Jane Austen's World: A Parallel To Persian Society

      Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice begins with a satirical quote that sets the tone of the novel: “ It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This quote is ironic because in reality if there is “a single man in possession of a good fortune,” then the universally acknowledged truth is actually that he would be desired by most single women. The story begins to describe two such wealthy men, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy.  They are polar opposites because both see the world around them differently. Mr. Bingley is willing to give the lower class Jane Bennet an opportunity for a relationship.  In contrast, Mr. Darcy is originally too prideful to consider Elizabeth Bennet due to her lower social class. Austen uses the budding relationships between Mr. Bingley and Jane versus that of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to compare and contrast new ideology from old ideology. Austen was addressing the fact that times were changing and social class was no longer the sole determinant for suitable marriage partners.

     The world Austen creates parallels to the Persian culture. Mrs. Bennets’ ideology and desire that her daughters should marry men who are of higher stature is a fulcrum of many Persian families. Although in numerous cultures, there is a burning desire for parents to have their daughters marry well, the Persian culture is unique in the degree of importance it places on material wealth. Girls are primed to get married at a young age to wealthy men, even if doing so translates to marrying men well beyond their ages. Although such a practice is seen less so in America than in Iran and has decreased since my parent’s generations, it still exists in modern society.  In some families, women are even raised and tailored to fit the expectations of high class men. It is almost every Persian families dream to have their daughters be married by wealthy aristocrats, regardless of their backgrounds. This is reminiscent of how Mrs. Bennet expects the wealthy Mr. Bingley to desire her daughters, despite the fact that they are “poor” marriage prospects. However, Mrs. Bennet does not allow class restrictions to stand in her way to fulfilling her mission of marrying her daughters to well-off men. Albeit it is easy to judge Mrs. Bennet for her ideology, considering the time period, one can not blame her for her beliefs. Nevertheless, the fact that this type of ideology still strongly exists among certain cultures such as Persians, is bewildering and inappropriate.