Woman social mobility portrayed in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Literary is “present life” most consisting of social fact, although literary work also “imitate” nature and of human being subjective world, it shows that literature and society relate to one and another. The point is that literature reflects life; and the life itself is reality, it also mentioned that each work of literature is from certain environment and certain geography. Novel is one of literature form that can enrich and enlarge our experience and interpretation of life.

In this study, the researcher analyzes Jane Austen’s novel entitled Pride and Prejudice by focusing on Elizabeth’s social mobility. Furthermore, to get the proofs that literature is a reflection of a reality at a certain time, the researcher presents the social condition that forced Elizabeth do the social mobility in novel Pride and Prejudice as the subject of the study. The problems of this study are: What efforts does Elizabeth do for social mobility in Pride and Prejudice?, Why does Elizabeth do social mobility in Pride and Prejudice?, and What factors influences the success of Elizabeth’s social mobility in Pride And Prejudice?

This study is uses the sociological approach. In accomplishing, the researcher employs the qualitative type of research and uses descriptive method that is most suitable to analyze the novel. The data are taken from the primary source, the novel itself called Pride and Prejudice.

From the analysis, it can be concluded that there are some effort of social mobility done by Elizabeth Bennet concerned with the reality at that time. Elizabeth is an independent woman. She decides to get married base on love not wealth, this is contrary to her mother always insists on her marrying with a man based on wealth. She builds successfully positive behaviors and good relationship with many people, especially Darcy so that they can get married and completes Elizabeth effort to do upward social mobility.

Elizabeth willingness to have better life. Upward mobility happens to Elizabeth Bennet. She moves from the position of family of middle class who has poor financial situation and low education and she wants to show different ideas of being an upper class.

Elizabeth’s social mobility is influenced by family and education. The low, bad mannered family forces Elizabeth to build better perspective on mannerism, to have good manner so that she can be accepted in society and she does not have formal education, Elizabeth reads many books from her father library. Her access to the books makes her a knowledgeable person. This also contributes to her intelligent and good manner.

Eventually, the researcher hopes that this thesis can be a stimulus for….