Marriage in Pride and Prejudice
During the early 1800's many people were considered part of an upper class society known as the aristocrats or nobility. For the women of these groups there was one main goal: marriage to someone who was rich and wealthy so their husbands could take them care of. This way of thinking was definitely prominent in the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; many of the characters marry for sake of money and status. In this paper, I will a few examples of this way of thinking and I will also give the alternative to that way of thinking: marriage out of love. I will then give my opinion on which I think is a better reason for marriage.
The first person that I will identify as wanting to marry only for money is Mrs. Bennet. She got married to Mr. Bennet because he had a small fortune and an estate. It appears to me that they aren't really in love with each other. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet seem to only have been married out of convenience. She is also in a hurry to marry off her daughters to handsome, rich men. She displays this desire when she says, "A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!" She goes on to say to Mr. Bennet, "You must know that I am thinking of marrying one of them" (5). Throughout the play she is always doing things to try and force the marriage between Jane and Mr. Bingley. The most outrageous thing that she did was when Jane was sick and she had to be kept at Netherfield. Lizzy went to look after her, and when she felt that it was in Jane's best interests to go home, Mrs. Bennet said that they couldn't possibly have it and if the Bingley's invited them to stay longer, they should. This plan didn't work out though. Lizzy was far too uncomfortable being there and she had already resolved that she wouldn't possibly stay another day there. On Lizzy's insistence, Jane got use of one of Mr. Bingley's carriages and they were off on their way home.
The second character that married out of love for money was Charlotte Lucas. Ms. Lucas lived just down the road from the Bennets and she was a good friend to the family.
In the end, readers are unsure whether to laugh or cry at the union of Carol and Howard, two people most undoubtedly not in love. Detailed character developments of the confused young adults combined with the brisk, businesslike tone used to describe this disastrous marriage effectively highlight the gap between marrying for love and marrying for ?reason.? As a piece written in the 1950s, when women still belonged to their husbands? households and marriages remained arranged for class and money?s sake, Gallant?s short story excerpt successfully utilizes fictional characters to point out a bigger picture: no human being ought to repress his or her own desires for love in exchange for just an adequate home and a tolerable spouse. May everyone find their own wild passions instead of merely settling for the security and banality of that ?Other Paris.?
Jane Austen knowingly stated the problems in society with a particular emphasis on the harshness of the culture towards women. During her time little girls were raised being taught about the dire circumstances of a woman who did not marry well. Little girls were taught to be multi-lingual, artistic, cultured, musically inclined, and other inconsequential skills. These skills were required to make a good match for a wealthy man, which was their only goal in life. This is furthermore expressed, as Sheehan states , “Familial aspirations, coupled with women’s increased dependence on marriage for financial survival, made courtship a central focus of women’s lives” (n.pag.). Society was entirely driven by marriage. Jane Austen noticed this profound truth in the surrounding culture. She wrote what she observed, and Pride and Prejudice is a direct result.
Bingley and Jane Bennet show immediate chemistry from the beginning of the novel to the end. They encounter a rough patch in their relationship towards the middle of the novel when Mr. Bingley does not visit Netherfield for an extended period of time. However, the reader can almost assume an impending marriage between the two from the beginning of the novel, even with their rough patch in the middle. Bingley and Jane serve as the two of the most kind characters in Pride and Prejudice and establish themselves as the perfect couple. Their intentions in the marriage exhibit themselves as pure and kind-hearted. They married each other for all of the right reasons. Love distinguished itself as the most important quality in their caring and passionate marriage which proves as rare marriage equality in this novel. Many tried to separate this couple, including Darcy, but in the end all attempts to ruin their love failed because they ended up happily married. Their views and attitude toward their marriage portray a unique and rare marriage in this novel due to the fact that they married for love instead of money or
The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen gives us the reader a very good idea of how she views marriage, as well as society. The theme of marriage is set in the very opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice; "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (Austen, 1) As Norman Sherry points out, this is Austen's way of implying that 'a single man in possession of a good fortune' is automatically destined to be the object of desire for all unmarried women. The statement opens the subject of the romantic novel; courtship and marriage. The sentence also introduces the issue of what the reasons for marrying are. She implies here that many young women marry for money. The question...
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.
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.
She does not need even a pleasing manner from her husband, as is evident from her choice in Mr. Collins. She does not believe that love is necessary for marriage and thinks that a woman should take the first opportunity offered to her in marriage, and, possibly it could lead to love. This is evident from her comments to Lizzie in reference to Jane and Mr. Bingley.
