…no two characters would, on the face of it, seem less likely to marry than Elizabeth 
                        Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.  Because of his manner of slighting her at the ball, she has from the start 
                        “no very cordial feelings towards him.” (12)  Yet they do almost immediately notice each other (36).

            Hardy’s discussion explains Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s initial feelings for one another.  From the beginning, the idea that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy will fall in love is unfathomable.  Although the two “immediately notice each other,” Elizabeth remains reserved because Mr. Darcy’s prideful personality causes Elizabeth to have a natural prejudice towards him.  Elizabeth is intelligent and understands that love takes time to unfold.  As a traditional woman, Elizabeth is aware that a man makes the first move in a courtship.  Elizabeth takes love seriously and understands that when she does fall in love with a man, the relationship she has will be one that will be sacred and last a lifetime.

            When Elizabeth does begin to recognize that she may love Mr. Darcy, Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth.     Unfortunately for Mr. Collins, Elizabeth does not love him.  For Elizabeth, love is for one man only and she has begun to fall in love with Mr. Darcy.  Elizabeth declines Mr. Collins by saying, “Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me.  I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them” (93).  Elizabeth’s speech indicates her strength and stability.  Elizabeth’s ideas about love allow her to decline Mr. Collins’s proposal.  She is able to recognize that she is not comfortable with accepting a proposal of marriage from a man with whom she is not in love.  Being the traditional woman she is, Elizabeth will not marry any man who comes her way.  She will only marry the man she truly loves.

            Elizabeth’s traditional and stable ways are referred to again when her sister, Lydia Bennet, elopes with George Wickham.  Earlier in the novel, Elizabeth learns the truth about Wickham’s past and she does not resume contact with him; however, she also does not tell her sister about Wickham’s true personality.  Lydia is a young woman who loves prematurely and does not understand the true sacredness of love; therefore, Lydia dives into a marriage with the unstable and unworthy George Wickham.  Interestingly, Elizabeth turns to Mr. Darcy when she hears the news of her sister’s elopement.  Elizabeth explains:

            “I have just had a letter from Jane, with such dreadful news.  It cannot be concealed from anyone.  My youngest sister has left all her friends – has eloped – has thrown herself into the power of – of Mr. Wickham.  They are gone off together…she is lost forever” (235).

            Elizabeth’s emotional reaction exemplifies how strongly she feels about tradition.  Unlike Lydia, Elizabeth would never sacrifice her values and marry a man whom she does not know well and does not truly love.  According to Elizabeth’s response, Lydia has made a grave mistake.  Austen writes, “Lydia – the humiliation, the misery she was bringing on them” (236).  Austen describes the embarrassment Lydia has caused for not only Elizabeth, but the entire Bennet family.  Elizabeth’s traditional views of love cause her to remain steadfast in her beliefs about love and, therefore, Elizabeth would never risk her family’s reputation like her sister has.  Love is a sacred, strong, and stable entity for Elizabeth.  She knows love and how love and a relationship with a man are viewed by the world. 

            For Elizabeth, not only is love sacred, but intimacy is sacred as well.  In Elizabeth’s world, an intimate relationship is not synonymous with a sexual one; rather, intimacy is expressed in the form of teasing.  Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have a very unique relationship because of their constant teasing.  John Hardy explains, “her constant challenging of him fosters and holds his interest” (40).  Hardy’s words clearly describe the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.  Elizabeth constantly teases and “challenges” Mr. Darcy’s character and this teasing serves as the couples more traditional and reserved form of intimacy.  Hardy then discusses one of many scenes in which Elizabeth mercilessly teases Mr. Darcy:

            ‘But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule.’

            ‘Such as vanity and pride.’

            ‘Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed.  But pride – where there is real superiority of mind, pride will always be under good regulation.’

            Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile. …

            ‘I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect.  He owns it himself without disguise’ (qtd. in Hardy 42).

            Hardy’s example portrays one way in which Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are intimate.  Elizabeth’s constant teasing of Mr. Darcy does not anger Mr. Darcy; rather, he finds the teasing “both unusual and stimulating” (42).   Elizabeth’s teasing is not harsh or derogatory; rather, her teasing is playful.  Hardy writes that Elizabeth’s teasing “not merely excites his interest, but has the potential for establishing something more like intimacy between them” (43).  Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s intimacy is not sexual; rather, it depends on their ability to be playful with one another. 

