She used humour to highlight the problems of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s marriage. Mr. Bennet’s humour hides the sadness that years of marriage have produced. Mr Bennet married for looks not love and now he often speaks just to mock Mrs. Bennet, for example, “In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.” They do not seem to understand each other; the omniscient narrator explains, “…that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character.” Mrs Bennet is described as a woman of “mean understanding, little information and uncertain temper.” Austen makes her silly and frivolous, the opposite of Mr. Bennet. This is an example of a poor and loveless marriage even though it is the subject of much humour.
The relationship between Jane and Bingley seems to be an instant attraction between two similar personalities. It is a traditional romance. Austen uses no irony when discussing Jane showing that she approves of Jane’s feelings. Jane believes that genuine love and affection are essential in a marriage but does not assert herself in the relationship and nearly loses Bingley. Is Austen suggesting that women should be more forward in their relationships? This is a true love relationship and Jane Austen uses it as a tool to contrast with other relationships. It overcomes all the problems in its path, love conquers all.
Austen develops their relationship at the first town ball. She describes their actions to indicate that they are falling in love. Men and women had to meet at very formal occasions like dinners and balls. There was a very strict code of behaviour in romance, for example; when Mr. Bingley danced with Jane twice everyone concluded that he was interested in her, whereas when Mr. Darcy didn’t dance with Elizabeth everyone concluded she had been insulted. Austen did not present this relationship as love at first sight, infact the complete opposite. The reader watched love grow.
Love was less important than marriage. Women were compelled by society to find suitable husbands. Elizabeth thinks Jane should act naturally to Mr. Bingley and her love will be seen by him, but Charlotte Lucas thinks Jane should be very assertive and not let the chance of a financially secure marriage go.
Charlotte Lucas is a very pleasant character; this character’s voice is presented as being always practical and affectionate. Austen made her the complete opposite of the repulsive, irritating Mr. Collins. Their relationship is one of the most upsetting in the novel. Charlotte believes a successful marriage is just luck; “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” This reveals she thinks happiness is not an essential factor of marriage. In her opinion you should work on falling in love once married, “When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love”. She also feels that a woman should inform a man if she likes him to “help him on”. Obviously in her circumstances not being beautiful and not being rich, she has to have a practical approach. This is a very realistic presentation of marriage by Jane Austen, it is built on practicalities not love. She uses lots of different voices to express opinions on love and marriage.
Mr. Collins decided to marry one of the Bennet girls to make amends for inheriting Longbourn. He proposed to Elizabeth, but only because he thought Jane was in love with Mr. Bingley. Austen made the reader dislike him and therefore his views. He thinks marriage is the correct state for a person of his position and also Lady Catherine de Bourgh told him to marry. Mr. Bennet’s reaction to Mr. Collins’ proposal to Elizabeth was very amusing “…Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.” He obviously wanted loving marriages for his daughters, as he hadn’t had one himself. Mr. Collins was not heartbroken by the rejection because “His regard for her (Elizabeth) was quite imaginary.”
Jane Austen built up the tension here, as the reader felt Elizabeth was in danger. A marriage to Mr. Collins was the opposite of what Elizabeth wanted. The reader is relieved when Elizabeth rejected Mr. Collins in the hope of marrying for love. She was not yet in love with Mr Darcy and was not aware of how he felt about her because pride and prejudice were in the way. She knows she needs a good financial match, but it is not the dominating interest, as she believes in genuine love and affection in marriage. She needs partner of similar intelligence. She does not want to flirt or “trap” a man because she feels this is below her. She is a powerful heroine that the reader can identify with and trust her viewpoint, which may be the view of Jane Austen. Elizabeth is the most complex character, Austen uses mostly dialogue to present her. When Elizabeth learns from miss Caroline Bingley’s letter that Bingley may marry Mr. Darcy’s sister she says, “ We are not rich enough, or grand enough.”
Darcy agrees in part because he does not encourage Bingley with Jane because of the Bennet family’s social inferiority. Mr. Darcy believes marriage should be to a social equal and tries to ignore his feelings for Elizabeth because of the “danger”. He does however see the need of an intellectual equal and rejects scheming Miss. Bingley. Austen presents him as being mysterious. Little by little through his action and his patience when in the company of the very embarrassing Mrs. Bennet we learn more of Mr. Darcy. After first rudely over-looking Elizabeth he noticed her eyes and became physically attracted to her. He then began to admire her “quickness” of mind. Due to all the obstacles they have to overcome Austen builds tension and we all want the relationship to succeed.
All the marriages presented in the first volume were fairly conventional, unlike the much more unconventional ones of Elizabeth, Jane and Lydia that followed.
Virtually all the relationship problems outlined in the first volume i.e. Jane and Bingley, Elizabeth and Darcy, Charlotte and Collins were due to inferior position of women in society. Jane and Elizabeth could not inherit therefore could not support themselves or attract good husbands easily. Poor Charlotte Lucas could only get financial support for herself through marriage – even if it had to be someone like Collins.
Austen uses humour, mismatches, love at first sight and gradually growing love to help illustrate love and marriage in her society. She persuades the reader into following her views by creating some very sympathetic characters and then putting them in situations that highlight the importance of love in marriage. Jane Austen presents love as the most important ingredient for happiness in a marriage.
