Marriage plays an important role in the novel 'Pride and Prejudice'

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Discuss the presentation of marriage in 'Pride and Prejudice'

Marriage plays an important role in the novel 'Pride and Prejudice'. There are many different reasons as to why the characters marry. Some marry for security, some marry for wealth, and others marry for love. The idea of marriage was very significant in the novel principally because it was the only way for women of the 19th century to secure her freedom, social status, and living standard. Jane Austen uses the Bennets to illustrate diverse establishments and views of marriage.

Marriage in 'Pride and Prejudice' is portrayed in a satirical context. Austen shows that marriage is very important for women in the 19th century society, and that their whole future depended on it. The epigrammatic, opening sentence depicts the main theme of the novel: 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' Immediately, this beginning passage highlights the importance of marriage in the 19th century. It suggests the sole purpose of a marriage; to increase one's social class and financial ranking. The quotation does not mention anything of love, yet to the readers,