The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen gives us a very good idea of how she views marriage, as well as society. The theme of marriage is set in the very opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice; "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. This first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice could not have better prepared the reader for the rest of the novel. Austen uses the Bennet family of Longbourn to illustrate the good and bad reasons behind marriage. Mrs. Bennet is an irritating woman whose main goal in life is to get her five daughters married. It might be correct in assuming that she felt social and financial pressure to do so. Her husband's land was entailed to his nephew, Mr. Collins, upon Mr. Bennet's death. Therefore, Mrs. Bennet wanted her daughters to have financial stability elsewhere in case of their father's death. In the time period of this story there was very little social acceptance of women who were single their whole lives. For the most part, women could not acquire money on their own without inheriting or marrying into good fortune. Women who could not find a husband were often referred to as old maids and lived their whole lives with their parents. I can understand why Mrs. Bennet did not want this for any of her daughters. The Bennets' marriage was not ideal. Mr. Bennet had married his wife because she was beautiful in her youth and her ability to supply him with children. Eventually though, her beauty faded and so did their enjoyment of each other. He enjoyed his time alone in his study where he could be away from his wife and daughters. Mrs. Bennet enjoyed gossiping about neighbors and finding future husbands for her daughters. I do believe that Austen is showing the reader that marrying only for physical appearance is wrong - beauty fades with time. Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's dearest friend, marries Mr. Collins for money. The narrator plainly states that Charlotte accepted his proposal for the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment. She was twenty-six years old and her family was beginning to be worried. Upon hearing of her engagement, her brothers were relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte dying an old maid. Charlotte wanted nothing more out of marriage than financial stability and that is what she got. In Hunsford it seems that Charlotte did nothing but tend to the chores of maintaining her home and pleasing Lady Catherine. I do not believe that Charlotte and Mr. Collins were in love at all and they did not really seem too happy in each other's company. I think their marriage was an illustration of why you should not marry just for financial reasons. Lydia's marriage to Wickham was simply for romance and lust. For a good while, the flirtatious teenager had had her eye on military officers. I believe that when Wickham showed her attention she fell in love and henceforth came their marriage. The sad fact is that she liked him a great deal more than he cared about her. Wickham had many debts and used the money he got from marrying her to pay them off. Therefore, Lydia is married to a man that doesn't really care for her all that much and Wickham is married to a girl that cannot really offer him anything. This couple shows that you should marry someone who feels the same towards you or eventually you will be unhappy. The marriages of the two eldest Bennet daughters were pleasant and appear to be ideal. Jane had longed for Mr. Bingley for quite a while. Bingley was handsome, rich, kind, and well liked. He and Jane shared many conversations and had complimentary personalities. They were pleasantly matched and I believe that they shared a happy life together. Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage was an excellent match. They were equal in intellect, had physical attraction and deep love for one another, financial security, romance, and friendship. They are the two I believe would be most happy in life. Austen wanted the reader to know that marriage should be approached as a package deal - a package of love, financial stability, physical attraction, and happiness.
The characters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice are not all miserable by the end of the novel. Happy marriages in Austen's novels do occur. The right people eventually come together, for example, Elizabeth and Darcy, the hero and heroine. The development of the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy is the most important proof of the whole overall theme of compromise. This relationship took work, it did not just occur. Elizabeth has to learn to control her prejudices. She forms her opinions very quickly and does not change them easily. Darcy has to learn to evaluate people on characteristics other than social rank. He is too proud of himself, as well as his high social class, and it affects his ability to relate to other people. Both Elizabeth and Darcy have to change a little and come to understand each other before they can be together.
In the novel, the theme of Pride and Prejudice is first introduced in chapter three at the dance. Darcy, acting on his own pride, insults Elizabeth. He claims that she is not handsome enough to tempt him. Elizabeth, overhearing his insult, considers his remark as a direct stab at her own pride. This succeeds in invoking a prejudice in her, against him that remains for the greater part of the novel. She feels that he is far too arrogant and proud. When Charlotte points out to Elizabeth that Darcy has a right to be proud Elizabeth replies; "That is very true, and I could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified mine". The entire novel consists of the forming of pride and prejudice.
