Under the rejection of Elizabeth, Collins transfers his proposal to the aging, plain friend of Elizabeth, Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte realises that her prime is expiring, and that the chance to marry so well may never come around again, and so she is swift to accept this over-bearing, unattractive man despite her knowing his character. This entirely demonstrates the problems of marriage at those times: how women were forced to commit themselves to unhappiness. Their marriage becomes a comical yet devastating partnership. Mr Collins travelled to the Bennets’ estate with the intent of taking home a wife: he first laid eyes on Jane Bennet, but upon discovering that she is “likely to be very soon engaged,” his attraction immediately refocused on Elizabeth, then having proposed and been rejected by her, his self-image is not remotely blemished and his fancy is quickly transferred towards Charlotte Lucas. Only, moments later Mr Collins announces the marriage of himself to Miss Lucas. This relationship is very symbolic. Mr Collins could not possibly be in love with Charlotte, for only a week before he had loved Elizabeth. Yet Austen demonstrates marriage for purposes other than love. Charlotte marries Collins in order to gain financial and social security. She feels pressurized to marry fast and feels as though Mr Collins is her only option. Mr Collins is an intolerable man and Charlotte often finds herself rather embarrassed to be married to such a person. The relationship between these two characters proves to the readers the outcomes of placing practicality before romance and although Charlotte appears to be able to endure Mr Collins, the readers realize that she will never have a life that she feels is complete.
The relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth exposes the qualities that do constitute to a successful marriage, one of these being that love cannot be brought on by appearances: it must gradually develop between the two people as they get to know one and others hearts. Darcy’s immediate opinion of Elizabeth is that she is “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me”. From this voice we see how their relationship contracts and expands until love emanates through them both. Mr Darcy was not at all attracted to Elizabeth in the beginning, but this changes when they discover each others personalities and Darcy admits “My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”.
This course of love was not a smooth one, nor one pursued by either of them consciously. For the most part of the novel Elizabeth in fact despises the character of Mr Darcy, based on her observations of his prudence and the tall tale spoken by the seemingly desirable, up-right Mr Wickham. She respects this man and his sociable manner, and accepts his lies about Darcy and their past as pure fact. Elizabeth has a lot of time for Wickham, even when she hears about his plans to marry Mary King. This marriage is purely an arrangement of wealth: Mary King is a wealthy heiress. This shows Elizabeth’s understanding and tolerant nature as she accepts that many will indeed marry for financial reasons and security, however much she believes this is not for her, she sees that it can be necessary under the circumstances of 19th Century life.
From Darcy not being vaguely enticed by Elizabeth, he becomes so ardent towards her that he judges his love to be fervent enough for her to be the one he spends his life with. This determines that he does not love her for his physical impulses towards her, but instead he does so for her individuality, charm and character. The bond between the two characters exposes Austen’s ideals on love not being focused around beauty or primal attraction, but more readily knowing the personality of your companion before you dedicate your days to them. Darcy and Elizabeth are amid the few characters in the text that indeed marry for love; they are also among the few characters who find happiness. Austen represents her values on the principal of marrying for love through Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, and uses this relationship to substantiate to the audience that happiness in marriage can only be achieved if the couple are abundant in love.
The turbulence between Lydia and Wickham and the convenient marriages of the Bennets and Collin’s are used to juxtapose the success of the Darcy and Elizabeth wedlock. The joining of Wickham and Lydia proves to be the most fatal, ill-reasoned fusion as the characters are used as literary devices manipulated by Austen to deploy the devastation a marriage based on these reasons can have, these reasons being appearance and ignorance. Young Lydia is naïve and attractive to Wickham, often called a ‘silly girl’ by her parents, she is oblivious toward his inappropriate behaviour. This explosion of passion and poor judgement inevitable fizzles out hastily, and results in complete failure, a process in which a family was twisted and stretched, and faced social disgrace due to their daughters inane elopement.
Jane Austen positions reader so that we are influenced to concur with her outlook through the use of characters and events to express the issue of love. Such characters as Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas and Wickham and Lydia represent marriages forged under superficial purposes, all of which result in misery and discontent. The contrast between these relationships and Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s illustrate that happiness in marriage can only be acquired if they are true to their hearts. When emotion is stifled, only unhappiness can result. Through the woman of the story the readers distinguish the differing attitudes and reasoning behind marital choices and relationships, which depend mostly on their status and life and personal values. The reader is exposed to predominant and customary ideas held by society in Austen’s time, and through the heroine, a separate opinion is explored and valued. We witness how marriage is seen through the eyes of the wealthy and the restrictions they impose on happiness, yet through the eyes of her women and the use of irony opinions are influenced and attitudes adjusted.
‘Pride was defined as the ill-founded and unreasonable self-esteem of an individual. Prejudice, which can arise from a sense of pride are the result of
misguided or ill informed judgement of the true fact.’ When these two
themes are conjoined, the epic Pride and Prejudice is formed. The novel successfully depicted the era of regency, and each character and their involvement in the social hierarchy of minute societies in England. The story revolves around the process of self deception of hearts, and the realisation of errors in judgement, assumption too thoughtlessly applied and criticisms too freely given.
