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How Does Jane Austen's View Of Marriage

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The world of Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice is one in which women’s rights were limited due to society’s patriarchal point of view. In Jane Austen’s world, women suffered on the account of their gender in a class pretension society making it only possible to increase social mobility through the mean of marriage. Austen depicts marriage as an economical business, needed to rescue women from succumbing to a life of poverty and disgrace. In a society that affirm the principle values of marriage as a social institution, Austen shows the many sides of marriage and satirizes marriage that base love on appearances, wealth and class by showing that it only leads to one own misery and unhappiness, whereas true leads to happiness and joy. “It is …show more content…

They live in a patriarchal society, where a man who remains single for long risk loneliness and where an unmarried woman faces a lack of financial security. From Charlotte’s view, social injustice means that women have to manipulate a man into marriage for the sake of their future. Charlotte views love to be irrelevant to marriage and see her husband as a commodity that will relieve her from poverty. Even though Elizabeth tries to convince Charlotte to rethink the proposal, underneath the marriage lays a reality to it that reflects marriage during Jane’s time. Charlotte marries Mr. Collin as a “worldly advantage” for financial stability and social security, which makes Charlotte a mirror of reality. Trapped in a social web, Charlotte recognizes the reality of her situations and accepts it rather than rejects it like Elizabeth. Charlotte’s father, Sir William Lucas, is a retired financial stable knight. Therefore, Charlotte cannot marry below her social status. However, her plain appearance does not enable her to attract a truly wealthy man so she must settle for Mr. Collins. Charlotte’s views on marriage and love have a contrasting point of view in compare to Elizabeth. While Elizabeth is in a pursuit of happiness, Charlotte is in pursuit of mere comfort for she “only ask a comfortable home” (84). Charlotte obeyed society and bear the loneliness that comes with her marriage to Mr. Collins …show more content…

Although the interactions leading to Mr. Collins’ proposal to Charlotte is not present in the film, Charlotte confronts Elizabeth with the news of her engagement. Charlotte insists that Mr. Collin is the best she could hope for. From this scene, it becomes apparent that Charlotte have a textured idea of the future she is choosing. In her eyes, the success of her marriage lies in the comfortable economy of their household which becomes clear when Elizabeth visit Charlotte for the first time. Charlotte has settled into married life and she encourages Mr. Collins to work in the garden and leave her to the enjoyment of their home. As they drink tea in a separate room, Charlotte mentions that they [Elizabeth and her] shall not be disturbed for Mr. Collin allow her to have the room to herself. It becomes clear that Charlotte married solely for the security of the home because she confines herself inside while Mr. Collins stays out. They both finds contentment in their marriage only when they are not in the present of one another. Austen reveals her sensibility for Charlotte as a vestigial character left over from an era of practical marriage rather than a romantic

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