Marriage is a powerful union between two people who vow under oath to love each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. This sacred bond is a complicated union; one that can culminate in absolute joy or in utter disarray. One factor that can differentiate between a journey of harmony or calamity is one’s motives. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners, where Elizabeth Bennet and her aristocratic suitor Mr. Darcy’s love unfolds as her prejudice and his pride abate. Anton Chekhov’s “Anna on the Neck” explores class distinction, as an impecunious young woman marries a wealthy man. Both Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Anton Chekhov’s “Anna on the Neck” utilize
Marriage is a beautiful bond, where two people who love each other unconditionally, promise to love and take care of one another for the rest of their lives. Through the experiences of Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins, and Elizabeth and Darcy. Jane Austen criticizes marriages based on Infatuation, convience and money and emphasizes that marriages can only be successful if they are founded on mutal love.
Throughout the early 1800s, British women often played a subordinate role in society, flexed by many obligations, laws, and the superior males. A young woman’s struggle for independence and free will can often be compared to a life of servitude and slavery. Women were often controlled by the various men in their lives; whether it be father, brother or the eventual husband. Marriage during this time was often a gamble; one can either be in it for the right reasons such as love or for the wrong reasons such as advancing social status. In 19th century Britain, laws were enacted to further suppress women that eventually bore the idea that women were supposed to do two things: marry and have children. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen demonstrates a women’s struggle within a society that stresses the importance of marriage and strict behavioral customs. As evidenced by the Bennett daughters: Elizabeth, Jane and Lydia, as well as Charlotte Collins, marriage for young women was a pursuit that dominated their lives.
Throughout the history of literature there have been many connections made between writers and their reoccurring styles of writing found in each of their literary works. Jane Austen is only one example of this type of author who exemplifies a style of repetition by using repetitious themes. Theme is a very important literary element in any piece of literature. Themes teach the reader a life lesson, often times lending advice or a point of view. In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, she uses themes which can also be found in other pieces of literature written by Austen. These themes deal with the subjects of; marriage, good breeding and appearances, social rank and morals, and happiness. In the novel Pride and Prejudice Austen uses different literary elements including; satire, irony and humor in order to support these themes. In addition to using these elements Austen also supports her themes through the actions and opinions of different characters. One very prevalent theme found in this novel is marriage which can be shown through the characters of; Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mrs. Bennet Charlotte Lucas and Lydia Bennet.
Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice The novel 'Pride and Prejudice', written by Jane Austin, tells the story of a man, his five daughters, and his wife whose sole purpose in life is to marry off her daughters to 'suitable' men. Her eldest daughter, Jane is her most prized daughter. Mrs. Bennet is assured that Jane's beauty and meticulous manners will win her a high-quality husband who may be able to support not just Jane, but her other sisters as well. The story is told by the second daughter, Elizabeth.
Throughout the early 1800s, British women most often were relegated to a subordinate role in society by their institutionalized obligations, laws, and the more powerfully entrenched males. In that time, a young woman’s role was close to a life of servitude and slavery. Women were often controlled by the men in their lives, whether it was a father, brother or the eventual husband. Marriage during this time was often a gamble; one could either be in it for the right reasons, such as love, or for the wrong reasons, such as advancing social status. In 19th century Britain, laws were enacted to further suppress women and reflected the societal belief that women were supposed to do two things: marry and have children. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen portrayed a women’s struggle within a society that stresses the importance of marriage and strict behavioral customs. As evidenced by the Bennett daughters: Elizabeth and Jane, as well as Charlotte Collins, marriage for young women was a pursuit that dominated their lives.
Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” circulated in 1798 when the world was changing at a hasty rate. The American War of Independence took place, slavery was abolished and The French Revolution began. Austen disregarded these historical events and chose to highlight social issues she found to be pressing through her romantic fiction. Through Jane’s observations she decided to hone in on the concepts of love and marriage. Many novelists during Austen’s time used numerous metaphors and symbolisms to illustrate people, places and ideas but Jane chose to do the opposite. Austen relied heavily on the character’s behavior and dialogue and also on the insight of the omniscient narrator. In the first volume of “Pride and Prejudice,” Austen’s characters’ behavior and events make it apparent that love and marriage do not always agree.
Within these marriages, readers get a sense of how education plays an important role in a successful marriage, as this fulfills both of their dreams of personal identity. Although women in the nineteenth century were viewed to be superior wives and mothers, manage the household, and perform domestic tasks, it was important for women to become educated as “an education was supposed to enable these girls to become successful women in society” (Leigh 117). Women were not meant to be “trained” in some way to become good wives, but needed to be formally educated in order to be a successful wife and