Pride and Prejudice: Marriage
Essay written by Maria Engstrom
Introduction
For this essay, I chose to read the perhaps most famous book by the English author Jane Austen.
During the reading I was thinking about which theme I should choose to write about and analyze, and eventually I felt that marriage was the central keyword in the book. I will concentrate on the situation of the daughters in the family, since these are the best described in the novel. My dealing with different ideals and problems within a marriage will be illustrated with examples from the text.
Analysis
"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar beforehand, it
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Since money is so important, Wickham tries to elope with Georgiana Darcy only because of her fortune of £30,000 since the property of a woman automatically becomes the property of the husband in the marriage.
Marriage was therefore a great security for a happy life since there was nothing like the social security, old age pensions or health insurances we are provided with today.
"If you go on refusing every offer of marriage, you will never get a husband -- and I am sure I do not know who is to maintain you when your father is dead."
The sentence above is the quoting of Mrs. Bennet to Elizabeth after the refusal of Mr. Collins proposal. The statement reflects the situation for women in the novel and during this period. No professions (politics, university-related etc.) were open for women of the genteel classes, so independence on the woman's hand almost never occurred. The only "profession" available was that of being a governess, which meant educating the daughters of a family, but this was a job with low working conditions and lowly paid. Therefore women had to marry their life into money, happiness and a secured future (if they did not by chance happened to inherit a large sum of money.) As Charlotte
Lucas thoughts before accepting the proposal of Mr. Collins are pictured in the novel:
"Without thinking highly either of men or of
The next day, the Bennet’s cousin and heir to their estate joins them for breakfast. Elizabeth views him as a prickly, awkward, conceited man who places great value on things which Elizabeth does not- for example, class rank. As breakfast ends, he asks for a private audience with Lizzy. The Bennets know that this could only mean one thing, and before Elizabeth has a chance to respond, Mrs. Bennet enthusiastically agrees. Lizzy begs her family to stay, crying that Mr. Collins “can have nothing to say to me that anybody need not hear” (100). However her mother ignores her pleas and orders everyone from the room. Mr. Collins launches into a lengthy proposal, which Elizabeth flat out turns down. Mr. Collins responds,
In the novel, Jane Austen forces a massive amount of debt upon Wickham, along with previous attempts to marry Miss King and Miss Darcy for the large dowries that Austen attached to them, Austen makes it clear that she crafted Wickham as a man desperate for money. Austen motivates Wickham to marry Lydia in hopes of money. With Lydia, Austen curses her with a childish manner, Lydia is forced to misinterpret momentary infatuation for love. Comparatively, Austen crafts Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship as a much healthier one. Austen places less of a fiscal motivation on Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship than Lydia and Wickham’s relationship; at only one point during the course of the novel does Elizabeth declare her marriage to Darcy could be beneficial financially. In the scene where Elizabeth is touring Pemberley with her aunt and uncle, Austen gives readers a view inside the thoughts of Elizabeth, Austen shares how Elizabeth believes that all the elegantly furnished rooms could have been hers. With Darcy, Austen does something striking, she fabricates Darcy as infatuated with the mere thought of Elizabeth that the idea of marrying her, a person of low social and economic status, hardly seems to give him a moment of
Their jobs could include being a washer women, working for a wealthy resident, seamstress and a gardener. Women in the lower-working class were also expected to be mothers, housekeepers and workers resulting in them becoming very stressed. Women in this class often married for security and social status.
Back then women were not allowed to speak as often as they would have liked to. They were expected to be caregivers, have and raise children, and do household duties such as cleaning and cooking for the family. Basically that was a women's typical role, men were constantly seen as being way above women, so therefore they would always be the ones who commanded or had the final word in what would be done. Women were seen as passive and weak, and not as able to accomplish physically or mentally all that men
Marriage, a lifelong commitment, can lead to misery if not taken seriously. “Somebody had to stay and care for the folks. There warn't ever anybody
Marriage can be considered as one of the greater joys in life. Two individuals choosing to be in a loving and caring bond between one another, ideally, till death. This joy however, is sometimes challenge by obstacles. In his essay, A Marriage of Unequals, Tamar Lewin paints a vivid picture of some of the problems Cate Woolner and Dan Croteau faced in their marriage. Their problems were not religion, age, or personalities, but money.
By working in factories, women made money that would support them in later aspects of their lives and proceeded to make their lives better. For example, most of the women used their money to save for their dowries so they could one day marry a richer man ("Daughters"). If a woman came from a farm, she would never have as much to give her husband than a woman who worked and got paid. Some women even used the money they earned to pay for an education to better themselves and have a successful occupation one day with more pay. Additionally, with the money they saved up, the women could enjoy their lives by using their wages to “purchase pretty, store bought clothing” (“Daughters” 8). Lastly, the women could even use the money to support themselves and their families (including children, a husband, and
Unsatisfied with their partners results in divorce rates and infidelity. These have increased over the years, blemishing the institution of marriage. People may believe that compromises and self sacrifice in a marriage make it a failed institute but the same reasons make a marriage successful. A married man has a constant in his life- his partner. The security and companionship in the relationship helps him achieve happiness. The same sharing is now a pleasure, a way to prevent loneliness (Argyle; 1999). Marriage is known to cause greater satisfaction, greater self esteem and less distress. Evidence shows that married men and women are happier.
The stark divide between love and marriage shown right the way through cannot be comprehended fully by the twenty-first century reader: in today’s society marriage and love are mutually exclusive - you very rarely get one
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife".
Modern literature is known for questioning society and its various conventions. One question that these works often ask is, “What is real?” Some modern authors explore this question by placing their characters within self-constructed illusions that are later shattered by the introduction of reality. Marriages are frequently at the center of this theme, with one spouse crafting an illusory impression of the other. Modern literature demonstrates that a marriage built upon illusion will falter when exposed to reality.
The opening line in Austen’s P&P “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” is a direct reflection of society’s views on marriage in the 19th century.The irony of this quote however stems from the fact that it is more evident for a single woman, due to societal restrictions would be in want of a husband.In this period, a person was judged on their economical stance rather than their nature as exemplified by Mrs Bennet when she exclaims to Mr Bennet “A single man of large fortune: what a fine thing for our girls!” with the knowledge of the financial security that can be sought
Marriage can be what sociologist thinks of the world. Which is “things are not what they seem” in some situations. Meaning that you never know the real motives why some people get married.
Pride and Prejudice, a Jane Austen novel, is one of the most classical pieces of literature in history. It has been evaluated and critiqued a countless number of times, and has been adapted into several films. It can be argued that there is a lot to be retained by readers from this literary work, an important message that can be passed down from generation to generation. During Jane Austen’s time, in the early 1800’s, women were around to be married off, bear children, and cater to their man. Men were meant to work and instruct their women, and the more money you had, the more respected you were. A woman’s goal in life was to marry
Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy is fuelled when she hears from Wickham that Darcy has treated him wrongly. Elizabeth accepts Wickham's story without exploring it fully because she believes that he is a gentleman and so is trustworthy. This is another example of how first impressions can be wrong, as Wickham is not a gentleman as Elizabeth first thought and has not told Elizabeth the whole truth about why Darcy treated him wrongly. When Elizabeth finds out the vital information that Wickham has not mentioned her opinion of both Wickham and Darcy changes dramatically. This is a crucial point in the novel as this is when Elizabeth realises how easily she has formed prejudices and opinions about people that are wrong.