The Theme of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Collins in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice epitomize the two type of women of the era. Elizabeth is strong willed, independent, and wants to marry for love. Charlotte is the opposite. She is easily swayed by a man’s pocket and uses marriage as a way to move up in social status. Elizabeth and Charlotte are foils of each other.

Austen states that the aristocracy’s view of holy matrimony no longer reflects the natural love between two people, dropping their status below Elizabeth’s.Austen humorously disparages Charlotte’s superficial view of marriage by starkly contrasting them with Elizabeth’s to expose Charlotte’s low status. Charlotte believes that “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance” and that “very few of us have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement” (14). This indicates that Charlotte believes love is not essential to the success of marriage and therefore she lacks status. Her satire commends Elizabeth’s rebellion against class hierarchy, and commends her refusal to marry without love even if it means passing up the most sought after bachelors, and thus raising her status above Charlottes.

In later events, Elizabeth reflects on the news of Charlotte’s engagement. “It was a long time before she became at all reconciled to the idea of so unsuitable a match. The strangeness of Mr. Collins 's making two offers of marriage within three days was nothing in comparison of his being now accepted. She had always felt that Charlotte 's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture! And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen" (22.18) Where marrying for financial security is fairly common, Elizabeth 's opinion and views of marrying for love does not mirror that of the time she lives in. Elizabeth is therefore unsurprisingly disappointed and shocked that her friend has settled to marry someone, who although is wealthy, is also much less desirable in character, only on the basis of financial security. She finds it shameful that someone who is a "sensible, intelligent young woman” (5.2), should have to settle for someone like Mr. Collins just so she no longer has to worry about becoming a spinster. But Charlotte poses a sound

As Charlotte and Elizabeth look on at Jane and Mr. Bingley finding affection in one another, Charlotte finds it trivial because that is not what makes a marriage important. When it comes time to apply this ideology to her own marriage, Charlotte does so, much to the dismay of Elizabeth. While Charlotte is marrying someone who had proposed to Elizabeth three days prior, Charlotte is able to find what she desires out of marriage. She tells Elizabeth: “I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state,” (Austen, 96).

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want if a wife"

Charlotte Lucas, a close friend of Elizabeth, does not share the same views on marriage. She is shown to agree more with what was expected women in The Regency Era. Once Elizabeth refused to marry Mr. Collins, considering that she lacked complete love for the man, he went onto propose to Charlotte, where she accepted at once. “Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honorable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune” (Austen 106). When Charlotte speaks of marriage there is no love mentioned to it. Her idea of marriage is to find a stable home and income, which can provide discomfort to the readers, chiefly in this modern society. Charlotte goes further on to

Austen uses her to portray the type of marriages that have a very obedient wife that does not marry for love. She shows us this by making Charlotte marry Mr. Collins. Charlotte is a pessimistic woman who does not believe she will find another husband. She does not risk denying Collins proposal. In her perspective Collins is an acceptable spouse for her. "I see what you are feeling," replied Charlotte. "You must be surprised, very much surprised—so lately as Mr. Collins was wishing to marry you. But when you have had time to think it over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state." (22.17) Charlotte sees Mr. Collins as a financial supporter and that he can provide her a house where she can stay secure in. Charlotte did really care about her marriage life, but because she is becoming old, her attractiveness to men towards her is decreasing and her patience in waiting for a man to show up collapsed. That’s why she decided to marry Collins, because she knew no one would ask her other than

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas is a neighbor to the Bennet family, one of Elizabeth's close friends, and the wife of the clergyman Mr. Collins. Elizabeth confides in Charlotte a great deal throughout the novel, but is very put off by her marriage, knowing that her husband is a complete fool. Charlotte, however, is not upset by her choice- she knows she's growing older without much money and is aware of the comfortable life she can gain by marrying Mr. Collins. The opposite happens for Jane and Elizabeth, who both fall in love first before marrying their desired partner. Charlotte's lifestyle is a lot more accurate to the life of a woman in 18th century Britain, and a lot more different than the fictional fate of the older

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen introduces the major thematic concept of marriage and financial wealth. Throughout the novel, Austen depicts various relationships that exhibit the two recurring themes. Set during the regency period, the perception of marriage revolves around a universal truth. Austen claims that a single man “must be in want of a wife.” Hence, the social stature and wealth of men were of principal importance for women. Austen, however, hints that the opposite may prove more exact: a single woman, under the social limitations, is in want of a husband. Through this speculation, Austen acknowledges that the economic pressure of social acceptance serves as a foundation for a proper marriage.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man

Elizabeth’s trust in Jane is strengthened by the weakening of trust in her dear friend Charlotte Lucas. Elizabeth is, naturally, shocked when she hears that Charlotte is engaged to be married to Mr. Collins mere days after Elizabeth herself had refused his hand in marriage. “In as short a time as Mr. Collins’s speeches would allow, everything was settled between them to the satisfaction of both” (Austen 106). Jane’s role as confidante is strengthened by this sudden marriage arrangement because Elizabeth’s “disappointment in Charlotte made her turn with fonder regard to her sister, of whose rectitude and delicacy she was sure her opinion could never be shaken” (Austen

Charlotte is a neighbour and friend of Elizabeth, who is older and unmarried at the beginning of the story. She is simple in her values and does not question a women's role in society. Charlotte's main achievement in the story occurred when she was able to secure a proposal of marriage from Mr. Collins after he had been rejected by Elizabeth, who asked why she accepted. Charlotte explained "I am not a romantic you know. I never was. I only ask for a comfortable home; considering Mr Collins's character, connections, situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is fair, as most people can boast on entering a marriage state" By this Charlotte is questioning Elizabeth's values, believing she is over her head in her ideas. She is simply happy with what she has been dealt

single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Although marriage was expected during the Victorian Era, for many women it was considered a necessity in order to gain financial stability. Austen argues this issue through one of her characters, Charlotte, "When you have had time to think it over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins' character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state. (22.17)" Charlotte is portrayed as a traditional Victorian Era woman because she places value on being supported by her husband and not love, which was very common for women during this

Through the use of literary devices, Pride and Prejudice reveals Jane Austen’s attitude towards the novel’s theme of true love through the actions of the suitors; the process of courtship in the 1800s articulates characterization, foreshadowing, and irony. The novel opens with the line, “it is a truth acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of wife,” (Austen 1) which foreshadows the conflict of finding a significant other . During the Victorian age, men and women courted others of the same education, wealth, and social status; it was considered uncommon for someone to marry beneath them or to marry for love. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth Bennett’s encounters with different characters of varying