Elizabeth  Bennett: Female Heroine 

Jane Austen had written many strong females into her different novels. Her novels were written in time that women were best seen and not heard. They were to marry for status, and to make sure that their families would be taken care of. It was a time when couples met at fancy balls, and dating was a courtship, that consisted of letters, supervised visits, and secret moments. Young women, basically had arranged marriages that they were forced into. They were a mix of those who did the right things, those who upheld traditions and in some cases those who stood up and fought for what they believe in. In my favorite novel that she has written, Pride and Prejudice, her character Elizabeth Bennett is a women who did not believe in the status quo. She was willing to turn her back on tradition to get what she wanted out of life. Elizabeth Bennett was born to a interesting eclectic family. She had four sisters, all who had different personalities. Her mother was obsessed with her daughters marrying up in society, as to improve the families status, and guarantee that she would be taken care of when her husband were to pass. Elizabeth was one of her father's favorite because of her spunk and determination. An example of her determination was when she proposed to by her cousin, she refused to marry him, even though it would have saved her family. She wanted to find a love of her own, she wanted to marry someone that would "bewitch her body and soul". She watched as one of her younger sisters was married off to a questionable marriage. Elizabeth met her match in the eligible single, very wealthy Mr. Darcy. Their relationship started off as little quarrels here and there, but overtime they both realized that they could spend the rest of their lives without each other. He stood up to his family to be with her, who they considered not good enough, and she fought for the right to marry for love. Elizabeth Bennett has taught us to be strong willed, to stand up for what we believe in, and then most importantly follow your heart.