Mr Collins, the inheritor of Longbourne estate, and his wife, Charlotte Lucas have a strange relationship yet the bases of their relationship would not have been uncommon in 19th century England.
Mr Collins is a clergyman at Rosings Park. He is a man of formal manners but not considered to be ‘sensible man’ by Mr Bennet. He praises his Patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and anything associated with her at any chance he receives. Mr Collins can be very persistent; on one particular incident he ‘apologised for a quarter of a hour.’ these qualities can be extremely annoying especially to Mr Bennet. He is also said to be a ‘conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man.’
However Charlotte Lucas knowing very well of his idiosyncrasies still accepted Mr Collins’ marriage proposal. But it was not because she saw a man she loved or could even grow to love. The reason for accepting was one of a completely different nature, ‘solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment.’ Also because like the majority of women, during that period she would have accepted eagerly, as she would have otherwise feared discrimination, her brothers had already labelled her ’spinster,’ and of having to resort to the job of a governess. She would be in a job where she would probably not have any family close by. Her status within the household she worked for would have been uncomfortable; she would not have a high enough status to be with the family and her status would be higher than that of a maid (servant).
Charlotte does not even attempt to conceal her motive for her acceptance. She states her reasons to her good friend, Elizabeth, but also adding ‘I am not romantic,’ for this reason Charlotte appears to consider logic and reason over her feelings.
Once married, the couple’s relationship is amusing. Charlotte encourages her husband to be engaged with as many activities as possible, 'at work in the garden …reading and writing and looking out the widow,’ so she can be left alone in the drawing room. ‘Very few days passed in which Mr Collins did not walk to Rosings and not many in which his wife did not think it necessary …' Charlottes feels at ease with her husband engaged in other business, and tells him it is for his well-being and he is so gullible as to believe every word, thinking his wife has nothing but his interests at heart.
Both Mr Collins and Charlotte are content with their relationship, as Charlotte’s fears of ‘dying and old maid’ have been removed and she has a ‘comfortable home.’ Charlotte can spend most of her day in her own company without Mr Collins. On the other hand her husband is very satisfied with their relationship he thinks they are the perfect, loving couple. Mr. Collins, the young clergyman, strives for no role of substance in his community, instead considering his only urgent duty to follow Lady Catherine's orders quickly and precisely.
The liaison between Lydia and Wickham is not for the sake of marriage, like Charlotte and Mr Collins, nor is it based on love but rather on lust. Lydia, is immature yet comes across as over confident but has a false unawareness.
The sixteen-year-old speaks recklessly, acts offensively, and must gratify her impulses instantly. Her hunger for attention damages the family reputation at every public occasion.
During every dance, in the novel, Lydia is loud and flirtatious and has an infatuation towards Militia men. Her behaviour would seem extremely unconventional to others, yet she disregards how she might be looked upon. She is also unaware of the repercussion of her unconventional actions that might lead to her and her sisters not getting married.
Wickham, on the hand, is an officer who at first appears charming and trustworthy. He possesses “a fine countenance… and very pleasing address.” He is also particularly handsome “his appearance was greatly in his favour.” His good looks and charms can be deceitful, he has a two-sided personality, one of which he very cunningly puts on, in order to conceal the other.
His charms don’t just work on Lydia but also her older sibling, Elizabeth, who falls for him instantly and is very sympathetic when she is led to believe Darcy deceived him. Wickham recounts how Darcy unjustly kept him from receiving the large inheritance Darcy's father had left for him. Later, Darcy exposes this lie.
Mrs. Bennet fails to anticipate the disastrous possibilities of her young daughter's flirting with militiamen, which is what Lydia, had intended on doing in Brighton. Although Mr Bennet is wary of allowing his daughter to go to Brighton, he does not foresee what is to come.
Lydia rushes into an ill-advised romance with Wickham, who had just failed in a ruthless attempt to marry a rich northern woman and impulsively elopes with the naive Lydia, who fails to see that running off with Wickham scandalizes her family’s reputation and brings on great humiliation, “,,, sorrow and disgrace”. The family will not only be disgraced but the other siblings will have to also suffer, “… for who…will connect themselves with such a family.”
However at first the fact that Lydia has eloped with Wickham seems surprising that “it is really too great a violation of decency, honour and interest, for him to be guilty of it.”
