As Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice draws to a fulfilling close, Austen satisfies readers with our heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, finally wedding Mr. Darcy and her sister Jane with Mr. Bingley. Aside from her “hallmark happy ending” through the marriages of our main characters, she also highlights how these marriages affect the social connections the relevant families retain. Her emphasis on the nuances of social interactions before and after marriage more or less exceed her effort spent in depicting the feelings of bride and groom, revealing her old-fashioned opinions (in contemporary standards) on a successful marriage, proprietary relationships between the sexes, and more broadly, the role women play in society (Haydar).  Austen, illustrating the winding paths of the courtship of Elizabeth Bennet, approves of the basic structure of women’s dependence on men, follows social expectations on interactions between men and women, yet questions the complete lack of self-consideration and depth of thought in women. On the whole, she promotes progressive ideas about women’s intellectual independence yet fortifies other ideas in asserting women’s societal dependence to men.
Generally speaking, Austen frames Pride and Prejudice based on the contemporary gender norms, and Elizabeth is no exception. In 19th century (and earlier) England, as the famous author and philosopher William Burke concluded, “elements of the Beautiful –softness, smoothness, grace – (are) feminine, while strength, power and rationality masculine.”(Snyder, 144) As he compares and differentiates between men and women, Burke claims that the fundamental difference between men and women lay in their intrinsic characters; men are portrayed as rational, strong creatures, spearheading progress and development in many spheres of the 19th century, and women depicted as overly emotional, irrational, and delicate statue-like. Societal prejudices, compounded by economic disadvantages women bear (e.g. inability to inherit fortune, work for wages, control marriage), results them to become extensions of men. In contrast to Lydia, who hastily and immaturely pursues her feelings, Elizabeth follows the conventional approach of courtship, walking a tightrope in attempting to balance her social connections, her future and current economic status, and her personal feelings. As Austen begins her novel with the famous, sweeping statement, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife,” she states in plain, concrete terms the owner-object relationship that a marriage entails, centering the novel around marriage and relationships, and introducing the novel’s central themes of gender and class. (Austen, Chapter 1) Austen’s portrayal of Elizabeth also reveals other particularities of a Regency England marriage, including families’ strongly pronounced attention on the male's economic might—something Elizabeth feels intensely against yet cannot escape. Thrown into a frenzy after learning Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet attacks Elizabeth with bitter invective and iron determination, “She is a very headstrong, foolish girl, and does not know her own interest but I will make her know it,” condemning her independence of choice as immaturity and inconsideration (Austen, Chapter 20). After Mr. Collins’ slight objection on her condescending regard on Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet also does not forget to redeem portions of Elizabeth that appear appealing to the suitor: “Lizzy is only headstrong in such matters as these. In everything else she is as good-natured a girl as ever lived,” further proving Elizabeth’s difficult situation of being branded cheaply as a person and worthy as merchandise (Austen, Chapter 20). When women support their own inferiority by trying to advertise their own daughters, the disrespect proves the longevity and obstinacy of gendered oppression and low status of women. Often, it is women, through the generational inheritance of morals and doctrines, that maintain the behavioral oppression of women, as seen later through Lady Catherine’s mandates towards Elizabeth.
