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The role of marriage in pride and prejudice
The role of marriage in pride and prejudice
The role of marriage in pride and prejudice
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Recommended: The role of marriage in pride and prejudice
Martin Burstein
Ms. Hilary Smith
Honors English 10
30 October 2016
Jane Austen on the Topic of Marriage What makes a marriage? The connotation of marriage implies a union between two loving people who want to be together till the end of time. This was not the case in Regency Period England. The Regency Period was a short decade in England’s history, 1811–1820, which was known for its elegance and reformation of cultural structures. Jane Austen, an author who wrote her most famous works during this small decennium, implemented her regency ideals in the novels. In one of her well known books, Pride and Prejudice, she writes about her views on marriage. There are 3 couples that get married in this book; the Collinses , the Whickams, and the
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Charlotte Lucas came from a less than affluent background, but she got by. Mr. Collins was only marrying because that was the norm for men. He didn’t care at all about her feelings or wants. Charlotte, however, thought this was a great opportunity for increasing her wealth. After learning of this, Elizabeth Bennet, the main character of Pride and Prejudice, comes to visit her best friend. She sees her friend married contently, but feels something off about it. When asked about her marital situation, Charlotte responds with, “I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’ character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (Austen 123). When considering marriage back then, most just thought about the monetary gain. Charlotte Lucas is one of those people, by itself wasn’t abnormal. The majority of Regency citizens would wholeheartedly marry for the commercial investment. Ms. Lucas knows that this is the norm of society and if this is how good it can get for this “arrangement,” she would gladly oblige. …show more content…
Jane Austen makes all of those other marriages seem shallow and contrived (and granted, they are), but she makes marriages about true love seem the best. The union between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy is one of the most famous examples of true love, on par with Romeo and Juliet in terms of literary significance. Ironically, they hated each other to begin with. Mr. Darcy was an antisocial, proud man and much as Elizabeth tries, he would never break his countenance. The first time he proposed, Elizabeth, without equivocation, rejected him. After he gave his condescending speech, Elizabeth hits him with a smashing rebuttal: “...[Y]our manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike,” (188). Jane Austen doesn’t sugarcoat the conflicts of a relationship. She writes ups and downs, this being a certain low point. The pair, thankfully, developed over time, which signifies how Jane Austen really cared about developing the characters and showed how deep and complex those relationships get. In the novel, a noblewoman named Lady Catherine De Bourgh tried to tell Elizabeth off marrying Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth flat out
Society has engrained in Charlotte Lucas’ head that a woman who does not successfully marry will not successfully live. Thanks to society, Charlotte no longer values love, only marriage. “Without thinking highly either of men of matrimony,” marriage has always been Charlotte 's object” (Sleeping with Mr. Collins 120). Charlotte Lucas, unlike Elizabeth Bennet, was self-seeking and largely influenced by societal protocol that she became willing to sacrifice her own happiness. “She would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage” (Austen 85). She knows that if she does not accept the marriage offer from Mr. Collins, she may never receive another offer and therefore will be a failure in society. Charlotte saw this marriage as her only escape from exclusion from her community. “For Charlotte, this marriage represents an estimable improvement over lifelong spinsterhood” (The feminist critique and Five Styles of Women’s roles in Pride and Prejudice 42). In attempts to avoid the single lifestyle, Charlotte sacrifices a happy marriage and therefore a happy life. By creating the character of Charlotte Lucas, Austen is emphasizing the large burden marriage create for a women in the 1800s. Charlotte and Mr. Collins pitiful display of a loveless marriage display the
Collins is the prime example as to why wedlock should not be solely for utilitarian purposes. Mr. Collins is the “neither sensible nor agreeable” cousin of the Bennets. Who 's entitled to inheriting Mr. Bennett 's property after he passes away. When Collins comes to visit the bennets, he sets his eyes on Jane the oldest who is the prettier one of the five sisters. When he hears that she is soon to be married to Bingley. He quickly acted “to change from Jane to Elizabeth while Mrs Bennet was stirring the fire”. He later on proposes to Elizabeth who rejects his request with certainty. He ends up proposing to her best friend Charlotte who quickly accepts his marriage solely on reason. As a 27 year old, Charlotte is considered a “old maid”,and believed she couldn 't waste this opportunity in fear of not having another chance. “Charlotte herself was tolerably composed. She had gained her point, and had time to consider of it. Her reflections were in general satisfactory. Mr. Collins, to be sure, was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. But still he would be her husband. Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want. This preservative she had now obtained; and at the age of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it”. (85) This narrative illuminates the necessity of matrimony in 19th century England. Here we witness Mr. Collins’ disinterest in Charlotte, however continues to propose merely due to societal pressure to marry. Contrastly Ms. Lucas accepts his proposal exclusively because of his potential in raising her social worth and refining her already wilting public image. Moreover, this societal pressure to
the message the authors communicate, the differences between the main characters and the foils must be first observed. In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, one of the minor characters is Charlotte Lucas, which is Elizabeth Bennet’s friend. While her role in the novel is relatively small, her actions are nevertheless significant in understanding Elizabeth. In the novel, Charlotte hastily agrees to marry Mr. Collins. At the age of 27 years, Charlotte already qualifies as an old maid and thus feels the pressure of marrying unless she grows old poor and alone. The pressure in turn represents Charlotte as...