            Another way in which Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are intimate with one another is through their conversations.  The way the couple converses is just as unique and intimate as they way in which they tease each other.  Hardy writes, “their conversations together have what only they can share” (43).  From the beginning of their courtship, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are able to communicate unlike any other couple in Austen’s novel.  As the novel progresses, the couple’s conversations draw them even closer and strengthen their bond.  When Elizabeth’s sister, Lydia elopes with George Wickham, Elizabeth is devastated and turns to Mr. Darcy:

            Darcy, in wretched suspense, could only say something indistinctly of his concern, and observe her in compassionate silence…

            Darcy was fixed in astonishment.  ‘When I consider,’ she added,… ‘that I might have prevented it! … Had his character been known, this could not have happened.’

            ‘I am grieved, indeed,’ cried Darcy; ‘grieved – shocked’ (235).

            Elizabeth’s vulnerability and ability to converse with Mr. Darcy about such a serious matter clearly exemplifies the intimacy of their relationship.  Elizabeth is able to openly express her feelings of sadness and guilt, while Mr. Darcy shows concern for not only Elizabeth, but for Elizabeth’s sister as well.  Although Mr. Darcy does not say much, the two are experiencing true intimacy.  According to Austen, this conversation with Mr. Darcy causes Elizabeth to reevaluate her feelings.  Austen writes, “never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved him as now” (236).  Conversations such as this one allow Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to be intimate, which, in turn, allows them to fall more deeply in love with one another. 

            Elizabeth Bennet is a traditional young woman with traditional views regarding love and intimacy; however, she is even more traditional when it comes to her views and ideas about marriage.  In Elizabeth’s society, a woman’s goal is to find a suitable husband and marry at an early age, which often means being submissive to one’s husband.  Alison G. Sulloway explains, “But there was a worse fate than marriage and life-long subordination to a man who treated a woman with reasonable affection and respect, and that was finding no man at all and living at home with scornful parents” (147).  Elizabeth is aware that this belief rules the way of the world in which she lives; however, unlike her sister Lydia and her friend Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth will not marry any man who comes her way; rather, Elizabeth is careful and reserved while in search of a husband.   Elizabeth understands that she must marry or risk being ridiculed by society and her family, but she will not risk her morals and ideals just to satisfy those around her. Elizabeth remains patient in her search for love and denies proposals from suitable men, such as Mr. Collins, because she knows herself and understands that she can have a marriage founded on love and not submission, which is what Elizabeth comes to find with Mr. Darcy. 

            Unlike Elizabeth Bennet’s traditional, stable, and understandable society, the modern society in which Lady Brett Ashley lives is drastically different.  Brett is a woman lost, broken, and fragmented by a culture plagued by war, injury, and death.  Incidentally, her views about love, sex, and marriage are fragmented and disillusioned as well.  Brett’s behavior is not traditional; rather, it is defiant of her society’s stereotypes.  As a result of the fragmented and disillusioned world in which she lives, Brett is an indestructible woman.  Mimi Reisel Gladstein describes Brett by explaining, “She is a complex woman who has suffered and endured” (61).  Brett’s ideas and views of love, sex, and marriage are fragmented, unlike Elizabeth’s stable views.  Love, sex, and marriage are not sacred because nothing in the world is sacred.  Brett deviates from the stereotypes of her day because society has caused her to become disillusioned and unsure of the true meaning and sacredness of love, sex, and marriage.

            According to Harold Bloom, “One of the most persistent themes of the twentieth century was the death of love in World War I” (107).  Individuals, including Lady Brett Ashely, “are all incapable of love” (Bloom 108).  Brett is a poor, lost soul living in a world that lacks love and affection.  Unlike Elizabeth, Brett does not believe that true love exists and she does not understand the true meaning of love because true love cannot survive in such a fragmented world. 

