Whilst the Bennet daughters find themselves undesirable due to finance, Charlotte Lucas is an ‘old’ maid, at twenty six, because she is ‘terribly plain’. Her situation has affected her view on marriage. Charlotte Lucas is a close friend of Elizabeth Bennet, who takes very different attitudes to Lizzie on marriage. She believes that ‘happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance … it is better to know as little as possible of the defects with whom you are to pass your life.’ Elizabeth is shocked by Charlotte’s pessimism, but dismisses it as harmless wit. This reveals to us Austen’s personal idealism, that there is such a thing as a happy marriage, despite the odds.
Charlotte, however, is serious in her principles. We learn this when she accepts the proposal of Mr Collin’s, the Bennet’s cousin, heir to their estate. He is a clergyman of fortunate situation but his assets are, in the eyes of Lizzie, vastly inadequate to excuse his personality. He is simpering, condescending, fickle, tedious and unbearable in Lizzie’s estimation, and when he proposes to her she sees it only fit that he is refused, although by societies standards it would have been an advantageous match. Mr Bennet, less concerned about decorum, supports Lizzie’s decision, himself understanding the burden of an unbearable spouse, but Mrs Bennet is not so sympathetic. She vows ‘never to speak to you (Lizzie) again’. This is because the union would have kept the Bennet estate in the family. We see that Lizzie, and therefore Austen, holds being true to yourself and upholding your integrity in higher esteem than marrying for money or social standing. She is unwilling to sacrifice her happiness in order to gain financial security. Charlotte, alternatively, is not as idealistic in her view of marriage. She cannot afford to be as fastidious as Elizabeth, who has youth and beauty on her side. When Mr Collins, who is interested simply in a wife to appease his patron Lady Catherine De Bourg, and suit himself, proposes to Charlotte she sees it as her only opportunity to escape her family and old maiden hood. Women in Austen’s era who did not marry were a drain on their family, generally invoking feelings of pity and sorrow from those surrounding them. Understandably this is a disagreeable state, and although Austen shows us that she empathises with Charlotte’s situation, she communicates through Charlottes unloving; unaffectionate marriage of convenience that romance and passion alongside good sense and prudence are key ingredients in a successful union.
The Bennets’ and Collins’ marriages convey an important message from Austen. She expresses the need for balance in marriage. We can see neither couple has a happy wedlock, because the marriages were not based on mutual respect.
Another key couple Austen uses to demonstrate the necessity for mutual respect in a union is Mr Wickham and Lydia Bennet. Mr Wickham is a charming, handsome character, and an officer in the Meryton regiment. Elizabeth Bennet deems him ‘a gentleman’ and awaits his visits with great impatience. He too appears partial to her company. They share an amiable relationship, which Elizabeth suspects has the potential to develop into something infinitely more dear, until Mr Wickham’s attentions are suddenly diverted to another young lady, Miss King. She is a plain, ‘freckly’ girl, whose recent assets include ten thousand inherited pounds. Even though Mr Wickham’s design is clear Elizabeth excuses his behaviour, reasoning that men need security just as women do. We can see Lizzie’s justification for Wickham’s behaviour is weak – she condemned Charlotte’s fiercely when she married Mr Collins with the same motive.
It is not until she visits Charlotte that Lizzie learns she has had a lucky escape, when Mr Wickham’s true colours are revealed to her. Lizzie learns Wickham has betrayed the trust of the person to whom he owes his fortunate situation, Mr Darcy. Not only has he squandered his inheritance from Darcy’s late father, he had also set his designs on Mr Darcy’s younger sister, heiress to thirty thousand pounds. Whilst she was staying in London under the guardianship of a wayward governess Wickham wooed her under false pretences and implored her to elope with him. She was but fifteen. Fortuitously their plot was discovered and stopped, and to protect the reputation of Miss Darcy, concealed. Elizabeth is also obliged to conceal the debacle. She is of course no longer partial to Mr Wickham on her return to Hertfordshire, revealing Austen’s morality.
