Pride and Prejudice - marriage

Rachael Hill 17th February 2008

With reference to key chapters and important relationships discuss how Jane Austen presents marriage in Pride and Prejudice. What comment on marriage does she make?

Pride and Prejudice, is the most famous of Jane Austen's novels and one of the first "romantic comedies" that she wrote. The novel opens with the line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife". This tells us that the main focus of the novel is going to be about marriage.

The story is set in Jane Austen’s time, when marriage was very important for security, wealth and a home to live in. The story centres on the Bennet family and their quest to find their five daughters suitable marriages. Mrs. Bennet's sole interest in life is to see her five eligible daughters well settled and happily married to fine men of 'considerable fortune' However, the task is not an easy one, as they are all very individual and each have their own ideas on what they want from marriage. The story explores the expectations, hopes, aspirations and at times disappointment of the daughters as they encounter stubbornness, prejudice, passion and deep love. Mr Bingly and his close friend Mr Darcy are very important to Jane and Lizzie. Mr Collins is a key character, as he considers three possible proposals. Mr Wickham through his relationship with Lydia is portrayed as a horrible man, with a bad reputation.

The Bennet family consists of Mr and Mrs Bennet who live with their five daughters on a farm in Longbourn. Mr Bennet is a gentleman which means that their daughters have the opportunity to marry a wealthy man. It is important that the daughters have successful marriages, as when Mr Bennet dies, his fortunes cannot be passed on to his daughters as only males could inherit and as he had no sons, all of his estate and wealth will be left to their closest male relative, their cousin, Mr Collins.

Marriage in the late 18th/early 19th century had been the same for many years. It was the responsibility of a woman to find a husband for financial support, security and a home to live in. It was rare that women married for love. As men were always the sex to inherit their family’s money, the only thing that they would require in a woman was beauty, good breeding and their skills. It was the woman’s task to get the man to fall in love with her, in order to be happy. In Pride and Prejudice, this rule is challenged as Lizzie and Jane especially, wish to marry for love.

The church in Jane Austen’s day strongly supported marriage as in their services they say that marriage is important ‘for the procreation of children.’ Also, marriage is important to prevent sin and avoid fornication. The church believes that marriage provides happiness, help and comfort to the man and the woman. Marriage is described as “honourable” and is approved of by God. The holy state of matrimony was respected by the church.

. Jane Austen tells us about each characters social status and financial background as this was a major contribution to marriage back then. In those times, one of the most important reasons to marry was because of money and income; it wasn't common for people to marry for love alone. Charlotte Lucas thinks this and says "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance". This implies that the marriage could be a happy or unhappy time depending on how well the characters know each other beforehand. Charlotte therefore suggests that “It is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.” Lizzie shows a practical approach to marriage, and therefore rejects Charlotte’s views. She feels that Charlotte is joking as she says “You make me laugh Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, as you would never act this way yourself.” The themes that are encompassed throughout the story are love, reputation and class, and the development of characters heavily relies on these three central themes. Charlotte’s views on these relative themes, especially love, are what makes her so vital to the story, whereas Elizabeth has a contrasting point of view and is not willing to give in to the surrounding pressures from her mother and society.

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I think that one of the reasons that Charlotte and Lizzies views are so different has something to do with the way that they have been brought up. As it is Mrs. Bennet’s main purpose in life is to get her children married, throughout most of the story she is doing everything in her power to get her daughters married. Because of this, there is a feeling of frustration and embarrassment especially by Elizabeth towards her which makes her want to get married at her own pace and without her mother’s interference. Charlotte has been brought up by a calm and respectable family which makes her a clear example of somebody who understands how important it is to marry a man of considerable fortune. When Mr Collins proposes to Lizzy the answer is no. I believe that the reason is no, because she feels very strongly about marrying someone she really loves. This is very unusual in those times as most women would marry someone that is chosen for them in order to gain a higher financial status. Charlotte however, understands that she needs to marry because of her financial position in order to gain a better social status, so when Mr Collins proposes, she accepts him.

In Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen portrays her own strong views on marriage. We can see this because she has based the whole of her novel around marriage making it the dominant theme, showing us a variety of different marriages. Starting from the first page where she reveals to us the marriage of Mr and Mrs Bennet and towards the end, when she finally reveals to us the marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth. From her letter extracts, we can tell that her feelings towards marriage are similar to Lizzies. We can tell that she approves of marriage as in her letter in 1808; she says “Marriage is a great improver.” We are also given this impression from the sentence “I consider everybody as having a right to marry once in their lives for love, if they can.” This also implies that not everybody can accomplish a good marriage. This suggests that she would not agree with Charlotte. The evidence that she would be against this is the quote “Anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without affection.” In her letters, she comments on numeral occasions that everybody deserves a happy marriage as “single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor” and also “nothing can be compared to the misery of being bound without love.” She advises however “do not be in a hurry; depend on it, the right man will come at last.” Jane Austen appears to be saying that everybody will find the right man.

If we look at Collins proposal, firstly to Lizzie, we can see that he supports the belief that women should marry for security and wealth. One of the main reasons that Lizzie rejects Mr. Collins proposal is that as she tells him, “her feeling will not allow it.” The way that Mr. Collins proposes to her does not clearly express his feelings, which may have given Lizzie the impression that he did not really love her. One of the reasons that Mr Collins thinks that he should marry Lizzie is that he believes that it would be the right thing for him as a clergyman, to set an example of matrimony in his parish as he says “My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish.” This may tell Lizzie that the only reason he is proposing to her is because it would appear to be a good example in his position at the church. His second reason was that it would add greatly to his happiness. This tells us that Lizzie’s company may provide happiness to Mr. Collins; however he had not yet told her how much he feels for her because he feels that this is not a major reason for marrying. His final reason is that it was the recommendation of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He goes into great detail about this and it is clearly important to him. This may give the impression that he is obsessed with Lady Catherine, which irritates Lizzie. He tells her that when he first entered their house, he noticed her above all of her other sisters however we know this is not true as he asks Mrs. Bennet permission to propose to Jane, however when he learns that she is to be engaged he immediately turns his affections towards Lizzie. Also, he believes that as he is to inherit their estate the daughters would automatically wish to marry him. He cannot therefore seem to comprehend the concept of Lizzie’s belief that one should only marry for love, and not just for security.

The relationship between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy is very complicated, as to begin with they appear to despise each other. This is reinforced when Lizzie overhears Mr Darcy criticising her as he says “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.” but when he is forced to share her company more because of the relationship between his closest friend Bingly and Jane, he begins to fall in love with her. When he proposes to Lizzie, it is very different to the way Mr. Collins proposes as one of the first things he says to her is “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Lizzie herself wishes to marry for love, and it is now clear that Mr. Darcy feels the same way. When he proposes, he shows that he is aware that “it is against the wishes of my family, friends and my own better judgement” Lizzie however, had recently heard from Colonel Fitzwilliam that it was Darcy who had disrupted the marriage of her sister Jane, with Mr Bingly. This infuriates Lizzie so she tells him her true feelings of hatred towards him and how disgusted she is of the way he also supposedly treated Wickham. Mr Darcy then realises how she really feels about him. Austen may be showing that in not all cases, the person you love feels the same way.

In Pride and Prejudice, we have many clues about Elizabeth’s views on marriage. For example, in the scene where she discusses love and marriage with Jane, she says that she wants to marry for love. Jane also agrees with this view. She believes that love should be above all of the reasons for marriage, such as wealth and security. She does realise how important it is to marry somebody who can provide these things however her character gives a sense that she would be prepared to risk these priorities to marry the man she loves. The way that she looks on the marriage of others, also shows her views. We can tell by her reactions that she sees Charlotte and Collins marriage as an abominable one. We get this impression as their marriage is inspired by security and companionship. It is also suggested how disgusted Lizzie is when she hears that although they are married, they have spent barely any time in each others company. Lizzie also admires how daring Charlotte is, even though she thinks it to be wrong. Her views towards Jane and Bingly’s marriage are that it is more appropriate. It is very clear that Bingly loves Jane, and although Jane doesn’t show it entirely, she also loves Bingly. Lizzie turns down both Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy. The reason for this is clear, she loves neither. She is quite harsh but speaks very plainly in her refusal for each of them. When Mr. Collins proposes, she tells him that she is grateful for his compliments but her feelings will not allow it. She does not wish to raise his hopes as she gets straight to the point. She explains to Darcy how she could never love him, for the way he treated her sister and Wickham and how antisocial and proud he appears to be. When Lizzie begins to discover his true character however, she realises how kind and generous he is, and begins to understand her feelings towards him much clearer and in a more positive manner.