            When Hemingway introduces the reader to the relationship between Brett and Jake, it is clear that the two must have experienced love sometime in their past.  Now; however, the love they once shared has vanished.  While Jake and Brett converse, Brett’s true feelings about love are revealed:

            ‘And it’s a lot of fun, too, to be in love.’

            ‘Do you think so?’  her eyes looked flat again.

            ‘I don’t mean fun that way.  In a way it’s an enjoyable feeling.’

            ‘No,’ she said.  ‘I think it’s hell on earth’ (35).

            Brett’s dull and lifeless expression demonstrates the lifelessness of the world.  Jake’s response to the “flat” look in her eyes clearly demonstrates that he is attempting to salvage whatever is left of true love.  Brett’s feelings about love are clear; love is “hell on earth.”  Her ideas about love are just as dull and flat as the look in her eyes.  For Brett, true love has been lost forever. 

            Unlike Elizabeth’s traditional and reserved views about sex and intimacy, Brett’s ideas about sex are quite different.  Sex is meaningless for Brett because the idea of sex as something sacred has been lost.  In Brett’s world, intimacy does not exist; rather, intimacy is replaced by promiscuous relationships with many men.  Incidentally, her life is a never-ending circle of sexual promiscuity.  She defies society’s stereotypes of women and gives her body to countless men.  According to Harold Bloom, society has turned Brett “into the freewheeling equal of any man” (110) and the events of the world have released “her from her womanly nature and expose[d] her to the male prerogatives of … promiscuity” (110).  This turn from feminine submission to stereotypes to masculine defiance and promiscuity clearly explains why Brett is referred to as the indestructible woman.  Brett is not affected by emotions or commitments; rather, she is able to engage in sexual relationships without putting her feelings on the line. She has replaced her “natural warmth with masculine freedom and mobility” (111), which is clear when Hemingway writes about Brett casually sleeping with Robert Cohn.  Sex is simply a recreational act for Brett. There is nothing sacred or important about her sexual relationships with men like Robert Cohn and Pedro Romero.   

            Mimi Reisel Gladstein describes the men in Brett’s life as “prostitutes.”  The men, including Jake and Robert Cohn, “First…worship at her shrine, then they prostitute themselves” (60).  A prime example is when Robert Cohn and Brett spend a weekend in Sebastian together.  Throughout their time together, Cohn serves as Brett’s prostitute.  Gladstein explains, “Once their weekend in Sebastian is over, she rejects his attempts to give their relationship any special significance.  His slavish devotion to her and doglike worship destroy his pride…and leave him nothing” (60). Brett’s defiance of her stereotypical feminine roles cause her to be promiscuous in her relationships, to have sexual relations with no emotional attachment with men like Cohn, and then to simply walk away.  Sex is so meaningless for Brett that she is able to cheat on her husband, Mike, have a sexual relationship with Cohn, and not feel any sense of sorrow or guilt.  The state of the world has left Brett numb and unable to feel, which is why she is an indestructible, promiscuous woman. 

            Although Hemingway alludes to a romantic connection between Brett and Jake, there can be no relationship between the two because the war has injured Jake and left him incapable of sexually satisfying a woman.  Because of Jake’s injury, Brett has decided that they cannot act on their feelings for one another.  For Brett, there can be no true relationship without sex.  At the end of the novel, Hemingway writes:

            ‘Oh Jake,’ Brett said, ‘we could have had such a damned good time together.’

            Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic.  He raised his baton.  The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me.

                 ‘Yes,’ I said.  ‘Isn’t it pretty to think so?’ (251).

            In this final moment, Brett and Jake come as close as they will ever come to having sex.  Brett presses against Jake, but there can be no real sexual relationship because the war has robbed Jake of his manhood.  Brett sadly laments about the life that they could have had together if only Jake had not lost his masculinity in the war.  The presence of the mounted policeman is a key image in this final conversation between Brett and Jake.  The policeman’s baton is clearly a phallic symbol, which is ironic considering that Brett and Jake cannot engage in a sexual relationship.  The policeman stands for all of the things that Jake is not because of the impact of the war.  Bloom describes the importance of the policeman by stating, “With his khaki clothes and his preventive baton, he stands for the war and the society which made it, for the force which stops the lovers’ car, and robs them of their normal sexual roles” (117).  The war has robbed Jake of his manliness, as well as his ability to be in control and in charge of the situation with Brett.  The war has also robbed Brett of her lover, which is something she will never be able to fully live with. 

