The Pursuit of Happiness is considered to be a fundamental part of our lives. It is written in the Declaration of Independence, "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." What we choose to pursue as our happiness is another story. The book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen follows the tale of the Bennet family as the matriarch Ms.Bennet attempts to marry off her five daughters.
Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia are tremendously different characters, therefore what they pursue as their happiness differs between all five girls. For this blog post I am examining what the five sisters pursue as their happiness.
The eldest sister, Jane, is one of the characters we become the most acquainted to throughout the book, and is probably the most "agreeable" of all the sisters. In the beginning of the book she immediately attaches herself to the eligible suitor Mr. Bingley, with whom she gets along with quite well. I believe that Jane's pursuit of happiness is a wholesome marriage, unlike others who pursue riches or passionate love, she is searching for a loving and mutually loving marriage.
The second eldest sister, Elizabeth is the focus of the story, and arguably the most interesting character in the book. Upon meeting Mr. Darcy, she finds him to be a pompous, prideful jerk, but after spending time with him, her feelings begin to grow. I believe that Elizabeth is looking for an intelligent, passionate love. Her relationship with Mr. Darcy is formed on their shared intelligence, and creates the perfect platform for a strong love.
Mary, the middle child and plain jane of the family is portrayed as a tranquil, studious girl. I believe that Mary is really in the pursuit of knowledge, rather than love.
Kitty, one of the younger sisters, around the age of 16 or 17, is chiefly intrigued by the young officers who work in Meryton. At this point in her life she doesn't seem to be in pursuit of anything but a romantic fling with an officer.
Lydia, the youngest of five, is like her elder sister Kitty, and at this point in her life, she is really just occupied with the fantasy of having a handsome officer court her.
All in all, while the five sisters are very different, their pursuits of happiness are all true to their personalities and fitting for their ages at the time of the story.
(I realized after posting this I never included questions...)
1. What are your thoughts on the pursuits of happiness of the sisters? What about other characters in the story?
2. What do you deem your pursuit of happiness? Is it similar to any of the sisters?
I can't believe no one has yet commented on this Emily!! You do an excellent job summarizing Johnson's article and highlighting the key points about how each character's story arc intersects with her romantic pathway(s).
ReplyDeleteI will answer your questions with a question: "Is happiness--based on Johnson's reading of the book--synonymous with romantic love?" Or, in simpler terms," is romantic love the only way to be truly happy?"
I'm very curious to know your thoughts on this!