This impetuous acceptance on Charlotte’s part gives us insight on the lifestyle of a woman in the 19th century. There were very few options for a woman in 19th century England to grow and prosper as an individual. Therefore, the only option for a woman is to marry a wealthy man even if she dislikes the man she is marrying. First of all, Charlotte was anxious to marry because she was older than most of her friends, including Elizabeth. For that reason, she was pressured into marrying Collins to avoid the social embarrassment she would face if she should to grow old unwed. Charlotte, afraid that her old age will catch up with her, has given up on the idea of romanticism and skipped to the next option, a high social rank by marriage.
It is quite obvious that the marriage between Charlotte and Collins is not one based on love. Charlotte states that she “accepted Mr. Collins solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment.” Just because Collins and Charlotte are married does not mean they are meant to be together. The relationship is purely based on the selfishness of both Charlotte and Collins. Collins is in desperate search of a wife and after Elizabeth quickly rejects him he quickly moves on to Charlotte. Charlotte, in desperate need to marry a rich man quickly accepts the proposal. This proves that these two are ill-suited because they are not in the marriage for love; they are marrying each other for their own benefits, fostered by the pressures of their society.
The marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth occurred under quite different circumstances than those of Charlotte and Collins. In the beginning of the novel, Elizabeth had great distaste for Darcy after the ball at Meryton when he refuses to dance with Elizabeth because she is “not handsome enough” to tempt him. He is presented as a proud and arrogant person who is very much aware of his social superiority toward Elizabeth. Darcy begins to take a liking to Elizabeth but her dislike for Darcy grows with the false information that Wickham presents to her. There are many examples which show that Darcy actually likes Elizabeth as a person. Ms Bingley, who would be a socially acceptable mate for Darcy, makes advances toward him. Darcy disregards Ms. Bignley’s attempts to win him over and pursues Elizabeth, a socially unsuitable marriage prospect.
Elizabeth refuses Darcy’s marriage proposal because of the stories Wickham has been telling her. Mr. Darcy sends Elizabeth a letter clearing up any doubts she may have on his character especially concerning the lies that Wickham had told about Darcy. This letter drastically changes Elizabeth’s view of Darcy. She begins to retract her previous prejudices of Darcy and takes a sudden liking to him.
Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship does not resemble the typical 19th century relationship in that it is based on actual love and not on social acceptance. Darcy could have easily married someone like Ms. Bingley who would be accepted by the surrounding community as a suitable wife. But instead he trusted his heart and pursued Elizabeth until she finally came around to the point where they found mutual love.
Darcy’s character changed drastically throughout the novel. He began as an egotistical man and by the end of the novel displayed many characteristics of selflessness. He acted in a altruistic manner when he voluntarily paid for Lydia’s wedding to save her reputation and stuck up for the Bennet family when Lady Catherine and others were talking poorly of the Bennets. Elizabeth was able to overcome her judgments of Darcy and was able to see him for the real person he was. Darcy was able to overcome his pride and the pressures of society to marry a socially acceptable woman and marry Elizabeth because he loved her.
