ced upon women in her society. Not a single character that is liked by the reader agrees with these criticisms of Elizabeth, and that is not because of coincidence. This very feminist view of the injustices done to Elizabeth is affirmed by Jane Austens haughty portrayals of all of the characters that were responsible for the wrongs done to her, especially the way she depicts Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Men are the dominant ones in England. They have choice and freedom, and depend on nobody but himself or herself. The expectations that men have when proposing a marriage and the differences between the man and woman make this fact obvious. When a man such as Mr. Collins has no doubt that his proposal will be accepted, and he is turned down by Elizabeth, he thinks that she is playing hard to get. Men are not used to hearing the word no because women are treated as their subordinates, not equals. That is why a man can pick and choose who he marries while women take their first suitor. That is also why Jane Austen has Elizabeth turn down Mr. Collins proposal, and Mr. Darcys as well. The independent Elizabeth does what she thinks is best for her and does not abide by societys standards in making both of those decisions. She is heavily criticized for them, but it is plain to see that the criticisms have no substantial reasoning behind them; solidifying Elizabeths decisions even more and making the reader think that Elizabeth is what a woman in the world should be more like. The way Elizabeth brings out feminist values of equality and sovereignty and the way that the perfect ladies indirectly support them with their criticisms are methods of character manipulation employed by Austen to express her opinions. The sexism of the time also affects standards of men and women and Jane Austen shows that. Agreeable men are described as handsome, polite, rich, and well connected. Not once is it said that a man needs to paint well or speak ...
