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gracemerc4-blog · 4 years

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When words fail, music speaks.

Music has long been used as a creative outlet for people to express themselves. Through the use of songs, people can really express their feelings and show the world who they truly are, no matter how complex. The main protagonist of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, is a very complex character. Elizabeth is confident in who she is, and unlike the other women of her time, wanted to marry a man for love instead of money. Her independence and loyalty shine throughout the novel, however, her quick-to-judge attitude is also displayed in the novel. The following playlist represents Elizabeth Bennet as a loyal, confident, and independent yet judgemental woman that did not conform to the societal expectations for women during this time.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Fs6RHqvbA3ZwEpMqB46OG?si=7tDgV-jiQESR8cryVDFJ8g

Elizabeth Bennet does not care what anyone else thinks and stays true to herself. When her sister Jane falls ill at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth walks there herself to make sure she was okay, causing herself to arrive with “weary ankles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise” (Austen, 33). Upon entering the house, she is judged by Miss. Bingley and Miss. Hurst for her messy attire, as women are not expected to dirty themselves on three mile walks during this time. Despite their judgement, Elizabeth does not mind her dirty clothes. Elizabeth’s attitude towards judgement calls to mind lyrics from “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, “A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do, an' I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation.” Elizabeth does not care about her dirty appearance or about what the other women had to say about her.

Elizabeth is confident in who she is and she is not going to change for anyone, even if she is not considered an “accomplished woman”. When Elizabeth visits Jane at Netherfield Park when Jane is sick, a conversation begins about what makes a woman accomplished. “In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs Hurst's accusation that Elizabeth is unladylike leads to Miss Bingley's listing of the attributes of an ‘accomplished” woman: music, dancing, drawing and the modern languages, together with “a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions’. But Bingley and Darcy rate sisterly affection and extensive reading more highly” (Harris). Elizabeth comments that she has never met a woman with all of these traits and she does not think they exist. This comment implies that Elizabeth thinks Darcy is being too demanding and that his standards are too high. “Superficial Love” by Ruth B. includes the lyrics, “I wanna know when I'm looking at you, that you don't only see the things you want to 'cause I'm not perfect, I'm flawed. And if you don't like that, get lost” (B., Ruth). Elizabeth acknowledges that men should not demand a perfect woman because no woman is perfect. Elizabeth would believe that men should love women despite their flaws and without ridiculously high standards.

During the early 1800s, women would try to get married to men that had money in order to get a better life for themselves. Marrying for love was rare. But Elizabeth does not want to get married to just anyone. Elizabeth was proposed to by Mr. Collins, the man that would inherit her family’s Longbourn estate. By accepting his proposal, Elizabeth would have not had to worry about money or becoming an old spinster that is looked down upon by society. Instead, Elizabeth rejects this marriage proposal because she does not want to marry just anyone. As TLC once said, “I don't want no scrubs, a scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me” (TLC). Elizabeth wants to be loved and respected, not just married for money. Elizabeth turning down a man that will soon become wealthy is unheard of during this time period. Even her best friend Charlotte Lucas takes the opportunity, as Mr. Collins proposes to her next. Pyeaam Abbasi shares the same sentiment about Elizabeth rejecting the marriage proposal, stating, “Elizabeth stays a rebel, an individual respecting her own feelings more than respecting what the society expects her to do—to marry a rich gentleman” (Abbasi). By not marrying rich, Elizabeth goes against societal expectations to be her own person. Going against the status quo of marriage and not marrying for money is also a theme in the song “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” by JLo, with the lyrics “All that matters is that you treat me right, give me all the things I need that money can't buy” (Lopez).

Elizabeth Bennet is fiercely loyal to the people she loves. When her sister Jane becomes sick at Netherfield Park on a visit to Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth walks three miles to Mr. Bingley’s estate just to make sure her sister is okay. Elizabeth’s loyal nature causes her to deeply care about the people she loves. The hit song “Stand by You” by Rachel Platten includes the lyrics, “Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through hell with you, love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you” (Platten). This song is about loyalty and being there for someone when they really need it, just like Elizabeth is there for the people she loves.

