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ThesisforAssociateDegree;ShijiazhuangVocationalCollegeOfCityEconomy11IntroductionToday,peoplearemoreandmorecaringaboutwomen’sstatus.Womenarenotaseparatedindividual,butdeeplytietothesociety,andtheyplayveryimportantrolesineveryaspectsofthemodernsociety.Sowomen’sstatusnotonlyconnectstowomenthemselves,butalsothesociety’sdevelopment.Therefore,bothwomenandthegovernmentshouldtrytheireffortstoenhancewomen’sstatusandadvancetheequalrightofmenandwomen.Aseveryoneknows,PrideandPrejudice，awell-knownnovelwrittenbyJaneAusten,marriageiscentraltopicofthenovel.Accordingtotheappearanceofthenovel,asforAusten’scharacters,marriagedoesnotmeantheactofungovernedpassionbutacomplexengagementbetweenthemarryingcoupleandsociety.Inthenovel,Austenportraysthewomen’slowstatusandthereasonsofwomen’slowstatus.Butwomeninthenoveldidn’ttrytostrivefortheirright,theythoughtlittleoftheirlowstatus,andhadlittleself-awareness,justnegotiatedtothesociety.AsforourChinesewomen,theyhavebeenexperiencingover3000years’traditionalideology.Andeveninthemodernsociety,theyalsosufferkindsofdiscriminationsfromthesocietyandmen.Theyareusuallythoughtofhumblerthanmen,andalwaysbeexcludedoutofthesociety.2AGeneralSummaryoftheWomen’sStatusinPrideandPrejudice2.1ABriefIntroductiontotheStoryPrideandPrejudiceisJaneAusten’sgreatmasterpiece,asharpandwittycomedyofmannersplayedoutinearly19thcenturyEnglishsociety,aworldinwhichmenheldvirtuallyallthepowerandwomenwererequiredtonegotiatemine-fieldsofsocialstatus,respectability,property,andmarriage.Marriageisoneofthethemesinthenovel.Austenconcentratesonwomen’sfatemost.Throughhercharacters’processofcourtshipandmarriage,Austenshowssocialbackgroundsbehindtheirmarriageandwhatlowstatuswomenhavesuffered.InPrideandPrejudice,forawoman,generallytheonlywaytoheristogetmarriedbesidesbeingspinsterhoodorgoverness.Tomarryarichandhighstatusman,isapathfortheyoungwomentogainingfinancialsecurityandsocialstatus.Thenovelportrayslifeinthemiddleclassruralsocietyoftheday,andtellstheinitialmisunderstandingandlatermutualenlightenmentbetweenElizabethBennetandDarcy.Theygraduallydispeltheirprejudiceandconstituteahappymarriage.HereAustenshowsthepowerofloveandhappinesstoovercomeclassboundariesandprejudice,therebyimplyingthatwomenshouldstrivefortheirownloveandhappiness,butnottoaccordingthesocialwill.However,behindthehappymarriageofElizabethBennetandDarcy,AustenmainlywantstoshowThesisforAssociateDegree;ShijiazhuangVocationalCollegeOfCityEconomy2thatproperty,socialstatusstillplaythemostimportantrolesinamarriage,fromwhichwomensufferedalot.Norightofinheritance,suchisparticularlythecaseoftheBennets,afamilyoffivedaughterswhosefather’sestateisentailedtoadistantrelative,foruponMr.Bennet’sdeaththeywillloosehome,land,andincome,everythingelse.AfterknowingElizabeth’srefusaltoMr.Collins,Mrs.Bennetthreatsherdaughterthat“ifyougoonrefusingeverymarriage,youwillnevergetahusband,andIamsureIdonotknowwhoistomaintainyouwhenyourfatherdied.”Soitisillustratedthatpropertyandsocialstatusaremoreimportantthanmarriage.Thus,undertheeffectoftheunreasonablesocialvalue,doesn’tCharlotteLucas,whoisuptoplayinginahigh-stakedmatrimonialgameforfeitherownpersonalintegrity?2.2Women’sStatusShownintheNovelEitherinthepastortoday,societyputsasignificantvalueonmarriage.Inmodernsociety,marriagemeansthebirthofanewfamily,whichisfilledwithlove,understanding,happinessandharmoniousatmosphere.Moreover,marriageisnotatradeandthetwopersonsinamarriageshouldnotgetmarriedforthepersonalbenefitorjustforconvenience.Butinwhich,marriageisanoddphenomenonanditisjustanapproach,whichpeoplecouldreachtheiraimsandprovidesthemconvenience.AustendescribesCharlotte’smarriageasasymbol,throughwhichAustenshowsthereaderswhatlowstatuswomenhold.Inthenovel,marriageisaneverlastingandhottopicforallthepeople,especiallyforwomenandtheirfamilies.Althoughmarriageisanoddphenomenonintheend18thandearly19thcenturymiddleclass’scountrylifeinBritain,itisverycommon.Womenneverconsideredthemarriageitself,buttowhatextentthattheywouldbebenefitedfromamarriage.Mrs.Bennet,forexampleneverconcernsaboutthemoralandteachesherdaughterstheviewofmoral.“Thebusinessofherlifewastogetherdaughtersmarried”andshethinksthatcouldfetchherdaughterswealthyandhighstatushusbands;shehasachievedsomethinggreatinherlifeandherfamilywillbebenefitedmuch.Thus,whenMr.Bingley,awealthybachelorwithlargefortune,fourorfivethousandayear,becomestheirneighborhood,Mrs.Bennetbeginstocontemplatehisgettingmarriedtooneofherdaughters.Andinthelaterdays,sheisincapablefatigueandenumerateskindsofadvantagesthatherfamilywillgetifJaneandMr.Bingleygetmarried,suchaswealth,statusranking,andcouldalsothrowherotherdaughtersinthewaytootherrichmen.Allherthoughtsforfetchingherdaughterwealthyandhighstatushusbandcomejustoutoftheconsideringofpracticality,butnotoutofherdaughters’feelings.Underthemonetaryviewofmarriage,Mrs.Bennettotallytreatsherdaughters’marriageasproducttradesandherdaughtersarethecommodities.InPrideandPrejudice,Austenshowsthatbecauseofwomen’slowstatus,theyaredesirabletoThesisforAssociateDegree;ShijiazhuangVocationalColle