Attitudes to Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay Sample
Jane Austen’s novel of Pride and Prejudice is set in the early nineteenth century and the cardinal subject of the novel is love and matrimony. Marriage was viewed really otherwise in those yearss and each character in her novel has different positions of matrimony. Marriage to adult females gave position and independency as adult females could non get money on their ain without inheriting or get marrieding into good luck. so many misss at that clip did non get married for fondness or love. Jane Austen uses the Bennet household to exemplify different types of matrimony and therefore uncover her ain position.
An illustration of matrimony can be found between Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins. Charlotte married for economic grounds and Mr Collin on the other manus married to “set a good example” .
Mr Collins is the Bennets’ cousin who’s “neither reasonable nor agreeable” . The missive he wrote to the Bennet household “is a mixture of obsequiousness and self-importance” . He married chiefly because Lady Catherine de Bourgh advised him to make so. This shows the importance of category as Mr Collins spends most of his clip being bootlicking to his upper-class frequenter. Lady Catherine de Bourgh. His pick of married woman changed early from Jane to Elizabeth and so to Charlotte after Elizabeth’s rejection in merely a few yearss. When he found out that Jane might be engaged to Bingley shortly. he barely needed clip to see at all “to alteration from Jane to Elizabeth while Mrs Bennet was stirring the fire” ; this shows clearly that he did non take his spouse for love.
The five grounds Mr Collins gave for suggesting to Elizabeth was foremost. he thinks it’s the right thing to make as a reverend to “set the illustration of matrimony” . secondly he thinks that it will supply felicity for him. thirdly it was advised by Lady Catherine De Bourgh. fourthly because he is inheriting the Bennets’ house. he thought it would be a really gallant thing for him to make to get married one of his cousins so the Bennets will lose every bit small as possible. and in conclusion and the least of import ground is he said that he likes Elizabeth and thinks her suited. This shows how small fondness he has for her. and the manner he lays out his grounds shows how formal and dull he is. and all he is making is seeking to delight Lady Catherine by making as she advised.
Charlotte who is Elizabeth’s closest friend married Mr. Collins despite how small she loved him. merely to derive fiscal security and “an establishment” . “accepted him entirely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment” and “cared non how shortly that the constitution were gained” . She viewed matrimony otherwise from her friend partially because of the age difference between them. She is 27 old ages old which was considered as about an ‘old maid’ at that clip. whereas Elizabeth is merely 19. Elizabeth rejected Mr Collins’ proposal straight manner with certainty. which was followed by Charlotte’s speedy credence of this matrimony out of practicality. She knew that she mustn’t waste an chance like Mr Collins or she might ne’er acquire another opportunity. Charlotte stated that she is “not romantic” . she merely asked “a comfy home” . and “considering Mr Collins’ character. connexions and state of affairs in life. I am convinced that my opportunity of felicity with him is every bit just as most people can tout on come ining the matrimony state” . She married for independency by salvaging herself from spinsterhood and to derive fiscal security like many adult females would make at that clip. “marriage was the honorable proviso for good educated immature adult females of little fortune” .
I believe Jane Austen disapproved of this sort of matrimony and that people like Charlotte will non stop up happy and will endure in silence since Mr Collin is such a cockamamie adult male. “When Mr. Collins said any thing of which his married woman might moderately be ashamed. which surely was non unseldom. . Once or twice she could spot a swoon bloom ; but in general Charlotte sagely did non hear” .
Lydia Bennet and Wickham’s matrimony is based on the attractive force of good expressions and youth vivacity instead than love.
Lydia. the youngest of the Bennets who is her mother’s front-runner since they are both similar. is devoted to a life of dancing. chitchat and flirtation. She cared about nil but the military officers “in vermilion coats” . Lydia’s deficiency of common sense and duty is revealed when she eloped with Mr Wickham. While everyone was earnestly alarmed and concerned by this. she found it a good gag. She did non even see that matrimony might non hold been on Mr Wickham’s head since she will hold no money to offer him. “Neither her virtuousness nor her apprehension would continue her from falling easy prey” . She thought that she was in love with Wickham. “for there is but one adult male in the universe I love. and he is an angel” . but it’s clear that her love is non serious and she married for his appeal and physical attractive force. “Mr Wickham was far beyond them all in individual. visage. air. and walk” . Lydia did non look to recognize how much problem her household went through to do Wickham get married her and how her actions might hold ruined her family’s name. She takes pride in being the first Bennet miss to be married. and this besides shows how position worked those yearss. “ah. Jane. I take your topographic point now. and you must travel lower. because I am a married woman” . Lydia does non take into consideration the fortunes of her matrimony. the personality of her hubby. or the chances of their matrimony in the hereafter.
