Pride and Prejudice Blog 1

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife"


Judging from the language and tone of this quote, the characters in this novel will have strict societal expectations. The phrase "be in want of" suggests that the book is set a long time ago because people no longer speak like that regularly. In the olden days, society was very structured and those who lived on the outside of its bounds were severely outcast. In the case of this quote, the society demands that a man with money "must be in want of a wife". Not only does this quote require a certain set of steps in a man's life, but it goes on to objectify women. According to the quote, after acquiring money, the next logical step in life is to acquire a wife. The society's view on women being inferior is also displayed because the wife is put after acquiring a good fortune, and it is expected that the man want her not for love but possibly status. The use of the word "universally" places the connotation that all members of society not only know this fact, but comply with it. Society will be a huge factor in the plot of the novel because it will place expectations on the lives of the characters. With this rigid tone set so early on in the text, the plot will likely have something to do with characters who defy society probably in the name of love. Society will push them away as it does all who are different, this theme has been reoccurring across many of the pieces we have read this year, but it also applies to us today. People who have different views than what society deems acceptable have forever been ridiculed and put down. This text will in some way display the effects of an oppressive society and its expectations on innocent characters who want nothing more than to follow their hearts.