Beyond Social Barriers: Empathy versus Socioeconomic Factors in Pride and Prejudice

Abstract

This paper observes the role of empathy and equality in overcoming social barriers in Pride and Prejudice. More specifically, I argue that the novel shows that empathy plays a more significant role in creating a successful marriage than socioeconomic factors do. Austen’s significance as a groundbreaking women author of interesting ideas and genres during a time when authors were predominantly male has left a remarkable impact on the literary world and therefore spread a message about feminism and women’s rights discourse to young female readers, even in the modern day. Thus, this paper analyzes Pride and Prejudice alongside other feminist works of the time, such as Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Throughout the novel, the need to marry well to live a successful life is emphasized through the characters’ actions and dialogue and reflects on the desires and problems of many young women during the time period that the novel was published. I challenge the idea that Austen was only concerned with showing how socioeconomic factors determined a woman’s future in the Regency Era. Rather, Austen utilizes the written word to comment on the need for empathy in marriage, which she implies is more important than socioeconomic factors.