Theme Of Marriage In Pride And Prejudice

Thus Elizabeth’s outspokenness stems from her wit, while Lydia’s comes from ignorance. Austen seems to have much more patience with the former than the latter, and there is little to approve of in Lydia’s “coarseness of expression,” whether she is flirting with numerous men or gossiping indiscriminately (128). When Lydia runs away to live (unmarried) with George Wickham, Elizabeth explains Lydia’s fall by saying that “for the last half-year, nay, for a twelvemonth—she has been given up to nothing but amusement and vanity” (163). Fordyce would have been appalled by both Lydia’s language and behavior; he says that the highest virtues of a woman are “purity and meekness, intelligence and modesty” (Fordyce). It is important to note that Elizabeth

While Lydia does pursue marriage, it is ultimately her decision to destroy her reputation before marriage that condemns her to an “imprudent” match (157). Not every character in Pride and Prejudice shares the two eldest Bennet sister’s casual naïveté towards seeking marriage, however. Charlotte Lucas (who, as previously mentioned, distills into one pithy statement the real role of marriage for women like her) pursues marriage for financial reasons, above all else. Analyzing Austen’s opinions on such mercenary behavior slips into a gray area in which her true beliefs become very difficult to interpret. First one must consider whether seeking a husband can be considered conservative or radical female behavior. On one hand, pursuing the attention of men is hardly an act of meekness or modesty. However, throughout Fordyce’s sermons he seems to equate ideal female behavior with whatever is appealing to men. In his statement about the dangers of witty women, he says, “But when I speak on this subject, need I tell you, that men of the best sense have been usually averse to the thought of marrying a witty female?” (Fordyce). Horrifying misogyny aside, this supports Wollstonecraft’s statement that conservative men of the time believed that “highest reward for female virtue is male attention” (Sermons). Herein lies the subtlety. Charlotte Lucas, who undeniably pursues a husband, does not do so for male attention. She does not think “highly either of men or matrimony,” and only seeks them for the sake of finding, as I have previously said, the “pleasantest preservative from want”(74). Charlotte isn’t looking for attention or approval from men to confirm her character. She doesn’t even like men. By far her most honest emotional connection in the novel is with Elizabeth (though while lesbian interpretations of Charlotte are both relevant and fascinating, they are not the subject of this essay). On the subject of Charlotte’s