Topic > Elizabeth Bennet's attitude towards marriage in Pride and Prejudice

IndexMarriage in Pride and Prejudice: EssayConclusionWorks CitedMarriage in Pride and Prejudice: EssayThe institution of marriage is an important theme in Austen's Pride and Prejudice because he was portrayed as a dominant force during this period. Marriage circulates around each of the Bennet daughters with their mother, Mrs. Bennet is consumed by the desire to see her daughters married to a rich man. This can be distinguished whenever the third person narrator states; “His life's work was to marry off his daughters.” This exemplifies the fact that during Austen's time women believed they could do nothing other than what was expected of them. For this reason, marriages were mostly arranged within the same social class, as Charlotte Betts, a literary academic, states, "a good marriage to a man with a satisfactory income was of vital importance to a woman as she rarely had other means of financial support". ' This further adds to why Mrs Bennet wants her daughters to marry a rich man as he can provide them with money and security. His actions can also be considered an act of love on his part as he wishes nothing but the best opportunities for each of his daughters. This is reinforced by his statement: "if I can have one of my daughters happily settled in Netherfield, and all the rest equally married, I shall have nothing to wish for." Austen therefore states that parental approval is vital to a woman's happiness until she marries, as further identified by the academic Swords: "women may be seen as oppressed victims of a patriarchal society, subordinate first to their fathers and , then to their husbands who had, of course, were selected by their fathers.' This illustrates the many limitations placed on women as it brings about the problem that they cannot inherit property since once they get married, they have no control over their assets and their destiny becomes the property of their husband on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Elizabeth does not conform to the expectations listed by her mother as she follows her own morals and does not wish to marry for money. Since she rejects Mr. Collins' proposal, one can suggest that Elizabeth's actions in not marrying him can be seen as one of the most revolutionary things a woman in this period could do Charlotte Betts, in her article on women in Georgian times, states that "many marriages were arranged between families in which. the bride had little say in choosing her husband". This may demonstrate that Elizabeth's role differs from the traditional role of women in society as she would prefer to marry for love rather than to indulge in her husband's wealth. Elizabeth may also differ from the traditional role of women in society as she ignores Mr. Collins's proposal due to the many irrationalities in his tone regarding his proposal to Elizabeth. She doesn't appreciate the fact that he decided to "start out very neatly" with all the observances that he thought were part and parcel of the matter.' For a nineteenth-century man, marriage became an act of economic utility, a strategy through which he could increase his personal fortune. This can be said through the perspective of Mr. Collins' marriage, which overlooks his proposal to Elizabeth as a minor business transaction, which is why Elizabeth intends to marry a man who makes her happy, and not purely for the sake of caring for financial stability that would be to herprovided. for her. However, as noted in Elizabeth's letter to Jane stating her family's move to London, she recognizes that marriage is vital during her time as she is not independently wealthy. In the letter she comments that "we are not rich enough or important enough for them." This shows that it is crucial to emphasize that income matters since a "good marriage, in the society described by Jane Austen, is always one that enhances status, and status is primarily a matter of wealth." In contrast to Elizabeth's values ​​regarding marriage, her closest friend Charlotte Lucas represents a traditional woman's point of view, as she states whenever she talks about Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley's marriage, "if she's sure with him, then she will have time to fall in love as much as she wants." Here Charlotte prioritizes safety over love, as she (Reena 130) pointed out, “Charlotte finds herself with little to recommend her and even fewer options on the marriage front.” Underlying social views of marriage, Charlotte is no longer a young woman and would be considered a spinster if she did not accept Mr. Collins' proposal. For this reason, he states to Elizabeth, "When you have had time to think it all over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done." I'm not a romantic, you now. I never have been. I only ask for a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connections, and situation in life, I am satisfied that my chances of happiness with him are as fair as most people can boast upon entering the married state.'Charlotte has made up her mind that she wants him to safety has priority before love, she is not strong-willed like Elizabeth since her concern is to secure herself financially without necessarily wanting a happy relationship with Mr. Collins. Just like Mr. Collins, marriage is a kind of business transaction where marriage is a top priority for them. The romantic