Yet as Wickham’s past is uncovered, the views of him change greatly, “imprudent and extravagant.” Lydia is so blinded by love that she describes him as an “angel.”
Her happiness is no longer so great, towards the end of the novel she writes, “I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help”
More severely, Lydia ends up living joylessly with her indifferent husband, always moving about and never financially secure. Darcy's intervention preserves her reputation, but her life amounts to little.
The novel portrays two remarkable characters one of whom is Elizabeth Bennet, the talented, independent second of the Bennet daughters. Elizabeth Bennet is presumed to be Jane Austen’s favourite creation. Indeed, the twenty year old possesses brains, beauty, musical talent, confidence; strong ideas; she is not very concerned to show herself as a conventional woman and, for the era, rare independence. At every turn Elizabeth displays the latter attribute: she walks several miles alone to visit her unwell sister Jane at Netherfield; she declines Mr. Collins's marriage offer despite her mother's outrage; she angrily rejects Darcy's condescending proposal in the novel's most stunning scene. But this independence, perhaps inherited from her mother, leads her to make mistakes. Some may say that she bases her prejudices on her first judgement for an example she judges Wickham, Darcy, and others too soon.
The second of the two is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a haughty aristocrat who sees through Mrs. Bennet's manipulations and believes the Bennet family to be beneath him. Fitzwilliam Darcy first appears as an exceedingly self-impressed figure. Early in the novel, as he rudely refrains from dancing at a ball, Elizabeth overhears him talking derogatorily about her and the other women,”she is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me…” In turn, Elizabeth develops a blinding prejudice against Darcy and puts him down as no one has dared before. She views him as being, “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world,” “so high and so conceited”
The relationship between these two characters is the slowest developing, yet the most intriguing, it progresses along with the novel. Darcy’s feeling take an unexpected turn at the next dance. He falls in love with her immediately and admits to himself, that Elizabeth's intelligent expression is "beautiful." He surprises Miss Bingley by remarking,”I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of great eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow. ” For a moment he forgets all his prejudices, yet Miss Bingley is quick to remind him. He falls in love with her against his wishes—despite detesting her bumptious mother, despite erroneously distrusting her older sister Jane, despite disdaining her family's modest means, and despite detecting Elizabeth's thinly veiled hostility. Darcy's attempts to approach Elizabeth succeed only in offending her more.
The love stricken Darcy cannot conceal his emotions as much as he tries, however, Elizabeth is blinded by her prejudices, only when Darcy make s a proposal does she realize. “… so much in love as to wish to marry her in spite of all her objections…” Darcy‘s proposal is a turning point for Elizabeth’s feelings. As days go by she becomes conscious of all his true virtues and her feelings for him. Darcy remains unaware of her feelings.
Although they both love each other they remain to break the social barrier that forbids them to become man and wife and devote their lives to one and other.
During that period there were distinctions of social class Darcy and his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, are members of the aristocracy, England's hereditary ruling class. The Bennet family and the clergyman Mr. Collins fall into the category of landed gentry, which means that they own property in the country, are well-bred, and hold a good social position. Historically, the aristocracy and gentry mixed freely but tended not to cross lines for marriage and his arrogant Aunt Catherine expects him to keep with tradition and marry within the aristocracy.
Elizabeth's visit to Darcy's home in Derbyshire, and the resolution is both plausible and satisfying. Darcy proposes again to Elizabeth with new humility. Shamed, Elizabeth recognizes many of her misjudgements and accepts Darcy's proposal. Elizabeth and Darcy, a union of the gentry and the aristocracy, show themselves to have become leaders in their society. Their personalities soften and blend beautifully. Their relationship, a combination of attraction and contempt, certainly one of the most exciting in all literature.
Pride and Prejudice in general terms, is a literary work that uses irony and humour to expose human or social faults, existing not only during the period of the novel but also in society today. One such fault in society is marriage, Jane Austen explores the different types of marriages and causes of such marriages, be they based on finance, lust, love.
Through its vivid characters, Pride and Prejudice contrasts many human qualities: depth and superficiality; honesty and dishonesty; pride and humility; independence, selfishness and generosity. The appeal of the novel is that it considers universally felt emotions, feelings and issues that will always be experienced.
