How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice

How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice

1. Social Classes Create Prejudice

Regardless of when, where, or who, social class is unalienable to human life. It affects every

facet of human interaction, and plays a large part in anyone's day to day dealings with others. This is a truth reiterated time and time again in the film, Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of two individuals who learn to overcome their pride and their prejudice against each other, as they learn to accept and eventually love one another. In doing so, they also overcome the obstacles set by social classes, a situation people struggle to accomplish even in today's society.

The main obstacle that social classes set, that the stereotypes this institution affixed to the people of each strata, led to a lot of class-based prejudice. During this period, people acted in accordance with the values and behavior expected of the people in their class. People followed these rules, and over time, stereotypes for each class emerged, upon which everyone was associated. People then based their opinions of the others on the stereotypes of their class, instead of the true personality of the person. These prejudiced opinions accounted for the good or bad treatment of others towards the people of the other classes.

2. The Aristocrats

Aristocracy for example, were governed by strict rules on mannerisms, social communication,

conduct, and courtship. They were expected to be polite, graceful, and soft-spoken. Based on these traits, they saw themselves as highly cultured people, and saw people in other classes as “uncultured”, which led them to sometimes mistreat lower-ranking people. (Joanna Stickler, Pride and Prejudice, Class and Gender, www.scribd.com)

2.1 Lady Catherine

A good example of this was shown by Lady Catherine de Bourgh of the aristocracy. At a dinner

Stickler, Joanna. "Pride and Prejudice, Class and Gender." Scribd. 27 July 2008. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <https://www.scribd.com/doc/4110073/Pride-and-Prejudice-Class-and-Gender>.

Flores 1



Flores 2 for example, Lady Catherine rudely cut off Lizzy while she was conversing with Darcy. Had it been

another aristocrat talking, Lady Catherine would not dare interrupt the person. However, Lizzy's inferior status made it acceptable to Lady Catherine, to not accord Lizzy with the respect she would have given someone of the higher class. When asked, Lizzy said that neither she nor her sisters could draw, and Lady Catherine assumed that they did not have the opportunity to learn how to, possibly implying that they were financially incapable of it. Once again, this was another gesture where Lady Catherine looked down on Lizzy, based on her financial situation, which is highly linked to class.

On another occasion, Lady Catherine visited the Bennett's house, and refused Mr. Bennett's offer to have tea using the phrase “Absolutely not.”, instead of “No, thank you.” which would have been far more polite. She then referred to Mrs. Bennett's daughters as her “offspring”, a term commonly used for animals, which could mean that she was calling Mrs. Bennett's daughters as animals. When talking to Elizabeth in private, she called Lizzy a woman of “inferior birth”, and remarked that if Darcy married Lizzy, then the “Shades of Pemberley” would be “thus polluted”. According to Laurel Ann, the shades of Pemberley referred to Darcy's ancestors, who according to Lady Catherine, would be disgraced had Lizzy married into the family. (Laurel Ann, Pemberley Shades, austenprose.com) These examples showed how lowly Lady Catherine viewed the Bennetts, and how cruel her attitude was to those below her in the social hierarchy.

We see how Lady Catherine abhorred people of lower rank, and how Lizzy's social status clouded Lady Catherine's view of Lizzy's true nature. Lady Catherine's class-based discrimination was the driving force behind her maltreatment of Lizzy, and the same prejudice was what made her kill the idea of Darcy getting married to someone lower than him. Basing her opinion on the lower gentry stereotype, Catherine assumed Lizzy to be some crass, untalented, uneducated girl, and failed to see the brilliance of Lizzy's mind, and how cultured she actually was.

2.2 Mr. Darcy

Mr. Darcy shared the same mindset as Lady Catherine, but did not hold this sentiment as

strongly as she did. Viewing Lizzy as middle class, he remarked that she