Referring to the relationship between Mr and Mrs Bennet and between Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas, what positive and negative aspects of marriage does Jane Austen present in the novel?

by perlie (student)

Perlie Mong

In both marriages, the couples did not marry for love, with the women marrying for financial security while Mr Bennet married for physical attraction and Mr Collins married for convenience. There are both positive and negative aspects in the two marriages.

The first positive aspect is that women can gain financial security. In that society, if a woman did not marry well, she was very likely to live in relative poverty after the death of her father, working as a governess or becoming a burden on her family, a situation that Charlotte was facing, which we can see from her thought in chapter 22 ‘Marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune.’ By marrying Mr Collins, not only has she gained financial security, she also has a boost in both her social and family status. In terms of social status, she changes from an ageing spinster to the wife of a rector with the additional advantage of the link with Lady Catherine, as Elizabeth says in chapter 32, “In prudential light, it is certainly a very good match for her.” Elizabeth’s use of the phrase ‘prudential light’ shows that it is the general opinion of the society, indicating that it was normal for women at that time to marry for financial security. It also shows that even though Mr Collins is stupid and snobbish, he is still considered a good catch in that society as he can provide a comfortable life. In fact, the rise in Charlotte’s social status also benefits her family, for example her sister Maria has the chance to meet Lady Catherine in chapter 28. In terms of family status, she is no longer a burden depending on her family, but becomes a wife who has more independence and authority over household affairs. Charlotte seems to enjoy the new lifestyle even though she does not love Mr Collins, as Elizabeth observes in chapter 38, ‘Her home and housekeeping, her parish and poultry, had not yet lost their charms.’ Similarly, Mrs Bennet, daughter of the country attorney who does not have much money, gained financial security and a boost in her social status by marrying Mr Bennet, the local gentleman and landowner. Nowadays, even though some women are still concerned about men’s financial ability, they tend to marry for love. This is because they can work and support themselves.

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The second positive aspect is that the couples can have children. In that society, children, in particular sons, are heirs to family wealth. Therefore, men, by having children (sons), can make sure that their wealth can be passed on to their descendants instead of their relatives. Moreover, children can bring great happiness to their lives, which we can see from the intimate relationship between Mr Bennet and Elizabeth. It is evident that Mr Bennet greatly enjoys her company. When Elizabeth goes back home from Hunsford in chapter 39, ‘more than once did Mr Bennet say voluntarily to Elizabeth, “I am glad you are back, Lizzy.”’For Mrs Bennet, her youngest daughter, Lydia, also brings her great joy, which we can see from the fact that Mrs Bennet is very fond of Lydia. In chapter 2 she singles Lydia out by saying, “Lydia, my love, though you are the youngest, I dare say Mr Bingley will dance with you in the next ball.” Charlotte is expecting Mr Collins’ baby in the end of the novel. This gives her a purpose in life as she is going to become a mother. In fact, being a mother gives Mrs Bennet her purpose in life too, which we can see from the fact that her life is quite centred around her children. In chapter 1, it is made clear that ‘the business of her life was to get her daughter married.’

But there are also negative aspects of marriages not based on love. Firstly, both couples seem incompatible to each other, which results in unhappiness. Mr Bennet, who married because of Mrs Bennet’s physical charm, is clearly dissatisfied in his marriage, which we can see in chapter 42, ‘Her weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her.’ Mrs Bennet does not seem to be happy in the marriage either as Mr Bennet is constantly mocking her, as she complains in chapter 1, “You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves.” In fact, Jane Austen often uses humorous expressions when Mr Bennet is mocking Mrs Bennet. Yet in a loving marriage, the husband should not take pleasure in mocking his wife. But Mr Bennet, who is so disillusioned by the marriage, can only take pleasure in it, as described in chapter 42, ‘To his wife he was very little otherwise indebted, than as her ignorance and folly had contributed to his amusement.’ Charlotte and Mr Collins are also incompatible to each other as Charlotte is sensible and intelligent whereas Mr Collinsis sycophantic and insensible. Jane Austen has also used irony to highlight their incompatibility. The fact that Mr Collins says in chapter 38, ‘My dear Charlotte and I have but one mind and one way of thinking’ emphasises the fact that he does not understand his wife at all. In fact, Charlotte knows that her marriage will not be happy before she marries Mr Collins, which we can see from the fact that she asks Elizabeth to write to her often when she is leaving for Hunsford, showing that she is already afraid to be alone with him at that point. Jane Austen also constantly satirises Mr Collins’ ridiculousness, explaining why Charlotte is often ashamed of him, as Elizabeth describes in chapter 28 when Mr Collins is talking, ‘Once or twice she could discern a fainth blush; but in general Charlotte wisely did not hear.’ Another negative aspect of an unequal marriage is that one side (usually women who had to marry for financial security) might be humiliated, as Mr Bennet thinks in chapter 23, ‘it gratified him to discover that Charlotte Lucas, whom he used to think tolerably sensible, was as foolish as his wife, and more foolish than his daughter.’

The incompatibility of the couple might also set a bad role model for the children, for example the Bennet girls always see their father ridiculing their mother. Therefore incompatible marriages may lead to the same in the next generation. Moreover, the less intelligent partner is not likely to be a good parent because of his/her lack of sense, leading to the children being lack of sense. Mrs Bennet is a good example of this, as Elizabeth describes in chapter 37, ‘her mother, with manners so far from right herself, was entirely insensible of the evil,’ explaining why Kitty and Lydia are ignorant, idle and vain. Mr Bennet, on the other hand, is so disillusioned by the marriage that he becomes very cynical and cannot be bothered to correct the inappropriate behaviours of his younger daughters, as described in chapter 37, ‘Mr Bennet, contented with laughing at them, would never exert himself to restrain the wild giddiness of his wife and younger daughters.’ This not only causes embarrassment to Jane and Elizabeth, which is clearly demonstrated in the Netherfield Ball, but also leads to Lydia eloping later in the novel which brings huge shame to the family.

In conclusion, Jane Austen presents both positive and negative aspects of marriage through the relationship between Mr and Mrs Bennet and between Mr Collins and Charlotte. The main positive aspects is the gaining of financial security for women and the prospects of the children; the main negative aspects is the unhappiness due to incompatibility and the negative impact on the children.

Word Count: 1296