In Austen’s time, the inability to see past wealth when considering marriage is a cultural tie to the era and its norms. It’s a pitiable and vain cultural upbringing that is frowned upon in this century. One does not simply marry for the sake of wealth and reputation. Without love, marriage cannot last. It ends in a deadlock, or with two people living together but leading separate lives behind closed doors.
In 1813, a woman’s main goal was marriage. Females wanted to find a man who could provide for them and take care of them; not all women wanted love. Many were fine with living on a wealthy estate and living in an upper-class manner. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel about the Bennet sisters, five girls whom, in the time of 1813, are all unmarried and are looking for husbands. The central conflict is based around two young women, the eldest of the five Bennet daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. The girls have their similarities and differences, and can be compared and contrasted in many ways; in terms of which is stronger at handling the pressure of relationships, context clues give a valid answer. What the reader must interpret for his
It is not unusual for an individual to disagree with social customs or expectations. Some people are only happy when they can rebel against society. Most mature adults eventually realize that compromise is necessary to achieve happiness. This is the case in the early nineteenth century England setting of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. In the novel, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a lively, independent woman, whose family's financial situation and whose strong mindedness suggest that she may never marry. Mr. Darcy, is a rigid and proper man, who falls in love with Elizabeth, despite their differences. By the end of the novel, Elizabeth and Darcy learn to compromise, and, in doing so, become truly happy. In marrying, they not only fulfill themselves as individuals, but also affirm the principle values of society. The marriage at the end of the novel shows Jane Austen's ideal view of marriage as a social institution.
Throughout the novel Pride and Prejudice, relationships play major roles in every character 's life. Jane Austen presented two different types of relationships: relationships of security and relationships of love. Many women wanted to get married into a wealthy family in order to feel secure financially for the rest of their lives. Mrs. Bennet wished to marry her daughters off to wealth to ensure her family would never fear over who would take care of their financial needs. However, other women like Elizabeth solely wanted to marry someone she could love for the rest of her life, no matter the financial circumstances. Elizabeth learned what type of relationship she would want in future by looking at the couples and marriages that surrounded her.
Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen In pride and Prejudice there are many different marriages that occur. There are also, various, different incentives for these marriages. In comparing Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship with, Lydia and Wickham, and Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins the reader begins to see the different reasons in which the partners marry. The reader can base their views on the priorities of each relationship. If a reader was to read of a marriage based on financial security like Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas' they may have preconceived ideas about how the relationship will work if love is not involved, they may form prejudices on the marriage based on their own beliefs and ideals.
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others
Marriage in the 19th century has always been an important issue and thus, it is manifested in most of the novels of the 19th century. Pride and Prejudice as well as Jane Eyre are two novels in which the dialectics of marriage are strongly present.
Jane Austen, also criticizes marriage based on convenience and money. She criticizes through the experiences of Charlotte and Collins. The characters Charlotte and Collins are “perfect” for each other, they are both fake, selfish and scheming. In the nineteenth century, “most” not all women had this mindset where they wanted to marry successful and rich men to secure their futures. Love meant nothing to these types of women. Materialistic things meant everything. Charlotte Lucas is a character that only got married to secure her future. “Miss Lucas perceived him from an upper window...and instantly set out to meet him accidentally in the lane” After Charlotte finds out collins had been
In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, marriage was a great deal to women in that time period. For the Bennet’s, marriage is a big deal because Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. The women, especially the eldest sisters, want to marry a man who is wealthy and good-mannered. Mrs. Bennet is eager to find her eldest two daughter’s husband, but many aspects go into finding him. Women had a reputation to uphold which is to behave in a certain way, and maintain a social class in which money determines. In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, marriage is an important factor for women to gain a prestigious reputation, gain a higher social rank through marriage, and gain money for a comfortable life.
Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice promotes change in the way the English society during the 19th century viewed marriage. Through the use of conservative characters that were socially accepted in England during this time, Austen provides the reader with necessary details that show how insane these people were. On the other hand, Austen gives her dissentient characters more credit for their rebellious deeds. Austen’s campaign against social prejudice seems to succeed when Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy for love rather than money.
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays a world in which choices for individuals are very limited, based almost exclusively on family wealth, social rank, and connections. A woman in such a world had little choice for her future; marriage presented the only option for leaving her family, and her response to a marriage proposal provided her only input in the outcome of her life. Although members of the upper class, the Bennet sisters and Charlotte Lucas have no inheritance, making marriage their only option for attaining wealth and maintaining or increasing their social standing. While Charlotte chooses to marry for security, Lydia marries impulsively to pursue her simplistic notion of love and marriage. Elizabeth Bennet illustrates an ideal form of marriage, as she refuses to trade her independent spirit for financial comfort and will only consent to a marriage based on love.
In the 19th century, a controversy arose over what the true foundation and purpose for marriage should be. The basis of this conflict was whether one should let reason or emotion be the guide of their love life and if a balance between the two could be maintained. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice depicts such a balance, thus becoming the model for Austen's definition of a perfect couple and for true love. Their relationship is neither solely based on a quest for money on Elizabeth's part or emotions that blind the couple from all other important aspects of life. The significance of having this balance is portrayed through the inability of the other couples in the story to reach an equal amount of happiness as Elizabeth and Darcy because of their pursuit of either reason or passion.