Blog Post 1: Thematic Analysis of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin is a book that has always been special to me. It’s one of the books that I grew up reading and helping me fall in love with literature. It’s one that I’ve read so many times that I could probably recite it. However, in this specific reading of the text I started to focus on themes that really stood out to me. One theme that has repeatedly caught my eye is the theme of innocence in this novel. Throughout Elizabeth Bennet’s telling of the social debacle that ends in her and her sisters’ marriage innocence has come up in comparison of two of her sisters: Jane and Lydia.

Jane Bennet, who falls in love with a Mr. Bingley, is the eldest of the Bennet girls. Her innocence is seen as one related more to piety and purity than of youth. She is the most beautiful out of all of her sisters as well has having a good heart and a gentle nature. Her description is often of that of an angel. Because she is so good hearted and gentle she is seen as innocent or pure. Also, because she is older her innocence is something that is free given because she is mature enough to understand it. Her innocence is not something that is physically part of her but more of part of her personality.

Lydia Bennet, who runs away with the dastardly Mr. Wickham, is the youngest of the Bennet girls. Her innocence is directly related to her youth. Lydia is a reckless girl who doesn’t care for the rules of society or self-preservation. She’s a wild child who runs away with a man and her innocence is shown by the idea that she simply too young to understand the magnitude of what she’s done. Her innocence is something that is physically hers and something that she cannot see the value in like her elder sister, Jane, can.

Though innocence was highly valued in Victorian society through the two sisters’ depictions it seems that Jane’s form of innocence had a higher value. Though the innocence of youth is something that considered desirable it can be argued that it’s more likely to be linked to naivety than something of more value. It’s because of Lydia’s inexperience and recklessness that she ends up in the position she’s put in by the end of the novel, married to a man who is stuck with her and she’s constantly in debt. However, Jane’s form of innocence is much more desirable in society’s eyes. Hers is a quiet innocence more so connected to the idea of purity. She is young yes, much not as young as Lydia whose innocence can be taken advantage of.