Mr Wickham is the “late Darcy’s steward” . who appears to be the perfect gentleman but is non trusty at all. “Mr Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as many guarantee his doing friends—whether he may be every bit capable of retaining them is less certain” . Although Wickham might hold liked Lydia for her “youth. wellness. and good humour” . he “will ne’er get married a adult female without some money” . This shows that he did non hold every bit much fondness for her as she had for him. He eloped with Lydia with no purposes of acquiring married but to acquire off from Meryton as he had tonss of debts. The lone ground he married Lydia in the terminal was because Mr Darcy bribed him with money.
It is clear that Jane Austen disapproved of this sort of matrimony. “small as is their opportunity of felicity and wretched as is his character” . Lydia married person who had no existent fondnesss for her and Wickham married person who did non hold money to offer him ; their matrimony was forced. therefore there would be small felicity. Even Lydia’s fondness for Wickham will melt and their matrimony will slowly disintegrate like Mr and Mrs Bennet. whose fondnesss for each other have already faded.
Although the novel does non state much about how Mr and Mrs Bennet got together. it is clear from their conversations that their matrimony was unsatisfactory. Mr Bennet married Mrs Bennet for her attractive forces without recognizing that she was stupid. He was “captivated by young person and beauty. and that visual aspect of good temper. which young person and beauty by and large give. had married a adult female whose weak apprehension and intolerant head. had really early in their matrimony put an terminal to all existent fondness for her. Respect. regard. and assurance have vanished everlastingly ; and all his positions of domestic felicity were overthrown” .
The consequence of this matrimony is that Mr Bennet isolates himself from his household and enjoys his quiet survey in his library. or makes merriment of his married woman who still doesn’t understand when he is being sarcastic. The deficiency of attending he paid towards the household made his younger girls run rampantly. This non merely embarrassed the household. but besides was criticised by others. Through Mr and Mrs Bennet. Jane Austen has shown that this sort of matrimony will do two people lose regard for each other and could besides give up the regard of the whole household.
The most successful matrimony with besides the longest wooing in the novel is based on love between Elizabeth Bennet who is the heroine of the novel and Mr Darcy. Elizabeth and Darcy’s strong feelings for each other were non based on visual aspect. money or position. but by the common apprehension developed between them as they got to cognize each other better.
Elizabeth. the 2nd firstborn of the Bennets. is by far Mr Bennet’s favourite girl as she is really intelligent. quick-witted and lively. Darcy is the richest adult male in this novel who is besides a really good friend of Mr Bingley. Elizabeth and Darcy disliked each other at the get downing due to their pride and bias. Elizabeth’s bias makes her misjudge and thinks ailment of Darcy’s character “from the really first minute of their acquaintance” ; while Darcy’s pride against Elizabeth’s hapless societal background blinded him. he was taught to “care for none beyond my ain household circle. to believe nastily of all the remainder of the world” . But as Mr Darcy got to cognize Elizabeth. he started to fall in love with her.
In the terminal his passionate feelings for her were to get the better of all the expostulations and obstructions of her household. connexions and category. It was merely after Elizabeth read Darcy’s missive which explained the affairs of Wickham and Jane. that she realized how she has been blinded by her ain bias and wholly misidentify his character. “How despicably have I acted! I. who have prided myself on my understanding! I. who have valued myself on my abilities! ” It’s her flexibleness that enabled her to accommodate her feelings towards Darcy. And it’s her words “had you behaved in a more gentlemanly manner” that took away his haughtiness and pride. In clip given chances. they got to understand one another and this led them to a happy matrimony.
The other successful matrimony is between Jane Bennet and Mr Bingley who besides married for love although theirs is non so complicated.
Jane and Mr Bingley were instantly charmed by each other when they foremost met at the Netherfield Ball. Bingley was immediately attracted by Jane’s beauty. soft pique. and loving bosom. and Jane adored Bingley for he was the most gentlemanly. Unlike Darcy. Bingley had no expostulations to Jane’s household place. But it is Jane’s ability to conceal her feelings. “he may ne’er make more than like her. if she does non assist him on. ” that leads Darcy to believe that she does non love Bingley every bit passionately as his attendings deserve. therefore he persuaded Bingley to go forth the state. And it is Bingley’s “modesty” about her evident deficiency of fondness what led him to swear in Darcy’s opinion and leave. They overcome this obstruction in the terminal and married merrily which showed their fond love for each other. However the defect in their relationship has been proven. Jane and Bingley are so good hearted that they can be easy cheated.
In decision. I believe Jane Austen doesn’t agree with matrimony based on superficial qualities such as money or mere physical attractive force which won’t last for of all time. or matrimony that acts on hastiness and urge. Her position is that a happy and strong matrimony would be based on love and apprehension. which takes clip to construct up to make common regard for each other.