Lydia Bennet is an exceedingly spoilt, irritating girl, whose main pleasure in life is flirting with the Meryton officers. ‘Sometimes one officer, sometimes another had been her favourite, as their attentions raised them in her opinion.’ A favourite with her mother, Lydia has been allowed to lead a frolicsome, flippant existence, with little discipline or restraint. Austen clearly disapproves of such frivolous behaviour, as we learn when Mr Bennet brands her ‘the silliest girl in England’. It also exposes the incompetent parenting of Mr and Mrs Bennet. When Lydia is invited to Brighton for the summer, in pursuit of the regiment, Lizzie begs her father to consider the sense of allowing such an irresponsible daughter so much freedom. Mr Bennet is not, however, moved to reconsider, reasoning that once she realises her own insignificance she will become more humble, and so Lydia is sent to Brighton. It is here she and Wickham make the fateful decision to abandon society.
It is whilst Lizzie is in Derbyshire that she hears of Lydia’s elopement with Wickham. Lizzie is devastated, and leaves for home at once. During Austen’s era such an ignominy would shame the entire family. Elizabeth ruminates what Lydia has done ‘the humiliation, the misery, she was bringing on them all’ – Lydia’s faux pas would not only devastate her own chances of marrying, but also those of her sisters too. Any sort of copulation prior to wedlock was an enormous disgrace. Lydia is, as we are led to expect by the heedlessness of her nature, meanwhile totally unsympathetic to her sisters humiliation. She imagines their great surprise ‘when I (Lydia) write to them and sign my name Lydia Wickham!’ She is unaware that she is not the first girl to be enticed by Wickham’s charms, and has also neglected to consider her eligibility. Lizzie quickly realises that a man such as Wickham would have no intention of marrying Lydia, without a sufficient dowry. But the Bennets cannot afford to pay him to marry her, as they have no savings. It is in fact Mr Darcy who pays off Wickham, due to his love for Elizabeth and his shame at concealing Wickham’s true personality for the sake of his own honour, although Elizabeth is led to believe it is her uncle who has paid the debts. Even so lucky in her situation Lydia is still as oblivious as ever – exclaiming ‘what do you think of my husband? Is he not a charming man?’ when she arrives home.
Wickham and Lydia’s marriage shows us Austen’s disdain of selfishness in marriage, and the need to employ good sense prior to matrimony. Indeed, just months into their marriage Wickham is already sick of Lydia. ‘Wickham’s affection was … not equal to Lydia’s for him’. Lizzie concludes of the Wickham’s ‘marriage and ‘how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than virtue.’
Ironically we can see parallels between the Bennet’s marriage and the Wickham’s. Both lacked consideration of the suitability of their future spouse, and in both cases happiness is not achieved. Clearly common sense and consideration are ingredients Austen esteems in marriage.
Austen gives us a small glimpse of how a marriage may continue to be happy in later life through the Gardeners. They are the aunt and uncle of the Bennet sisters, who often spend time with them in their house in London. Although Mr Gardener was a lowly attorney, he had a ‘gentlemanlike countenance’ and good sense. His wife, an ‘amiable, intelligent women’ is perfectly suited as his spouse. Austen does therefore believe in a happy marriage with durability, so long as both parties are correctly paired.
We see a clear example of this with the Bingleys’ marriage. Jane Bennet is the kind, thoughtful, contented eldest daughter of the Bennet family. Mr Bingley is intended for her by her family from the moment he arrives at Netherfield. She meets Mr Bingley at a ball in Meryton, and after a lengthy courtship is besotted with him. Nonetheless, as decorum called for at the time, she was reserved with her affection.