Austen’s defense of the rigid gender boundaries also manifests itself in the interactions and relationships betweenthe sexes. While the motivation of running away may vary from characteristic superficiality to monetary gain, both attempts of elopement in the novel appeared shameful and sinister, hailed as “great disasters” to reputation and status (Austen, Chapter 45). Elizabeth reacts especially tumultuously to the news of the elopement, instantly discarding her usual rationality and composure. Lamenting that “[Lydia] has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt him to—she is lost forever,” Elizabeth stresses her despair in Lydia’s imprudent trampling of social norms, fearing that her entire family will plunge into the oblivion due to the incident (Austen, Chapter 46). Contrasting to her own experience of courtship, which lasts for months, if not years, Lydia’s flash-love approach equates to indulgence—largely violating the most sensitive area of a religious society, thus bringing the most severe of consequences. In today’s standards, however, we hold a new level of understanding to running away with your crush, and in Lydia’s defense her leaving friends and family behind can be interpreted as an ill-devised expression of her identity, her feelings, and her power. What better way to liberate herself from the shackles of social norms, than to powerfully cut right through them before the hundreds of pairs of disapproving eyes? Austen controlled the cause and effect of her characters in a book, and she decided to set the elopement scandal on a generally antagonistic character, Lydia, who in every affair of her life displayed superficiality and wildness. On the other hand, Elizabeth, a protagonist with a primarily likable personality, conforms with contemporary views on the firm opposition of elopement, thus proving Austen’s own conservative stance on the interactions between men and women. Besides condemning an act of disobedience as a counterexample, Austen also provides plenty of elaboration upon her ideologies on a good wife and mistress, stating them through another female character fervently defending the old-fashioned doctrines which distinguish women with unnecessary restrictions, didactic manners, and uniform talent (the pianoforte). Lady Catherine, as such, makes numerous remarks on the improperness of Elizabeth’s behavior: “Young women should always be properly guarded and attended, according to their situation in life,” stressing her distrust of letting young girls out alone (Austen, Chapter 37). Lady Catherine subconsciously reinforces the prejudice that young women, in interacting with men freely without supervision, generates to danger and misfortune, focusing the avoidance of such uncertainties on women. The gender disparity still exists today—where in many crime cases, the victim is accused of the so-called improperness, and the perpetrator not punished. While Austen almost avoids casting light on applaudable traits of Lady Catherine, she makes it clear that Lady Catherine’s stringent beliefs on the noble upbringing, proper behavior, and promising future secures her the reputation of a revered, if not feared, noblewoman. Representing the mainstream society with quite a few followers, Lady Catherine’s deeds reflect Austen’s recognition of the wide acceptance of the set of social boundaries that restrain women. These shackles place women in a position below men in terms of socialization and communication between the two genders.
Whereas Austen sprinkles in her interpretations of how women’s structural disadvantages maintain, to some degree, stability in patriarchal England, the novel teems with moments when feminine intelligence and mental independence positively affect the readers’ perspective on a certain character. Women’s autonomy of thought defines their metaphorical value in the plotline, making them interesting to read about and worthy of deep thought and analysis. Austen selects Elizabeth as the centerpiece of all her female characters in Pride and Prejudice, endowing her with an eye that no one else can see through; such is her insightfulness to the thoughts of others and her own shrewdness in socially important moments. When Mr. Collins, in a clumsy attempt to persuade Elizabeth into marrying him, completely disregards Elizabeth’s own needs and treats her like the new-arrival item in a store, Elizabeth skillfully and gently declines Mr. Collins’ request. Her saying “Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart” proves her independence of thought, dispelling any belief that females are delicate toys with feelings according to Mr. Collins, and advancing her own opinions, elevating her mind to equals with Mr. Collins (Austen, Chapter 20). Elizabeth possesses the intriguing power to adequately express her own thoughts, both in the defensive position while being pressured, and in the offensive position when her mind ought to be voiced. When Mr. Darcy, during the Netherfield Ball, explicitly states his distortedly high standards for the stereotypical skills women needs in order to match him, Elizabeth sarcastically retorts his remark. Arguing that “I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any,” Elizabeth powerfully informs Darcy that his expectations are unrealistic and oppressing towards females, along the way separating herself from her surroundings with her fearless remarks against Darcy, proving that her opinions are equally worth considering as his (Austen, Chapter 8). Aside from the aforementioned details, Austen devotes much more of Elizabeth’s character development to her thinking; Austen’s positive portrayal of Elizabeth and her active, productive thinking reflects her own support of the intellectual individuality in women. Counterexamples apply as less thoughtful characters, for example Mrs. Bennet, often act impulsively and end up detracting from a positive development or their goals.
To summarize, Austen successfully enforces the structural sexism female characters in Pride and Prejudice encounters, integrating the oppression into a variety of affairs, ranging from a daily chit-chat to the life-altering problems in marriage. Elizabeth herself perpetuated some cases of sexism in her decisions and received other forms of discrimination from her environment. Austen juxtaposes Elizabeth’s discriminatory social connections with her intellectual advancements and independence, highlighting her mind as her difference with other female characters, and as what helps her situation ascend more rapidly than most of her counterparts. It is still worth noticing, however, the existence of a fine line dividing her, and thus Austen-era women’s, systematically inferior position with the emerging liberty of thought. Austen does encourage intellectual freedom,  which in turn may mature into concrete progress in liberating women from economic and social dependence of men; her acquiescence or ignorance of contemporary social discrimination of women, however, limits the thoughts of freedom to the mental sphere, discouraging taking action against patriarchy and sexism. In other words, Austen’s ideals of feminine power definitely move forward from total patriarchy, yet possesses many traits derived from a patriarchal society, leaving many more miles to be covered until women are truly equal with men.