Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen written in the early 1800s. Jane Austen never got married and died into her late forties, shortly after writing her novel
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen written in the early 1800s. Jane Austen never got married and died into her late forties, shortly after writing her novel.
This popular novel tells the story of young middle class women, who are required to think upon the possibility of finding and marrying a suitable husband that will provide and fulfil all of their needs.
Money is a particularly important aspect for a relationship to occur and succeed; women were always in the constant search for men who were financially stable, and who would be able to grant them with the economic stability and luxury they longed for. Furthermore, a union with an influential man would help other family members such as younger sisters find a respectable husband or suitor.
This evidently tells us that almost all marriages were made for interest and not for love, therefore as it was not a union of love; men were able to obtain a higher and more influential position of power in the home and society.
Middle class women who didn't get married on time or didn't find a "proper" husband, would end up living in poor unworthy conditions and be called the common name of "spinster", a term very much feared by the protective mothers and young women themselves. It refers to a woman who has remained single beyond the conventional age for marrying.
Perhaps for this reason it was crucial that all young ladies found a suitable husband no matter the cost or effort. Humiliation would be one of the many things single women had to face with in case they were late for getting married.
In Pride and Prejudice we come across a very peculiar character, called Mr Collins. He is cousin to Mr Bennett, head of the Bennett's family and closest blood relative.
In the times when the novel was set it was a custom that if a man died and had left a fortune or a possession behind without having a son, all properties had to be given to the nearest male relative in his family. Even if the man had a family of only daughters, his offspring would never be able to benefit from his riches in any possible way, so it becomes clear to us that the obsession Mrs Bennett has at marrying her daughters is because she does not wish to become penniless and homeless after her husband's death.
Mr Collins is a subservient character as he obeys others without question; especially Lady Catherine de Burgh who is very manipulative, powerful and respected.
She is one of richest and most influential women of the area and attends Mr Collins parish, therefore I suspect that for this reason he feels honoured and supported by her, and could not afford to loose her friendship and fend for himself. So he figured out that if he obeyed her wishes and commands, she will help him in his own ambitions and projects.
She is also very intrusive and controls personal aspects of his life, when she advises him on choosing a wife. "Choose a woman Mr Collins, for my sake and for your own." By saying "for my sake..." she sounds meddlesome, because it is a matter that does not concern her, however close she is to Mr Collins.
Mr Collins is incredibly arrogant upon his arrival at the Bennett's residence; he feels he's important only for being Lady Catherine's close acquaintance. He lacks judgement in his actions and shows himself as a pathetic and absurd character, he ...
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She is also very intrusive and controls personal aspects of his life, when she advises him on choosing a wife. "Choose a woman Mr Collins, for my sake and for your own." By saying "for my sake..." she sounds meddlesome, because it is a matter that does not concern her, however close she is to Mr Collins.
Mr Collins is incredibly arrogant upon his arrival at the Bennett's residence; he feels he's important only for being Lady Catherine's close acquaintance. He lacks judgement in his actions and shows himself as a pathetic and absurd character, he is also very proud and pompous purely because he cannot stand being rejected, especially by a determined woman such as Elizabeth Bennett.
Mr Collins is a selfish man because he does not consider important what other people think and feel and it is clearly reflected in his marriage proposal to Elizabeth Bennett.
As he starts presenting his reasons for marriage we can sense a tone of confidence in his speech. "My reasons for marrying are..." I guess he already anticipates a positive response from Elizabeth by the way he explains his views. However until this point Elizabeth has not had a chance to speak and voice her opinion, so by emphasising "My reasons..." we can learn that he's selfish and a bit careless with regards to Elizabeth's own reasons for marrying a man like him.
He is also insincere because he lies to Elizabeth about feelings, which he doesn't experience or feel when talking about them. In his proposal it is evident that he only mentions the ways in which their union will only benefit him as a man, "it is a right thing for every clergyman... to set the example of matrimony to his parish." He believes that by getting married he can show himself as a man of great wisdom and example to all followers of his parish.
Mr Collins is also very discourteous, offensive and insensitive when mentioning the fact that if Elizabeth's father was to die, he would be the one to earn all the properties and she the one penniless and homeless if she decides not to opt for this desirable man and petition. Also that he could help soothe the bitter feeling of sadness and melancholy in Elizabeth's life, should her father's death cause all these disturbances in the family.
"I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible. When the melancholy even takes place" and "a thousand pounds...is all you may ever be entitled to". He is so unaware that Elizabeth would not find much consolation in a man like Mr Collins that to make matters more severe he mentions the fact that Elizabeth would only be entitled to at least a thousand pounds, which results in a very unkind remark after the comments about Mr Bennett's possible death.
The reason as to why Mr Collins has chosen Elizabeth for a wife is because when he arrived at her house he felt initially attracted to the eldest daughter Jane but with the vigorous insistence from Mrs Bennett she advised him to go for Elizabeth rather than Jane. It is very clear to us, that Mrs Bennett has some preference for her daughter Jane, as she is described as one of the most beautiful one from the five daughters in the Bennett's household. Perhaps her mother believes that some day she could marry someone worthy of her beauty without lacking a fortune and luxuries to spoil her with.
Despite the change in plans in Mr Collins "schedule", he manages to overcome his desire for Jane, and opts for Elizabeth, who is not far from being as perfect as her sister. She is mature, modest and intelligent, which probably explains why Mr Collins wasn't reluctant to accept her as a wife.