            Considering Brett’s promiscuous tendencies, it is of no surprise that marriage is not a sacred element in her life, unlike how marriage is a valued part of Elizabeth’s life.  Brett is in fact married to a man named Mike Campbell; however, her commitment does not deter her from being unfaithful.  Brett’s unfaithfulness is a direct result of her ideas about love.  Brett does not believe that true love exists.  Therefore, how can a marriage based on love and trust exist?  In Brett’s world, it is impossible for a strong, stable marriage to survive.  Incidentally, Brett’s ideas about marriage lead her to be an unfaithful and promiscuous wife. 

            Brett’s actions cause her husband, Mike to suffer.  Brett does not have a care in the world for Mike and after she has slept with Cohn, she moves on to the young bull-fighter, Pedro Romero.  A conversation between Brett and Mike reveals exactly how Brett views marriage and how Brett’s actions are affecting her husband.  Hemingway writes:

     ‘How’s your boy friend?’ Mike asked.  He had not listened to anything that Brett had said. 

     ‘Brett’s got a bull-fighter,’ he said.  ‘She had a Jew named Cohn, but he turned out badly.’

            Brett stood up.

            ‘I am not going to listen to that sort of rot from you, Michael.’ 

            ‘How’s your boy friend?’

            ‘Damned well,’ Brett said.  ‘Watch him this afternoon.’

            ‘Brett’s got a bull-fighter,’ Mike said.  ‘A beautiful, bloody bull-fighter’ (210-211).

            Mike’s words are an indication of the hurt that Brett’s infidelity has caused him.  He is painfully aware of her relationship with Pedro Romero and Brett’s past relationship with Cohn.  The state of his marriage causes Mike much heartache, while Brett has no feeling of guilt about what she has done.  She coldly tells Mike to “watch” her boyfriend this afternoon in his bull-fight.  There is nothing Mike can say or do to change his wife’s actions because their marriage is not sacred to Brett.  Brett will never be satisfied or content with her marriage to Mike because the state of the world has caused her to be completely disillusioned and she is no longer certain of what truly matters in her life.  The idea of a sacred marriage based on love and fidelity is no longer a stable element in Brett’s life.  According to Bloom, Brett and her inability to love and remain faithful serve “to show us that romantic love is dead, that one of the great guiding codes of the past no longer operates” (109).    The true nature of marriage is meaningless and dead. 

            Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Brett Ashley are two strong women living in drastically different societies.  Elizabeth’s society is relatively stable and traditional, while Brett’s society is disillusioned, fragmented, and lost.  Elizabeth’s society causes her views of love, intimacy, and marriage to be traditional.  Love and marriage are sacred entities and intimacy is not synonymous with a sexual relationship.  On the other hand, Brett’s society causes her to become an indestructible woman who defies her society’s stereotypes by having multiple sexual relationships.  Brett’s views of love and marriage are quite different from Elizabeth’s.  Love is not sacred; rather, true love does not exist.  Sexual relationships and intimacy are meaningless to Brett.  In turn, sexual intimacy and love are replaced by Brett’s promiscuity.  The dissimilarity of Elizabeth and Brett’s societies cause the two characters to have completely different outlooks on their lives, relationships, and marriages. 

Works Cited

Austen, Jane.  Pride and Prejudice. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003.

Bloom, Harold.  Modern Critical Views: Ernest Hemingway. New York: Chelsea House

 Publishers, 1985.

Gladstein, Mimi Reisel.  The Indestructible Woman in Faulkner, Hemingway, and

 Steinbeck. Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1986.

Hardy, John.  Jane Austen’s Heroines: Intimacy in Human Relationships. Boston:

 Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984.

Hemingway, Ernest.  The Sun Also Rises. New York: Scribner, 2003.

Sulloway, Allison G.  Jane Austen and the Province of Womanhood. Philadelphia:

 University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989.

Werke, Anke.  By a Lady. Netherlands: Tilburg University Press, 1998.

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