“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”- this is how Pride and Prejudice begins. Poor single women like the Bennet sisters are quite disadvantaged in life, unless they marry preferably wealthy men to give them a comfortable life. Marriage is on everyone’s mind because it is quite simply a way of life; don’t get involved and you’re missing out. A lot of women want to get married purely for financial and security reasons, such as Charlotte, who decides to accept Mr Collins’ proposal because she is in her late twenties and getting too old to wait around any longer, and also knows that Collins will inherit the Bennet’s fortunes so hopes this means she can have a comfortable life. Mr Collins had initially wanted to propose to Jane, but doesn’t when he finds out that Wickham is more likely to ask her as they are already romancing, so then he tries Elizabeth, the next eldest daughter. His fickleness shows how he will just simply go for anyone, and he is rather pompous. He also has the view that marriage is simply for practical and economical stability in life and nothing more, and his proposal to Elizabeth is long-winded about the reasons why she should marry him. Collins assumes that she will accept because she is poor and may not get another proposal. Elizabeth is more strong-minded than typical women in that time, and has Collins taken aback when she immediately declines his offer. In contrast to her friend Charlotte and other women, Elizabeth decides that she only wants to marry for true love, and she refuses Collins because she isn’t in love with him (and she also finds him an objectionable character). Collins’ surprise and his arrogant nature makes him believe at first that Elizabeth is just playing hard to get, but gives up when he finally gets the message.
The general social idea in Pride and Prejudice is that men are there to rule and look after women, whilst women are there to be looked after. Money, social status and even good looks are often thought of as more important factors in marriage than love and personality. Lydia, for example, seems to overlook Wickham’s devious and deceitful character and can only see him as a handsome soldier. On the other hand, Jane and Elizabeth and their respective partners fall in love because they have suited personalities, despite the difference in class and wealth. The society is very patriarchal, but nobody seems to challenge this, except for Elizabeth, who tries to overturn the stereotypes with her strong will and character.
Being a black person in 20th century USA can be hard enough, with all the discrimination by the white people, but as shown in The Color Purple then there is even more abuse and tension within the African American community, particularly against women. Aside from Celie’s victimization by men in her life, we also hear about Sofia, who marries Mr ____’s son Harpo. As influenced by his father, Harpo is very controlling of his wife, but Sofia is strong and fights back. Her assertiveness also gets her into big trouble when she refuses to be the white mayor’s wife’s maid, then when the mayor hits her; she hits him back and lands in jail. Harpo then starts living with Mary Agnes, an Asian nicknamed “Squeak” at first to reflect her weak nature, and she is a lot easier to control than Sofia. Mary changes to a stronger person after she is raped by a white prison warden, and leaves Harpo to travel with Shug and Celie. Then there is Shug Avery, seemingly one of the more lucky female characters who doesn’t seem to suffer as much abuse, but instead is loved by many (such as Celie, Mr____, her husband Grady), and loves to be loved.
Pride and Prejudice and The Color Purple are both quite feminist works by feminist authors, writing about women who have to struggle against the dominating plight of men, and some succeeding in one way or another. Elizabeth breaks some social norms by not going for the first man who proposes (i.e. Mr Collins) but deciding to wait for her true love, Mr Darcy. Though, is quite odd that her husband that she chooses happens to be both handsome and rich, and she only makes her final decision after she has seen his large elaborate estate. Perhaps this is supposed to be an example that following your heart should guarantee happiness, as well as the chance for some extra benefits, like becoming rich. Whereas, Charlotte Lucas just marries for financial stability, but ends up quite unhappy because she finds Mr Collins to be an obnoxious fool, and has to put up with it. In The Color Purple, Celie’s pa forces her into marriage with Mr ____, who treats her badly and just uses her to take care of his children. Celie later learns to stand up to Mr ____, and enjoys and appreciates life a bit more when she meets Shug Avery. Celie is quite a weak person in the beginning, but as she learns from her experiences and keeps in touch with her sister Nettie about their adventures, she becomes a stronger person. She also experiences love for the first time, not with a man, but with a woman, Shug. The first time she actually enjoys sexual intimacy is with Shug, as she was raped and molested by her pa, and her and Mr ____ did not feel love for each other.
Both novels show how love can overrule oppression and domination, and that it is often better for people to get along than always follow the often stern and imperfect rules of society.
