In Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice," there are many circumstances where the male population looks to be more dominant then the female population. Elizabeth portrays the personality of a strong-willed and outspoken character who shows that females can be dominant as well. The author uses the character, Elizabeth, to show how a strong female character can be effective in a male-dominated society. .
Elizabeth begins to realize that she is just as prejudiced and prideful as anyone else. She lets her own personal feelings deceive her when she says: "How despicably I have acted!" she cried; "I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity in useless or blameable mistrust! How humiliating is this discovery! Yet, how just a humiliation! Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind! But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment I never knew myself"" (Austen18).
Elizabeth admits that she has acted foolishly. If it weren't for her foolishness Mr. Darcy would not have fallen in love with her though. Mr. Darcy accepted the fact that Elizabeth is a dominant female who speaks her mind and opinions out loud. Her dominance is what brought Mr. Darcy to her which she did not realize until this point in the novel. The author shows that dominant females are capable of finding love and that there are dominant females that can affect a male population. The Elizabeth implies that men get a better education and are basically perfect when she says "There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it " (Austen14).
