Walking toward womanhood: The maturation of Jane Austen's Heroines in “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice”

Abstract

Jane Austen places Marianne Dashwood and Elizabeth Bennet outside the home on walks as a way to challenge the restrictions placed upon them through domesticity. Austen situates her heroines in nature to reclaim the independence desired by women, and their walks both help them to negotiate critical decisions and become catalysts for their maturation. By walking outside, Marianne and Elizabeth reclaim their right to be outdoors from the negative implications often associated with women in literature. Austen expands the realms in which women could move when she turns to nature as a place where her heroines can come to terms with their internal status and thus re-enter the confines of society with a measure of tranquility and happiness.