Intelligence and independence are some of Elizabth’s main traits. Elizabeth is a very intelligent woman. Miss Bingley describes Elizabeth, stating, “She is a great reader and has no pleasure in anything else” (Austen 37). Elizabeth’s intelligence and confidence prompted me to add the song “Run the World” by Beyonce to her playlist, which includes the lyrics, “Boy, you know you love it, how we're smart enough to make these millions” (Beyonce). Elizabeth also knows that she does not need a man to be happy. “I Don’t Need a Man” by The Pussycat Dolls is also included in this playlist, including the lyrics, “I don't need a ring around my finger to make me feel complete”(Dolls). Elizabeth is very independent and does not need to rely on a man to be happy, which is why she rejects Mr.Collins, as she is perfectly fine being happy on her own. She is not the type of woman that would just sit still, look pretty, and be as accommodating as possible like the other women of this time. “Sit Still Look Pretty” by Daya includes lyrics about not wanting to just be a pretty object for men to look at. The song includes lyrics such as, “No, I don’t wanna sit still, look pretty” (Daya). These lyrics fit Elizabeth well because she is very much her own independent person and would not make herself smaller to appease someone else.

Although Elizabeth has a lot of great qualities, she is not perfect. Elizabeth does have a predisposition to be judgemental. When Elizabeth first meets Darcy, she judges him prematurely and thinks that he was a proud and disagreeable man. However, her opinion begins to change once she visits Pemberley House. All of the workers that maintain Pemberley speak of Mr. Darcy in the highest regards, describing him as “the best landlord and best master that ever lived” (Austen 239). All of the praise for Darcy makes Elizabeth question if she really knows him at all. The song “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band is all about judging someone prematurely and wrongful judgement. Some lyrics include, “The sign said ‘Long-haired freaky people need not apply’ so I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why. He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do.’ So I took off my hat, I said ‘Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!’” (Five Man Electrical Band). A song about judgement fits perfectly into this playlist because of Elizabeth’s tendency to judge prematurely.

Despite Elizabeth’s judgemental tendencies, she finds love in the place where she least expects it. Following her visit to Pemberley, Elizabeth begins to realize that Darcy really is not as arrogant and disagreeable as she thinks, and she falls in love with him. “I Found” by Amber Run is a song about finding love where you least expect it, with the lyrics, “I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be: right in front of me. Talk some sense to me” (Run). Elizabeth finds this love where it “wasn’t supposed to be” because of her initial prejudice against Mr. Darcy. At one point, she even tells Darcy, “you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry” (188). Falling in love with Darcy is the last thing Elizabeth expects to do, so “I Found” perfectly explains her new found romance.

Work Cited

Abbasi, Pyeaam. "Aggression or Regression: A Comparative Study of Heroines in The Mill on the Floss and Pride and Prejudice." k@ta lama [Online], 16.1 (2014): 54-60. Web. 15 Nov. 2020

B., Ruth. Lyrics to “Superficial Love.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Ruth-b-superficial-love-lyrics.

Beyonce. Lyrics to “Run the World (Girls).” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Beyonce-run-the-world-girls-lyrics .

Daya. Lyrics to “Sit Still Look Pretty.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Daya-sit-still-look-pretty-lyrics .

Dolls, The Pussycat. Lyrics to “I Don’t Need a Man.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/The-pussycat-dolls-i-dont-need-a-man-lyrics .

Five Man Electrical Band. Lyrics to “Signs.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Five-man-electrical-band-signs-lyrics .

Harris, Jocelyn Margaret. “Jane Austen and Celebrity Culture: Shakespeare, Dorothy Jordan and Elizabeth Bennet.” Shakespeare, vol. 6, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 410–430. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/17450918.2010.527364.

Jett, Joan. Lyrics to “Bad Reputation.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Joan-jett-bad-reputation-lyrics.

Lopez, Jennifer. Lyrics to “Love Don’t Cost a Thing..” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Jennifer-lopez-love-dont-cost-a-thing-lyrics .

Platten, Rachel. Lyrics to “Stand by You.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Rachel-platten-stand-by-you-lyrics .

Run, Amber. Lyrics to “I Found.” Genius, 2020, https://genius.com/Amber-run-i-found-lyrics .

TLC. Lyrics to “No Scrubs.” Genius, 2020,https://genius.com/Tlc-no-scrubs-lyrics .

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