the normal thing
to do, but "what was essentially bothering her was the thought that she might not be
normal" (211). Marian, for the first time, sees Peter for what he really is, "not a
potential husband but a two-dimensional advertisement-cliche" (Keith 63), another attempt
at "normal". Marian bakes a cake in the shape of a woman and offers it to Peter, saying
"this is what you really wanted all along, isn't it? I'll get you a fork" (Atwood 284).
Marian realizes that she is being consumed by Peter. She proceeds to break off the
engagement and "suddenly she was hungry. Extremely hungry" (285). Marian has attained
full control of her life once more. But most importantly, the novel returns to
first-person narrative, and Marian is a complete person once again. Marian realizes that
her needs are different from what society imposes on her, and changing herself to fit
society is not the answer.
Both characters ultimately realize that they never desired the "norm" of society. In
Elizabeth's case, she does not want to marry for wealth and good connections; she wants
to marry for love. After working past initial obstacles she finds love in Darcy and
proceeds to put all her energy into attaining his love again. As for Marian, she is no
where near ready for marriage, yet due to her underlying need to be "normal" she tries
desperately to mold herself into a role which proves to be very destructive. She, too,
takes the control of her life away from society and puts it back where it belongs, in her
own hands. Thus rebellion is necessary in both situations in order to fulfill the needs
of the characters and restore them to their previously healthy, happy lives.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Edible Woman. Toronto : McClelland-Bantam Inc, 1969.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Toronto : Penguin Books, 1972.
Harding, D. W. Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. Toronto :
The MacMillan Press Ltd, 1976.
Keith, W. J. Introducing Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman. Toronto : ECW Press, 1989.
Litz, Walton A. Jane Austen a Study of her Artistic Development. New York : Oxford
University Press, 1965
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