The theme of pride is built up in many different ways. One method Austen uses to call attention to Darcy's extreme pride is by surrounding him with characters with similar faults, although, their pride is much more severe and much more insulting. The character in the story that represents an extension of Darcy's pride is his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. When Lady de Bourgh meets someone she sees only their rank and class in society. She does not appreciate anyone for any other aspect of them. She bases her thoughts on their compatibility in ranks, neglecting the concept of love. "My daughter and my nephew are formed for each other. They are descended on the maternal side, from the same noble line; and on the father's, from respectable, honourable, and ancient, though untitled families. Their fortune on both sides is splendid. They are destined for each other by the voice of every member of their respective houses."
Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, also represent the pride which Darcy possesses. The fact that they feel entitled to think of themselves well and other badly is proof of this. An example of their snobbishness is the arrogance they show towards Elizabeth when she tells of her walk to Netherfield. "That she should have walked three miles so early in the day, in such dirty weather, and by herself was almost incredulous to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and Elizabeth was convinced they held her in contempt for it."
Unlike the others, however, Darcy's pride is humbled. Elizabeth manages this hefty task by rejecting his marriage proposal.
We see the development of the theme of prejudice, right from the beginning of the novel, when we have the pleasure of meeting Miss Elizabeth. The readers usually see the love between Elizabeth and Darcy as a love between two opposites, because of the differences in attitudes and of course in rank in society. However there are in trueness characteristics, although mainly faults, in which there is a striking similarity between the two characters. This is Austen's way of emphasizing to the reader Elizabeth's fault of extreme prejudice. Whenever Elizabeth complains of Darcy's faults, she also touches upon one of her own. For example, Darcy's disapproval of Wickham is very similar to Elizabeth's disapproval of Darcy. Elizabeth is quick to see the faults of others; however she is reluctant to see her own faults. Her first clue that she has allowed her prejudices to stand in the way of judgment is that she was wrong about Mr. Wickham, which consequently makes her wrong about Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth knows that she must learn to be less prejudiced. By getting together, they benefit each other. Elizabeth makes Darcy realize his faults and conversely.
Other ways of looking at the novel come to the same basic conclusion of compromise. Pride and Prejudice uses the familiar contrast between art and nature as the ground of the book's action. Elizabeth is portrayed on the side of nature, feeling, impulse, originality, spontaneity; it wasn't possible for Jane Austen to deprecate art all together. The movement of the book is compromise, as Elizabeth learns to take class into account; Darcy comes to share Elizabeth's genius for treating all people with respect for their natural dignities.
The difference in the novel is in Austen's approach to Elizabeth. By making her as independent and lively as she does, perhaps she is trying to show society that this is acceptable. If society would learn to compromise and lose a bit of its rigidness, as Darcy did, then people would be able to fully appreciate characters like Elizabeth Bennet. Marriage is the only logical conclusion to this novel. Had the novel ended any other way, it would have had no point. As said before, the movement of the novel is towards compromise. Through marriage, Elizabeth and Darcy are making the ultimate compromise. They are both changing a little about themselves, so that their marriage can be successful. Had the novel ended without marriage, then the realizations on both Elizabeth, and Darcy's behalf would have been for nothing. Also, through the novel we see that Jane Austen is using marriage as a way of representing society. An ideal marriage is representative of an ideal society. If people used the same methods as a couple would use to obtain an ideal marriage, then perhaps we would be able to obtain an ideal society. By researching Jane Austen we know that most of the heroes and heroines end up at the end of the story in an ideal marriage. By having Darcy and Elizabeth end the novel engaged in an ideal marriage is a significant detail. Jane Austen, in doing this is suggesting that society would be better if it followed Elizabeth and Darcy's example. By controlling pride and prejudice, and by learning that compromise is sometimes the best way to happiness, society can hope to improve itself. Marriage in the end is the perfect ending, since it is both an affirmation of the values of society as well as a personal fulfilment, which it is for both Elizabeth and Darcy since they improve themselves by being together.
