(not specific) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

(not specific) - Essay Example As more and more people began living in closer proximity to each other with the development of the cities, social interactions changed as well. This included the expected roles of women. This caused a great deal of confusion for young women attempting to find their way in a world under constant change. Young women felt constrained by the traditions of the past yet were aware that they had a chance for a happier, more fulfilling future. These concepts can be discovered in the novels that were written during that time period. The precarious position of young women torn between adhering to ‘traditional family values’ and the more rewarding, less constrained possibilities of the new age is illustrated through such literary characters as Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice and Lucy Honeychurch in E.M. Forster’s novel A Room with a View. Although she is aware of how she is expected to behave within polite society, Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice doesn’t pay much attention to the social norms when it comes to restricting her true nature. This indicates that she has had a lenient childhood in which her actions have not been restricted or curtailed. There are several examples within the novel where she gives herself the liberty of speaking her own mind. She openly tells Mr. Darcy what she thinks of him before she is fully aware of his character, demonstrating an ‘unladylike’ confidence in her own opinions. Although it does not always help her and is not always shown to be a positive element of her personality, this willful streak also allows her to face down the intimidating Lady Catherine when cornered, â€Å"I am only resolved to act in that manner which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me† (Auste n 307). Elizabeth’s behavior tends to stretch the boundaries of good breeding as even her mother, not the most astute socialite