plots of Pride and Prejudice can be seen as ironic in many ways, with Austen showing disdain of romantic love through characters such as Mr.Collins who openly suggested that marriage is a mere "business transaction" and Charlotte who would signify the marriage as "decent" while embracing the simulacrum of the "Perfect Lady" that Poovey identified., Mary Poovey's study of the struggle of three eminent writers to adapt the artist's genius to the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century ideal of modest and self-effacing "decent lady". Interpreting novels, letters, diaries and political tracts in the context of cultural restrictions, Poovey makes an important contribution to English social and literary history and feminist theory. Unlike Elizabeth who chose to marry in the end out of love rather than anything else, her sister Lydia Bennet can demonstrate that the social view of marriage during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries suggested that scandal could prove the death of reputation. This is evident every time Lydia Bennet runs away with Mr.Wickham. being an officer who was colored by his contemporary reputation for sexual flirtation. Lydia was fascinated by the dazzling officer's uniforms, as was her mother, Mrs. Bennet, who admits that she remembers "the time when I was very fond of the red coat myself." Like her mother, Lydia does not think, so she simply acts on her impulses which almost leads to her ruin, putting her family in despair because she is a respectable woman who ends up marrying a common soldier. Tim Fulford further adds that "from the beginning the soldiers are seen in terms of the romantic naivety of the younger sisters and the nostalgia ofMrs. Bennet, who learned nothing from her increased experience". A woman's reputation depended on her social status, this was especially true for young, unmarried women. However, Lydia ruined any opportunity for an advantageous alliance. Her immaturity led to the loss of her reputation, as it is stated in the text that “once a woman's reputation is lost, it is lost forever.” This passage believes that her marriage to Wickham has lost her reputation, as Austen represents the relationship between them based solely on physical gratification, neither financial security nor love. By stating this, Collins points out that "this will be detrimental to everyone else's fortunes." Here he is highlighting that Lydia's escape and the associated scandal in Wickham they will have a negative impact on the reputations of the other Bennet sisters, which is why their relationship was poorly rejected by the sisters and both parents. An attentive reader such as Marie N. Sorbo believes that "Austen's attitude towards marriage is entirely ironic". Through characters like Lidia, who marries out of vanity and not for love. Sorbo further states that "Austen comes close to giving us a disillusioned dismissal of romantic love, as if the narrator is teasing us that he knows we came to the book for the romance, but the romance doesn't exist, only speculation." Vivien Jones argues. that in Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice that the relationship between marriage and money are the main plots of each novel. However, it appears that Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley are an exception as they fall into the category of marrying for love rather than money, with Bingley identified as "modest and having no opinion on his marriage". They both sincerely love each other despite Mr. Bingley's sisters not accepting Jane because they wanted their brother to marry Mr. Darcy's sister, who they considered more "superior" to Jane. However, he does not conform to his sister's wishes and marries Jane, who appears to have little concern for money and stability, with Bingley also reeling from the challenges of social norms, as he is unconcerned about the Bennet family background. Likewise, Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy represent an exception to social norms as they both marry for love rather than money. Austen's major study of the links between intelligence and freedom is presented as a love story, and of a kind she was fond of describing as "rather light and bright and parked." As Suan Morgan identifies, "Most of the action in Pride and Prejudice can be considered a love story that violates the traditions of romance." Lady Catherine De Bourgh, through Darcy's proposal to Elizabeth, believed that Pemberly and the family associated with her would lose its status and greatness due to Elizabeth's inferiority. However, Mr.Darcy states during his proposal "I have struggled in vain". It's not good'. Here he suggests that he loves Elizabeth against her will due to their class differences, rather he admires her as she presents an incongruent example of maiden decorum by displaying intellectual curiosity and independent thinking, which was an alternative to the average Georgian lady. As Mrs. Bennet says, "Lizzy has something more in the way of quickness than her sisters." Elizabeth embodies the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke; “reason and free will are excellent indicators of one's success and destiny.” Furthermore, noting that she also has many similarities to a blue-stockinged woman with notable academic, literary, or intellectual abilities or interests. This was a literary society led by Elizabeth Montagu and others in the 1950s,.