Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice is structured around the theme of pride versus prejudice, with characters showing aspects of each of these traits in their behavior and in their personalities. Both major and minor characters reflect issues of pride and instances of prejudice as common characteristics that shape their actions, usually without their being at all aware of it. The terms "pride" and "prejudice" contrast particularly as essential characteristics of Darcy (the proud) and Elizabeth (the prejudiced) as they learn to overcome their natural inclinations sufficiently to come together. Austen does not simply present these characters as representatives of these character traits as would be found in an allegory, and indeed both traits are evident in both characters in some degree. What Austen shows is that the society of the time is so guided by issues of pride and prejudice that real human connections are rare and to be prized.
The social comedy of Jane Austen, as seen in Pride and Prejudice, is infused with a moral purpose. The reality of the characters is heightened by their foibles and by the foolishness in which they indulge. This is presented against the backdrop of the accepted norms of society, and there is irony in the difference between the social norms the characters think they uphold and their real behavior, often at odds with what society requires. These differences are not great: Austen's characters do not stray far from the acceptable social path. Indeed, it is often that they seem to adhere to it too closely, making the social graces into a fetish. There is a level at which these social prescriptions should be kept, a certain perspective that should be maintained. As an author, Austen also maintains a perspective in terms of distancing herself from the characters. She does not delve too deeply into their psychology but instead, as noted, allows their character to be manifest in their behavior an...