'Reputation and social class are all that matters to Jane Austen's characters' Discuss how this is reflected in the relationships and marriage in Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'.

‘Reputation and social class are all that matters to Jane Austen’s characters’ Discuss how this is reflected in the relationships and marriage in Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

Marriage in the time of Jane Austen was hardly ever for love; marriage was commonly restricted to social class, people married for money and reputation not for love. Couples rarely ended in divorce, marriage was for life. Marriage was incredibly important, mothers often devoted their whole life’s to finding their daughters husbands. Women knew if they did not marry they would grow up to live with their parents and look after them in old age. No women wanted this as their life. Marriage was the only other option; young women would want to marry the richest men with the highest reputation and position in society as possible in to provide themselves with a better future, while men would desire to marry the most accomplished and attractive women. Marriage was nearly always the most important objective in a young girls life.

The Bennet family is an average upper middle classed family, Mrs. Bennet fits perfectly into the image a typical mother in Jane Austen’s time. She desperately wants to marry off her daughters to the richest men as possible not caring if any of her daughters actually have any feelings for these men.

Mr and Mrs. Bennet have five daughter’s, each of the Bennet sisters are very different, Jane, the eldest and the most handsome, Lizzy being opinionated and witty like her father, Mr Bennet, Lydia taking after her mother, desperate for marriage and very boisterous, Kitty who looks up to Lydia and wishes to be just like her and Mary a much smaller character in the novel, very passionate about books.

Mr and Mrs. Bennet clearly did not marry for love, although little is said of how Mr and Mrs. Bennet married it can be assumed by their conversations Mr Bennet married Mrs. Bennet for her good looks without knowing the extent of her lack of intelligence and had to suffer the consequences of not loving her, or even actually liking her later on in life. Many marriages would be similar in the time of Jane Austen, a women would never refuse a proposal as it was likely to be the only one she ever got, couples would then marry ...

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However Elizabeth Bennet wanted to marry for love, she disagreed greatly with the situation most marriages were formed on. Jane Austen shows her own views through Elizabeth Bennet; Jane Austen did not have the same opinion of a large amount of people at her time. She did not believe it was right to marry just for the sake of it. She shows this through Mr Collins proposal to Elizabeth. Throughout the proposal Jane Austen shows how many people viewed marriage, that marriage was not for love merely a way for life. When proposing to Elizabeth Bennet Mr Collins says ‘my reasons for marrying’ indicating that you should have reasons for marriage instead of love, he sees his proposal as more of a practical arrangement rather than a question in which Elizabeth has a right to say yes or no to. One of Mr Collins reasons ‘I think it is a right thing for every clergyman… to set the example of matrimony in his parish’ explaining that having as wife is simply to heighten his reputation and to gain more respect from his parish.

Mr Collins is also given instructions by Lady Catherine on what sort of women his wife must be, ‘let her be active, useful sort of women’. Mr Collins sets out to achieve what Lady Catherine asks him to do; this shows the importance of class and reputation. Mr Collin will do whatever Lady Catherine says because of her class and reputation, Lady Catherine has a great deal of respect, this is unusual as normally a women’s opinions or views were over looked. Yet because of her class and reputation, her wishes are extremely important to Mr Collins and many others around her who’s class is not as high as hers. It also shows that there is a certain expected level of standard a good wife has a to be, again representing that marriage is not for love, more for increasing one’s own class and reputation, and that a women has to be of very upper class to be considered worthy of respect.

Elizabeth however, when proposed to by Mr Collins refuses his offer of marriage, Mr Collins is shocked by her answer and believes she actually wants to accept his offer, he does not take no for an answer. When Elizabeth rejects his offer Mr Collins replies with ‘It is usual with young ladies to reject the address of man they secretly mean to accept.’ Mr Collins is extremely confident that she would and still will accept his proposal of marriage; young women would rarely refuse any proposal from a man. As women were not allowed to propose to men, many just agreed with whatever marriage they were offered if it increases their chance with a future with a better class. So Mr Collins finds her proposal hard to believe, as she should accept it might be the only proposal she will ever receive. When asked a second time by Mr Collins to marry him Elizabeth answers by saying ‘I do assure you that I am not one of those ladies willing to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time.’ Elizabeth feels love is important

in a marriage and puts her own happiness above society’s expectations of what she ought to do; she would rather have no husband than marry someone she doesn’t love and be miserable. Mr Collins was socially desirable; he would provide Elizabeth a home, respectability and long term stability for the Bennet family. However, on a personal level, Elizabeth realizes that Mr Collins would have brought her to insanity and that she could never love such a man.

However Mrs. Bennet does not have the same opinion as Elizabeth, she believes marriage is the most important thing, when she find out Elizabeth refused Mr Collins proposal she is furious, ‘if you take it in your head to go on refusing every offer of marriage in this way, you will never get a husband at all.’ Mrs. Bennet says this to her daughter Elizabeth, to Mrs. Bennet marrying off her daughters is all that matters; she wants them to have the highest reputation and social class as possible, she believes Elizabeth should have accepted Mr Collins. To Mrs. Bennet reputation and class is very significant, but Mr. Bennet disagrees. When Elizabeth goes to her father for support, and he says to her ‘your mother will never see you again if you marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.’ Mr. Bennet encourages Elizabeth not to accept Mr. Collins offer, he did not marry for love, and his marriage was not a very successful or happy one. Mr. Bennet does not want Elizabeth to make the same mistake he did, to Mr. Bennet social class and reputation is not all that matters.

The marriage between Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins is a comical and yet devastating relationship. Mr Collins travels to the Bennet’s home with the purpose of taking home a wife. He first lays eyes on Jane Bennet and, when discovering that she is likely to be very soon engaged, his attraction immediately turns towards Elizabeth. Having proposed and been rejected by Elizabeth, his self-image is not even remotely blemished and his attention is quickly transferred towards Charlotte Lucas. Only moments later Mr Collins announces the marriage of himself to Miss Lucas. Mr Collins could not possibly be in love with Charlotte, for only a week before he had loved Elizabeth. Jane Austen demonstrates marriage for purposes other than love. Charlotte marries Collins in order to gain financial and social security. She feels pressurized to marry fast and feels as though Mr Collins is her only option. Mr Collins is an intolerable man and Charlotte often finds herself rather embarrassed to be married to such a person. The relationship between these two characters proves the outcomes of placing practicality before romance and although Charlotte appears to be able to endure Mr Collins even though it is obvious she is not happy. Charlotte Lucas and Elisabeth Bennet are very close, when Elizabeth Bennet is visiting charlotte Lucas tells Elizabeth; ‘It often happens that a whole day passes in which we have not spent more than a few minutes in each other's company. I find that I can bear the solitude very cheerfully. I find myself... quite content with my situation Lizzy’ Charlotte Lucas would rather spend time by her self than with her husband Mr Collins, to charlotte social class and reputation is so important she eagerly marries Mr Collins although she does not enjoy his company even at beginning of their marriage.

Lydia and Wickham also do not marry for love.