Elizabeth is dumbfounded as to why someone would marry without any true love for his or her partner. Elisabeth's lack of understanding for the marriage of Charlotte and Mr. Collins may be due to the circumstances in which she was brought up, Mr. And Mrs. Bennet show very little affection towards each other. Elizabeth is wary that she does not make the same mistake that her mother and father made. The two had nothing in common with each other.
One of the few times Mr. Bennet interferes with in wife's business is when he supports Elizabeth when Mrs. Bennet tries to force her to accept Mr. Collin's proposal. Mr. Bennet tells Elizabeth that if she does not marry Mr. Collins, her mother may never speak to her again, and if she should marry Mr. Collins, he may never see her again. Despite all her mothers' efforts, Elizabeth continues to refuse Mr Collins.
After the affair with Mr. Collins, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are still burdened with five unmarried daughters. Jane; still getting aquatinted with Mr. Bingley, a rich suitor and a seemingly true gentleman, and the other four having still no prospects of marriage. Suddenly when everything is looking up for Jane, Mr. Bingley leaves Netherfield. This event leaves the family in total despair.
Elizabeth decides to go to live with her aunt in London, Jane goes with another aunt, and Lydia leaves for Brighton with a colonel and his wife. As each goes her own way, they have time to reflect on their own needs and desires. Elizabeth learns that Wickham was not totally truthful with her about his relations with Mr. Darcy. She also learns that Mr. Darcy prevented the relationship between Mr. Bingley and Jane from developing any farther due to Jane's lower social class. When word comes that Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth is sure that the entire family will be shunned for her actions, thus surely ruining any of their chances of a 'good' marriage. Running off with a man you are not married to was not tolerated during the time in which the story is based. Elizabeth thinks her sister lacks both decency and virtue (230). She is irrational and unpredictable. Her moods and behaviour are ever changing and she accepts no responsibility for her actions. Her reckless behaviour will cause both her family and society to shun her.
The worst aspect of this whole affair is that Lydia is not aware she has done anything wrong. Her relatives know that Wickham does not genuinely love her. Mr. Wickham himself "has neither integrity or honor"(230). He will not marry a woman without money (229). Lydia does not have much to offer anyone but health and youth (230).
The couple have no real love for each other and neither has any money. In the case of Charlotte and Mr. Collins, they will fulfil each other's needs for security. Lydia and Wickham have nothing in common, and neither can provide anything the other needs. However, no matter how little sense their marriage makes, it must take place in order to save the reputation of the family. Elizabeth does not realize that Mr. Darcy is the one who helped to locate Wickham and Lydia in London and bring them back to Netherfield. She believes that was her uncle, Mr. Gardiner, who solved her family's problems.
Elizabeth had already made up her mind about Mr. Darcy from the first time she became aquatinted with him at a ball. She believed him to be stuck-up and arrogant. Darcy took notice of Elizabeth and became fond of her when she stayed at Mr. Bingley's when Jane was sick. Unfortunately, Elizabeth's preconceptions ended up causing both her and Mr. Darcy some upset. When Elizabeth heard word from Darcy's friend, Colonel Fitwilliam, that Darcy had "saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage"(153), she was immediately angered that Darcy would ruin Jane and Bingley's relationship and break her heart.
Darcy is unaware of Elizabeth's dislike of him when he makes a proposal of marriage to her, but he becomes aware quickly when Elizabeth declines his proposal and tells him exactly what she thinks of him. Darcy writes a letter that contains all his true feelings and hands it to Elizabeth. The letter the pivotal point in the novel. Elizabeth, the only character who is seeking true love in a marriage, is totally blinded by her prejudice, when it is right in front of her. She becomes "absolutely ashamed of herself" (171). Up to this point, Elizabeth has always believed she possessed the ability to evaluate people. Now, realizing that she has been ignorant, biased and prideful, therefore driving "reason away"(171). Elizabeth expresses sincere remorse for her bad judgment, a fact that makes us feel sympathetic towards her. When Darcy returns to Netherfield with Bingley she does not know how to act now that she knows the truth.
Jane and Bingley resume their relationship once again. Mrs. Bennet says she wants nothing to do with him, but once she hears that he wants to see Jane, she quickly changes her mind. Even worse, Mr. Darcy becomes a target of Mrs. Bennet's rude, hateful comments at the dinner table, but Mr. Bingley shows more affection for Jane than ever before. Jane is the perfect example of the ideal woman of this era. She is polite, rational, conservative, and social.
This time, Jane and Bingley are successfully engaged. The Bennets became the "luckiest family in the world, though only a few weeks before, when Lydia had first run away, they had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune" (282). Mr. Collins observes, "Lydia's sad business has been so well hushed up,"(293) that nobody except the Gardiners, Elizabeth, and Jane knows that Darcy was the one who saved them all.
There is some opposition to the marriage of Elisabeth and Mr. Darcy; Lady Catherine, calls upon Elisabeth, at her family home, asking that she does not marry Mr. Darcy. Elisabeth is shocked by this request, however she does not comply with it. Elisabeth tells lady Catherine she will not be swayed in her judgement by her and explains he current relations with Mr. Darcy. Upon this Lady Catherine leaves quite hastily.
Finally, Elizabeth and Darcy are alone on a walk when the issue of the past proposal and events resurface. Darcy shows his complete unselfishness by telling Elizabeth that everything he did for Lydia was only for her. Elizabeth now has nothing standing in her way to prevent her from accepting an offer of marriage from Darcy. She tells Lady Catherine De Bourgh that she will not decline an offer of engagement from her nephew. Lydia's mess is now all cleared up and smoothed over. Jane was now finally happily engaged to Bingley.
Elizabeth, now respecting Mr. Darcy after finding out the truth about him from his letter. She admires him for being who he is, a man of manners, and integrity. Lastly, she expresses extreme gratitude for all that he has done for both of her other sisters, especially Lydia. Mr. Darcy did not have to overcome so many barriers. The only barrier that exists for him is the vast difference in family class between the two. However, this seems to bother others much more than it bothers him.
The marriage between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth shows the most promise. They genuinely love each other. The most unlikely marriage to occur of the three previously mentioned marriages turns out to be the strongest! Darcy is a man of reason, stability, and intellect. Elisabeth is an intellectual equal to Mr. Darcy, and through her marriage to Mr. Darcy is now more socially stable.
Jane Austen clearly conveys her judgment of the characters through their actions and through their marriages. Lydia and Wickham's marriage is the only marriage that is portrayed as being irrational and altogether irresponsible.
