Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

In Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' the main character is Elizabeth

Bennet. Elizabeth receives two proposals, one from Mr Collins and the

other from Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy is a wealthy man who is a friend of Mr

Bingley. At the beginning of the novel Elizabeth is prejudice against

Mr Darcy because he is proud, also because she believes he's reduced

her sisters chances of marriage to Mr Bingley. Mr Collins is a cousin

of the Bennet family; he is also the next male heir to the Bennet's

house, Longbourn. Mrs Bennet's primary aim in life is to marry off all

of her daughters to wealthy men. She believes in marrying for status

and money and not just for love; this is the reason that Elizabeth

does not respect her mother. Elizabeth finds her mother highly

embarrassing at social events because Mrs Bennet has little

discretion. She needs to marry her daughters off because their house

is entailed to Mr Collins and when Mr Bennet passes away they will not

own Longbourn, also because the Bennet sisters have little financial

independence.

It was important to marry in Austen's society because women had little

financial independence; the only respectable job for a middle class

woman was a governess. Women also had to marry because of their

respectability. Jane Austen, like Elizabeth Bennet, was not wealthy

and had little dowry, she also believed that you should marry for love

and not for status. Jane was proposed to by two men but declined both

of them; this indicates to us that Jane was a similar person to

Elizabeth Bennet.

When Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth he explains to her his reasons

for marriage...

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...lso men where more financially and economically independent than

woman. Women were expected to marry younger in Jane Austen's society

also, this because when a woman is younger they're generally more

attractive and more likely to receive a proposal, also because they

are more fertile when they are younger. Women also married younger to

reduce the financial burden on the father and because there were

little jobs available they had no real income. The morality of Jane

Austen's society was a harsh and cruel one; you could not have sex

with a man before marriage. This is like Lydia and Wickham, they

eloped together and lived together without being married, this brought

disgrace to the Bennet family. They eventually had to be married to

reduce the shame on the Bennet family. Jane Austen's society in direct

contrast to ours.