‘Mr Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners.’ ‘He possessed a good fortune of ten thousand a year.’ He too cared for Jane to the same degree she loved him. He was sure ‘she is the most beautiful creature I (he) ever beheld!’ Unfortunately, Bingley’s friends and relations were not so keen on the match. His sisters, particularly Caroline Bingley, disapproved of her lowly relations, who lived in Cheapside. She had hoped for her brother to marry for social standing, to someone like Miss Darcy, just as Caroline Bingley, herself hopes to marry Mr Darcy. Sadly, the love in unrequited, so Miss Bingley is rude to Lizzie, and general Hertfordshire society to try and persuade Mr Darcy into her affections. The failure of her tactics shows us Austen’s disapproval of such women. Alternatively Mr Darcy mistakes Jane’s reserve for disinterest, and concludes that she is only after Bingley’s money. This is why, together, Caroline and Mr Darcy dissuade Bingley from Jane, by insinuating her discreditable interest and incongruity. Bingley moves to London for the season, and Jane despairs of him when he does not come to visit when she is also there. It appears he has lost interest, but Jane still loves him. It is not until the end of the novel when Bingley returns to Netherfield that the couple are finally married. Despite their difficulties love prevailed. We can observe Austen’s approval of the match through Lizzie who believed all their ‘expectations of felicity, to be rationally founded because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super excellent disposition of Jane, and general similarity of feeling and taste between them.’ We learn Austen’s conviction that having common interest and similar dispositions is the foundation for happy matrimony. These are clearly key ingredients. Jane has succeeded where her parents failed – her happiness comes with longevity due to its strong basis.
But of course, the marriage which conveys the most important message in Pride and Prejudice is that of Austen’s heroine, Elizabeth. Lizzie dislikes Mr Darcy from the onset of the novel, when he snubs her at the Meryton ball. It thereafter generally agreed that despite him being very handsome and rich, and extremely ‘old money’ he is the most offensive gentleman to have ever graced Hertfordshire. His pride and boredom in such situations do not aid his plight. Elizabeth’s dislike of him is heightened when she learns that he has denied Wickham his rightful inheritance, unaware at the time of Wickham’s suspect character. She is disgusted by Darcy’s behaviour and is glad to see the back of him. All the while Darcy is in fact in love with Lizzie, trying his hardest to resist her due to the unsuitability of the match – ‘she attracted him more than he liked … he resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape him’.
However persistent his efforts Mr Darcy could not curb his feelings for Elizabeth, and despite her background and his ‘better judgement’ he proposes to her on a visit to Rosings. She is revolted by the thought of marrying him, and refuses the proposal, despite its attractions. This yet again demonstrates Austen’s regard for upholding your integrity and marrying for love, not stature. Lizzie presumes Darcy has taken Bingley away from her sister because of her lowly connections, and does not believe his explanation of the events involving Mr Wickham. It is not until a trip to Pemberly when she again meets him she begins to appreciate his good qualities, loyalty, kindness, intelligence and respect. She realises her prejudice against him, and sees the truth in his views, but just as she begins to care for him Lydia elopes with Wickham and she conjectures all hope gone for the her and Mr Darcy. ‘She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man, who, in disposition and talents, would suit her.’ However, as with Jane and Bingley, love prevails and the two are eventually married.
Austen demonstrates through Darcy and Elizabeth the need for the ingredient of balance in a happy union. Their qualities off set one another, his seriousness with her wit, her ignorance with his intelligence. Darcy shows such dedication to Elizabeth, paying off Wickham to spare her family’s name, disregarding his family’s wishes in order to be with her. Lady Catherine De Bourg, Darcy’s aunt, for example, is horrified that Darcy will not marry her daughter and therefore keeping the family money together. She assumes he has forgotten ‘what he owes himself and his family.’ Her view is that of one very common in Austen’s era, that fortune should be built upon by marriage, but we see Darcy, like Elizabeth, sees marrying for love as more important that marrying for financial gain, revealing to us that he shares a strong morality with Elizabeth in a time when such principles were rarely come across. This of course expresses Austen’s own ethics. We are left to feel that Darcy and Lizzie have made the perfect match for one another, thanks to the ingredients of good sense, stability, affection, common interest, complimenting disposition and most importantly mutual respect. These are the ingredients Austen believes to be key to a successful marriage, as all of the marriages in Pride and Prejudice demonstrate.
Camille Watts