After receiving Darcy’s letter, her feelings towards him are already beginning to change, as she is beginning to see the kind and caring side of him. In the letter, Mr Darcy then tries to amend the reasons why she is against him by explaining how he was not in the wrong about Mr. Wickham and his reasons for separating Mr. Bingly from Jane. Although she is still hurt that he separated her sister from Mr Bingly, she can see why he did this. Also she realises that he is innocent against the accusation that he had supposedly performed towards Mr. Wickham.

When Lizzie stays with her Aunt and Uncle Mr and Mrs Gardener in Derbyshire, she learns that she is very close to Mr. Darcy’s house, Pemberly. She agrees to visit the house, with the knowledge that he is not a home. Looking round the house she is amazed by its beauty but the style of the house appeals to her, as although he is rich, it is the opposite from Lady Catherine de Bough’s house, which is designed to attract envy. She learns from the housekeeper of Pemberly, how kind and generous he is towards all of the servants, which pleases her and she begins to admire him. When he unexpectedly arrives home a day early, Lizzie is astonished at how well he presents himself to Mr and Mrs Gardener. After the visit to Pemberly, it is clear that she is beginning to see Mr. Darcy in a different light.

Mr. Darcy’s second proposal is a lot more sophisticated than his first. He is also more confident, as he learns from his aunt, Lady Catherine that Lizzie would not promise to not accept his hand in marriage, if it is offered again. This gives Darcy his first hope that she is starting to have different, stronger feelings towards him. When he proposes, he only tells her that his wishes and affections have not changed. This is a queue for her, as she then tells him how her feelings are quite the opposite of what they were, and from this moment on, they are engaged. She thanks him for how much she has done for her family, connecting Jane and Bingly and for finding and saving Lydia. In this manner, Jane Austen shows how marriage is about putting others before yourself as Darcy has done. Through Darcy’s comments, Jane Austen reveals to us that in marriage, true love can be found through sacrificing ones own feelings. An example of this is in Darcy’s first proposal to Lizzie he says “In declaring myself thus, I am aware that it is against the wishes of my family, friends and my own better judgement.”

Because of the generosity that Mr. Darcy shows towards the Bennet family, Lydia is happily married to Wickham the man she loves. Jane Austen seems to show some sympathy towards Lydia, as she ran away from all of her friends and family to be with the man she loves, however he had no intentions of marrying her until he was made an offer of a large sum of money by Darcy. It is clear that Lydia has married for love; however she talks about marriage as a thing to show off about, not to appreciate properly. She may behave in this way as she has already lived and slept with a man. She acts in a very different way to her sisters, who take their relationships slowly making it more special, whereas Lydia seems to have rushed into things and so the only thing left to do is brag. As well as the fact that marrying Wickham will increase Lydia’s happiness, she also gets married for her family’s sake as she must feel some guilt towards the pain she has caused them. Also, it is to save her reputation and her sisters also, as it would be looked down upon to have slept with a man and not married him.

Jane Austen seems to compare the many reasons for marriage through the characters. She shows that Jane and Bingly and Elizabeth and Darcy have successful marriages, as they love each other. Jane Austen has used this success to support her own beliefs, as she too believes that people who are sensible about marriage will find the right man, as, through their determination, Jane and Lizzie have found lasting happiness and love. Jane Austen shows that Wickham and Lydia’s marriage is not as successful, as it is a one-way relationship. She gives a sense that Lydia deserved the marriage that she got however, as she acted in a childish manner throughout the book. As Charlotte Lucas rushed into the first marriage that she was offered, it would appear that she also deserved the marriage that she got. Also she compares the already established marriages of Mr and Mrs Gardener to Mr and Mrs Bennet. It is clear that Mr and Mrs Gardener make a very good couple as they always seem to know the right thing to say and are very similar. Mr and Mrs Bennet however are a strange couple as although they married for love, it is clear that Mr Bennet looks at his wife in a sarcastic manner. Throughout the novel, he spends most of his time in his study, staying out of the way of his wife as she constantly raises her nerves and appears to be irritated by her presence.

Most of the Bennet’s have married for love and romance, including Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Pride and Prejudice explores the many reasons for marriage successfully, and subtly puts over the author’s own opinion.