“The death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this.”
Lydia’s selfish decision could of made the whole of the Bennet family a disgrace if Lydia had not married Wickham in the end. It would have been almost impossible for mr and Mrs Bennet to marry off any of their daughters.
Jane Austen deeply disapproves of Lydia’s decision and her character, she wrote,
‘Nothing but love, flirtation, and officers, have been in her head.’
Another example of a bad marriage is Charlotte’s and mr Collins’s marriage. Charlotte only married him for money and social status,
‘Marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well- educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasure preservatives from want.’
Charlotte openly admits to Elizabeth why she married Mr Collins, she says,
“I am not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr Collins’s character, connections, and situation in life. I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.”
Charlotte encourages mr Collins to do the gardening to keep out the way, which shows that she does not even like him let alone love him. She also chose the dull, dreary, unattractive back room of the house as her sitting room so mr Collins will not want to go into that room and disturb her.
Right from the start charlotte has a very risky way of getting husbands, which Jane Austen did not approve of. She told Elizabeth how Jane could ‘grad’ Bingley. She says,
“When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chuses.”
Jane Bennet believes that you should show little affection to a man, then if the man she loved ran off and left her other people would not think she liked him as much as she did, as she did not let her full affection show. Jane Austen approves with Jane’s method more than she approves with Charlotte Lucas’s.
Mr Collins has his own reasons for marriage; he states this while proposing to Elizabeth. He says he want to marry to set an example of matrimony in his parish, to make him happy, and because lady Catherine wants him to. He does not mention anything about love. Jane Austen believes mr Collins reasons for marriage are foolish.
At the beginning of the novel Elizabeth has a strange relationship with Mr Wickham. She finds him very agreeable and kind. Mrs Gardener Elizabeth’s aunt realises Elizabeth has feelings for Mr Wickham and warns her.
When the dark truth about Wickham is revealed, Elizabeth despises Wickham and is ashamed to think she ever took a liking to him.
Elizabeth also found Colonel Fitzwilliam (Mr Darcy’s cousin) amiable. When he realised she liked him he hinted;
“The youngest son of Earl can know very little of either. Now, seriously, what have you ever known of self denial and dependence? When have you been prevented by want of money from going wherever you chose, or procuring any thing you had fancy for?”
By saying this he is telling her that there is not any way he could marry her, as he needs to marry a wealthy woman as he has little money.
Jane Austen also states,
“She sometimes planned her marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was beyond com2parison the pleasantest man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life was most eligible; but, to counterbalance these advantages, Mr Darcy had considerable patronage in the church, and his cousin have none at all.”
Jane Austen is saying that Colonel Fitzwilliam has much lower status and does not have as good connections as Mr Darcy; therefore Colonel Fitzwilliam is not as superior as Mr Darcy.
Mr and Mrs Bennet’s marriage is a very unhappy one. Mr Bennet points out many times what he has suffered throughout the marriage. There was little money in their marriage; he fell for her youth and her beautiful face. Mr Bennet has little respect for Mrs Bennet forever teasing her and never supporting her wishes. When Elizabeth refused Mr Collins’s proposal, Mrs Bennet told her if she did not accept it she would never see her again, expecting Mr Bennet to support her decision she was horrified when Mr Bennet totally disagreed with her, and even said to Elizabeth that if she did marry mr Collins he would never see her again.
Mr Bennet also reveals how much he has suffered in his marriage when he is making sure Elizabeth really does want to marry Mr Darcy. He tells her;
“My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about.”
However, Elizabeth and Jane’s marriages are very happy and secure. Jane Austen approves of Elizabeth and Jane’s marriages, therefore I believe Jane Austen approves of marrying for love, but if there is no money in the marriage or no status, then there is little hope for the marriage.