Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” is a female-centered novel. The contrast between Austen's strong female protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, and the theme of marriage as a driving force throughout the novel suggests that, for an author whose own life was independent of that of a man, Austen was providing commentary social impact on women in society and could thus be seen as challenging traditional female roles. This is particularly important when taking into account the time period in which the novel was produced. Austen was writing at a time when feminism was not a developed idea. As a writer, she was considered very unusual because she did not marry or have a career, which went against the upper-middle-class view of women as housewives domesticated and servile. Therefore, although Austen can be seen as conforming to the view of gender stereotypes, it is possible to see the emergence of feminist attitudes in the way Austen presents strong female protagonists. In “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, there are no less than thirteen women. characters, in contrast to the seven male characters who appear throughout, suggesting that Austen is challenging traditional female roles by writing a female-centered novel. To some extent, the males in this novel are controlled by the females. Caroline Bingley's controlling attitude towards her brother in her affections towards Jane seen in volume 3, chapter 18 where "Miss Bingley's congratulations to her brother, as the wedding approached, were all affectionate and insincere", suggesting with the word "insincere" that her brother went against her wishes, his behavior reflecting this. This is supported by Mrs. Bennet's insistence from volume 1, chapter 1 that her husband "must visit her..." middle of paper ...... Bennet appears as the protagonist whose unusual actions place her outside the social pale. and who does not fit any of the four main female stereotypes, it can be suggested that Austen is to some extent challenging the idea that women are subsidiary to men. However, the ultimate concern of the majority of the characters is marriage and how they can achieve a good one. Structurally, the novel ends with marriage and this is considered the resolution since the women are completed through marriage. For example, Lydia Bennet is only seen as a restored woman after she marries Mr. Wickham, and as a reader, this is the end of her story: her marriage resolves her journey. This is why, despite the appearance of strong characters like Lizzie, Austen does not call into question traditional female roles since the conclusion of the novel is centered on the characters who flourish through marriage..