Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Defined by Gender, Social Class, and Family

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Recommended: Character of Elizabethan and Darcy in Pride & Prejudice

Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in different ways due to Mrs. Bennet’s commitment to finding her daughters husbands, the male parallelism of marriage to their female spouses, and Elizabeth’s nontraditional approach to looking for love.
Mrs. Bennet’s behavior during the book can be seen as a common representation of women in a 19th century society and as a way to research marriages during this time period. Readers are often exposed to Mrs. Bennet while she is interacting with her peers socially. "' If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield,' said Ms. Bennet to her husband, 'and all the others equally well married , I shall have nothing to wish for'" (Austen 10). Ms. Bennet's quote shows how little power women in higher classes have in deciding their own future. They are unable to inherit any wealth and it is socially frowned upon for women to work, so women rely simply on their mannerisms and physical appearance to find them a spouse that will financially support them for the remainder of their life. This...

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...ide and Prejudice." Gale Resource Center. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. .
Stovel, Bruce. "A Contrariety of Emotion': Jane Austen's Ambivalent Lovers in Pride and Prejudice." Gale Cengage Learning. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .
Wiltshire, John. "Mrs. Bennet's Least Favorite Daughter." Literature Resource Center from Gale. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. .

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