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Pride & Prejudice
updated: Nov 03, 2012, 10:00 AM
By Kelsey Abkin
When asked which fictional character I most aspire to be, I know I am not alone when I respond with an
indisputable answer of, "Elizabeth Bennet". Pride and Prejudice is an infamous novel, read by high
school students worldwide, my class included. It combines immaculate use of dialogue with characters
so perfectly contrasting that it is near impossible to avoid falling in deep admiration with one of them. It
is made clear everyday by the attentiveness my class brings to English that they have immersed
themselves in the world of "Ladies and Gentleman". But even clearer than this is the veneration each girl
has when they are asked to discuss Elizabeth Bennet.
It would be mistaken to say she is perfect. She is stubborn, inconsistent, and proud; however, these are
three attributes teenage girls secretly see as positives. At this time in our lives our biggest fears, (and
with good reason), are to become mundane and unimpressive. Although it takes place a few hundred
years ago on the other side of the world, Elizabeth's story is relatable to us girls sitting in our English
class at Santa Barbara High School. As far as I know it is, as Jane Austen would say, "a truth universally
acknowledged" that girls' main aspirations are to be both ardent and distinctive. This strong aspiration I
believe comes from the fact that it is so easy to become just the opposite of these two things, as we see
in every other character of the novel. Elizabeth is a flawed character but a forceful one none the less.
She is one of the few characters who can command such individuality without losing her sense of being
genuine. It is all this that the makes the answer to the question, none other than the infamous Elizabeth
Bennett.
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