제인 오스틴의 『오만과 편견』에 나타난 자아 성장 과정

Abstract

Jane Austen is the author who, despite the dramatic changes occurring in the world at that time. chose not to describe the details of historical and economic events in her novels. The background of her novel is the gentry society as seen through their lives of several families in the countryside of England. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen reflects on the inappropriateness of the views of marriage at that time. In Pride and Prejudice, she points out the error of marriage as a means to gain economic security and social position. In contrast, she shows the importance of affection and respect through the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy. According to Austen, in order to achieve a harmonious marriage, a couple should be prepared to go through a painful process of overcoming their social prejudices, Elizabeth has good judgement and intelligence as compared with the other women in the novel. Unfortunately, she is so proud of her ability that she errors when judging a person by first impressions. Her narrowness prevents her from seeing the world outside of her own and so she does not consider other people's backgrounds. She stubbornly sticks to her mistaken beliefs despite their lack of reason. In the end, however, she recognized the wrongness of her belief in judging persons prematurely. For his part, Mr. Darcy brings with him the pride of his social position and wealth. He is influenced by the patriarchal system and the marriage views of the time and does not try to understand people of different classes. Fortunately, he is broad-minded enough to reflect on himself after Elizabeth's criticism and consequently correct himself. Through the self-awareness and self-growth process, the two protagonists of Pride and Prejudice correct their flawed ideas and attitudes. As a result they become mature and responsible individuals and, in the end, enter into a harmonious marriage based on affection and mutual respect. They make a small sound society for themselves and a sounder world at large. In this marriage we are able to see the advantage of a marriage between two equal and mature individuals, based on affection, not on wealth or social position.