The material possessions of Mr Collins do not tempt her. The fact that Mr Collins is the heir of the Longbourne Estate and has such “favourable” connections emphasises how strongly Elizabeth feels about marrying for love, as a marriage to Mr Collins would be very convenient. Through Elizabeth, Jane Austen’s beliefs on marrying for love are also strongly expressed here.
Austen also explores the motives behind the older generation of people in the novel through Mr and Mrs Bennet. Mr Bennet is perceived to be a sensible and intelligent man, in contrast to his silly wife.
“ Her father, captivated by youth and beauty… had married whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early on her marriage put an end to any real affection for her. “
Jane Austen, through the Bennet’s marriage and the views of Mr Bennet especially is showing the reader how without love a marriage between two people can not be a successful one.
“ To his wife he was very little otherwise indebted, than as her ignorance and folly had contributed to his amusement. “
It is clear that Mr Bennet does not love his wife and her stupidity is an opportunity for him to amuse himself. The marriage that Mr Bennet is in is a rather desperate one.
Austen ridicules the marriage of Mr Collins and Charlotte. Mr Collins’ character is portrayed as very pompous and it is quite apparent that he and Charlotte are not in love. This is reflected by Charlotte’s actions, she spends as little time as possible alone with her husband.
“… when Mr Collins could be forgotten there really was an air of comfort throughout.”
Mr Collins shows Elizabeth around the house in great detail. His emphasis whilst showing her around is on the material comforts of the house. The importance of the material objects in the house to Mr Collins is reflective of his character and also exposes the foundations of his marriage of convenience as being purely superficial. Jane Austen is successful in showing how marriages such as that of Mr Collins and Charlotte are false and of only limited, material value.
Love is what finally brings Elizabeth and Darcy together. The true love that Elizabeth is waiting for before she marries takes time and before this true love is found, Elizabeth goes through many different emotions.
“ Her feelings as she read were scarcely to be defined. “
As Elizabeth is reading Darcy’s letter to her various emotions are sparked off. The difficulties that Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship overcome shows how strongly they feel about one another. Jane Austen encourages the reader to look favourably on the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth by showing the extreme emotions that they feel for each other. The fact that the reader respects both characters also shows that Austen believes in marriage for love.
Through the character of Mr Bennet Austen stresses the importance of not confusing lust and passion with love. Despite good intentions the mistake that Mr Bennet made in marrying Mr Bennet means that he will be with a woman that he does not love for the rest of his life. The consequences of marrying someone without the necessary though are permanent as Jane Austen shows through the portrayal of the Bennet’s marriage.
Equality is something that Jane Austen also believes is very important in a successful marriage. In the case of Mr Collins and Charlotte it is clear that Charlotte is merely to go along with whatever her husband says or does. She is quite prepared to live a passive life of convenience and conventionality. Austen airs her disagreement of the situation that Charlotte is in through the mocking of her marriage, using the satire of Elizabeth’s character. Darcy and Elizabeth both have extremely strong characters. Their family backgrounds do differ greatly and in terms of social status, a much more important factor then than it is in present time; the two families could under no circumstances be considered as equal. This class difference was a huge barrier for the couple to break down. The fact that they were successful in doing so further emphasises the power of true love.
Marrying for practicality and convenience is not looked upon favourably by Jane Austen; the mocking of Charlotte and Mr Collins’ marriage shows this. The convenience of this marriage is contrasted by the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, which at the outset could not have been more difficult. Elizabeth and Darcy’s conquering of the many obstacles that came between them again stresses that no matter how hard it may seem at the beginning, a relationship bases on love, and not convenience or practicality will be successful in the end. Austen also uses the relationship between the characters of Jane and Mr Bingly as a prime example of the result in the persistence in true love.
In conclusion Jane Austen strongly believes that a couple should get married because they love each other and not for any other reason. Her views on this subject are expressed through the characters in her novel. She uses the relationships of Darcy and Elizabeth and Jane and Bingly, contrasting them with the relationships of Mr and Mrs Bennet and Charlotte and Mr Collins. Austen effectively illustrates that marriages of true love are successful, but that relationships bases on superficial and materialistic values may last but with little happiness.
Jane Austen’s acute use of satire and irony throughout her novel displays very effectively the prejudice and pompous attitudes of society at the time.
