A Rational Creature?

(A photograph showing a first edition of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.)

Since this week we are discussing all things Jane Austen, I decided to dive in to a specific idea that has been stirring in my head. This idea relates to Elizabeth Bennet and her supposed “break” from the mold of an ideal woman during eighteenth century England. I refer to her rather dramatic breakdowns in which she berates and blames herself for the situation when in reality it does not help her cause at all. One could argue that Austen does this intentionally to create drama in the story as well as make a more readily identifiable character out of Elizabeth. If she does not have these breakdowns, it is possible less women would relate to the heroine of the story. But by creating such dramatic breakdowns, not in line with the character of Elizabeth, Austen almost harms the character of her heroine by making her inconsistent.

Instead of being “a rational creature” Elizabeth loses herself to the very “foolishness”, she remarks that Kitty and Lydia possess. The reason I question this is a few instances that occur regularly throughout Pride and Prejudice. Two major instances of such breakdowns come to mind. One her breakdown following reading Darcy’s letter, of course some confusion is expected. The fact that she wanders around lost disbelieving for hours on end, and still refuses to believe for a day or two before realizing her flawed logic is extreme. Once she begins to accept the letter as true she still exclaims, “How despicably have I acted! I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities,” (Austen 177). Her exclamation does not end after this, confusion is acceptable, so is disbelief, yet it should not last for pages while she internally debates the situation. It comes across as overkill, at least to me personally. The second instance of such a breakdown is more extreme; it is when she realizes that Lydia has run off with Wickham. She blames herself for the whole thing, just because she did not divulge the secret of Wickham’s character she did not share. Elizabeth says, “When I consider, that I might have prevented it! I who knew what he was. Had I but explained some part of it only – some part of what I learnt, to my own family,” (Austen 231). God forbid she looks at the situation logically and recognizes that this behavior from her sister is expected, if it was not to be Wickham surely it would have been another. Or that she remembers that in fact she did tell someone about Wickham, she told Jane. So she cannot be blamed for the whole situation. All these instances of Elizabeth being dramatic seem contrived and places Elizabeth in a poor light.