Another factor which contributed to his choice is that she belongs to his social class, and is consequently not used to special commodities, Mr Collins would not be able to afford. "Your modesty, so far from doing you any disservice, rather adds to your other perfections." He admires Elizabeth's ability to be modest and humble in her actions and behaviour in front of guests and unfamiliar faces.
Referring back to the matter of social classes and the effect Lady Catherine has on Mr Collins, we learn that in one of her recommendations, she advises him to find a woman who is uncomplicated and rather simple, "not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way." By making this remark, Lady Catherine shows her awareness with regards to Mr Collins low income and inability to provide luxuries and commodities to an affluent future wife. Therefore Elizabeth would make a perfect match, in the eyes of Mr Collins and Lady Catherine.
Mr Collins attitudes to marriage show us that women were expected to be modest at all times and also that their affairs were less important than those of a man, therefore it would make them lowly and consequently men more powerful in every bodies eyes.
We can prove this theory in his marriage proposal, where we can notice that during his speech he is being pompous and does all the talking. This leaves Elizabeth unable to express all her thoughts and feelings about something that concerns her too.
This can show us that in the nineteenth century, women should've been grateful and modest by proving to be good wives and know how to run the house well.
Mr Darcy is another one of the main characters in the novel; he plays a significant role, as most of the story revolves around relationships and attitudes towards marriage in the wealthy and middle classes.
Mr Darcy met the Bennett family with the help of Mr Bingley at a party in Longbourne, whilst promising to visit Mr Bennett.
Mr Darcy is described by Jane Austen as an affluent, smart and desirable business man that any woman would be more than happy to be married to. However, he does not happen to make such a good impression on the Bennett family as he is thought of as an arrogant, intolerable man by Elizabeth judging from the way he introduced himself to her.
Further in to the story as we learn that Mr Collins prediction that Elizabeth wasn't going to get a marriage proposal again was wrong, Mr Darcy finds himself desperately in love with her and asks her if she would like to marry him. "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. "
This statement clearly expresses great passion and affection for Elizabeth, because for the first time in the novel one undoubtedly talks about his feelings in great detail and honesty. It also deeply surprises us, as readers, because of what we already know about Darcy's personality we would not expect such a man to talk in such abandon about his feelings for a woman of low social status like Elizabeth.
Once again Austen tells us how his agitation and reactions are at the moment of his proposal. It proves to us, how nervous Darcy is, at the way Elizabeth might respond to his proposal.
Despite the fact that he is a grown man, he admits to Elizabeth that his feelings for her can not be repressed, and judging from the tone of voice we can get a sense of desperation and frustration at not being able to control the impulse of expressing himself freely to Elizabeth.
"My feelings will not be repressed" he sounds determined to tell Elizabeth the extent of his situation because of loving her the way he does. By saying "will not be repressed" he makes her aware of his desperation and misery, which in turn may serve as a helpful remark in the hope for a positive response from Elizabeth.
Both men Mr Collins and Mr Darcy unite in mentioning the fact that Elizabeth is poor and low class. "The inferiority of your connections... whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own." This comment by Darcy sounds very rude and arrogant, it's almost like he's looking down on her, which shouldn't be like that, as he is in love with her and should respect as a human, rather than someone who lacks the commodities he as a rich man has.
But looking at this portion of the text we can also conclude that he doesn't mean to be arrogant, but needs to mention this fact in order to prove his point. He may want to emphasise that despite the reality of her inferiority, he's willing to jeopardise his position in life and business deals just for her.
However, he does worry about the comments that may start to circulate in his family, social circle and business colleagues. if were to marry Elizabeth. "Of the family obstacles which judgement had always opposed to inclination". He describes his family as being negative and unsupportive to his decisions with regards to the future of his own personal life.
This dilemma concludes in the rejection of Mr Darcy's proposal, which certainly leaves him devastated. I feel that Elizabeth thought it was necessary to decline to such a proposition and man, purely because of the problematic situation that may arise, should they have a relationship, so consequently she opted for an easy and safe solution.
Mr Darcy's attitudes towards marriage tell us that in the nineteenth century wealthy men would have to be careful when choosing a wife. They were expected to be wise and inspect every option to them as carefully as possible so that not only they could be happy but also their respective families.
It was more like a business contract between the two families, and a pantomime to acquaintances and business colleagues. Also that marriage was more of a materialistic matter rather than a romantic proof of love. Mr Darcy was very confident that Elizabeth would never reject a proposition like his. He thought that his money was able to buy someone's affection, but was proved wrong because Elizabeth was true to her morals and perhaps noticed that he was overconfident thanks to his money and desirability from other women.
However this does not mean that she was insensitive because she was well aware of the man that was proposing to her. "To the compliment of such man's affection". I suspect that she felt flattered by the adjectives used to describe his passion for her. But certainly wasn't enough to make her reconsider and choose him as a future husband
To conclude this essay I feel it's necessary to understand what Jane Austen wants to tell us, about relationships, marriage and proposals in the nineteenth century.
To show us, she uses women like Charlotte Lucas, who end up marrying men like Mr Collins only because it may be the best possible option or an adequate alternative to relief financial burden.
Also that Elizabeth is brave enough to decline an attractive marriage proposal, only to be true to her principals and ideology of real commitment, compromise and true love.
Furthermore Austen shows us how life would be like for women in the early nineteenth century if they were not financially stable. Most importantly she shows us the seriousness of marriage and the effects it can cause.
