For Love or For Money: The Golden Question of Marriage

Anthropologists say that some type of marriage has been found in every known human society since ancient times; however, it is not sure why marriage started. It could be due to the lack of resources, economic issues, social issues or simply just a mutual attraction to another person. In Regency Era England the question of why people marry still perplexed many. The most common thing to do was have your child marry into a wealthy family, securing their spot on the social ladder. In Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility, she creates strenuous situations where this question of marrying for financial stability as opposed to love is brought up. By comparing and contrasting the different experiences of the characters who married for love as opposed for economic motives, Austen concludes that going against the social norm in Regency Era England and marrying for love makes the relationship more worthwhile.

In modern society love is often thought of as the basic component of marriage; however, for most of human history, “[love] was a hoped-for side effect” (marriage). Marriage is defined as the union between a man and a woman, which in Regency Era England, bound the woman into a dependent relationship. Once a woman was married the rest of her life was planned out for her: the social status of her children, the daily tasks she had to perform, property relations, companionship and particularly her financial stability were all dictated by who she married ( ). Because of these reasons it was especially common at the time to marry a man who would provide the most luxurious lifestyle, or marry a wealthy man. In Sense and Sensibility, Austen proves this to be true when she retorts that, “Certainly there can be no difference; for Robert will no...

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Despite the popular belief in Regency Era England that marriage was only for financial reasons, readers of Austen’s novel can recognize that marrying for love was not a bad thing. At one point in her life Jane Austen was faced with the option of marriage to a handsome young man who was “the heir to a large estate” (Sullivan 109). If she had accepted the offer she was guaranteed a life of security both financially and socially. At first she did accept the proposal, however she changed her mind and a day later withdrew her acceptance (Sullivan 109). By doing this it can be recognized that Austen herself would rather marry for love than for money. Even though marrying for economical motives could be pleasing at a certain time, it can be concluded that going against the social norm in Regency Era England and marrying for love makes the marriage more valuable.