Summary:
The main subject of Pride and Prejudice is marriage in an acquisitive society. The plot of the novel is driven by its examination and satire of the difficulties to be faced by any eligible female in pursuit of a husband. Austen mainly concentrates on the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy, keeping the relationships of Jane and Bingley, Charlotte and Collins, and Wickham and Lydia in the background.
Jane Austen uses the relationships of the characters in Pride and Prejudice to accurately satirize the convention of marriage. To contradict the conventional ideals and beliefs of society, she concentrates attention on a number of important courtships, which in turn provide a backdrop to the central romance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. The relationship of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas; Lydia's scandalous and disgraceful elopement with Mr. Wickham; and finally Jane and Bingley's timid associations all help to further show how Austen satirizes the convention of marriage.
In Jane Austen's time, courtship was a central and absolutely necessary convention. Family and marriage created a public and central position in the social and economic measures of English society. In this novel, marriage is seen as an institution that both determines and is determined by history. (Novels for Students, 303). It was involved with the social continuation of the family line through inherited property and with the making of social classes. Women were expected to have a dowry, provide by their parents or saved by themselves, which was to be given to your husband. For this reason, and a variety of others, only thirty percent of women married. It was no use to the women of this time to wait for their parents to die so ultimately they had to buy themselves a husband. Women inherited only through their husbands so they were practically born poor, and stayed poor, and lived well only by their husband's favor. That is why the state of marriage fell upon the responsibility of the female in the choice of her husband. This freedom of the English girl in courtship astonished many contemporary observers from other countries because to them marriages between reputable young people were usually arranged. This was done usually without any reference to the desires and wishes of the two people. Austen uses this novel and its characters to refute all previous views of marriage such as these and show society that marriage should be a unique moment of adventure, a time in a young girl's life where her destiny lay not in her family's hands but in her own. (Rubinstein 6-9).
The plot, as the first sentence of the novel announce, is about marriage. Austen begins with the adage that, "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (page 5). She makes marriage a constant pursuit in her haughty society of local balls and parties, which are a source of continuous gossip and speculation. Any marital news travels fast among the community. Jane Austen wanted to erase the pre-existing attitudes and conditions for marriage, which this society revolved around. She shows that a good income of a well-respected bachelor shouldn't be the main provision in the selection of a husband.
Society has a tendency to place a price very blatantly on an intimate human relationship. The first of these relationships is of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Darcy is absolutely sure of his class. He thinks in terms of manners and of civilized conduct. He is a very proud character. His aristocratic demeanor and his belief in the natural superiority of the wealthy, sometimes makes him unconsciously assume that a lack of money or social status are characteristics that disqualify people from marrying or loving each other. (Schorer 85). Lizzie speaks of Darcy, "He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and every body hoped that he would never come there again." (12). Elizabeth, being of a lower class and of a gentler personality quickly discovers this aspect of his character and immediately shows disinterest in Darcy. It is her flat rejection of his first proposal of marriage that sparks his eventual change of heart. He recognizes the essential arrogance of his upbringing and repents of it, finally learning to humble himself. Their relationship shows prejudice towards one another distinctly because of their pride. Darcy says, "Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry without some attention to money" (174). This demonstrates the idea of marriage as an economic merging, one class rising and another sinking.
Austen furthers the complexity of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship by causing differences in their personalities. Elizabeth is deceived by the façade of Darcy's complex personality. He seems most disagreeable and serves as the most difficult character for Elizabeth to interpret although the most necessary. Even though he seems to be Elizabeth's only plausible mate, she rejects his proposal because of his arrogant attitude when any other girl in her society would have jumped at the offer. Mr. Darcy's first movement toward Elizabeth represents the sexist view that he is a good catch who has only to choose and be accepted, that no matter how he has insulted any woman, she will be happy either to dance with or marry him whenever he can force himself to ask. Darcy says, "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me..." (page 13). Austen shows that this novel does not support such conventional views. Lizzie speaks of Charlotte's marriage saying, "She had always felt that Charlotte's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own; but she could not have supposed it possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage" (120). She demonstrates that marriage should be a choice made for love by allowing Elizabeth to remain in the power of choice even in spite of social pressures. Austen shows the good effects of a marriage based on love and the positive effects, which can come from it.
There are many good things which can come from true love such as Mr. Darcy's reform.. Mr. Darcy's reform is convincing because it is based on a goodness and generosity that Elizabeth as never credited him with. It is Darcy's ability to examine his own life and recognize his flaws that leads to their eventual marriage and life together. (Novels for Students, 289). It is also moving because Austen makes it seem unimaginable according to the cultural ideas of men's feelings. She offers a vision in which nothing about men's honest devotion is too good to be succeeded by the offers of wealth of social standings. She demonstrates the idea that women should not just settle for their husband but choose according to their desires and true feelings. This is shown as Elizabeth discovers Mr. Darcy's affection. "Elizabeth, feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of his situation, now forced herself to speak; and immediately, though not very fluently, game him to understand, that her sentiments had undergone so material a change since the period to which he alluded, as to make her receive with gratitude and pleasure his present assurances." (page 340). She now commits herself and her mutual interest into each other's welfare. This further contributes to their love based on passionate and untainted emotions.
The shy and tentative relationship of Jane and Bingley continues to satirize marriage by further expanding on the idea of a heartfelt romance. Austen offers a vision of love in which women and men care about each other with a passionate tenderness. Jane and Bingley have a natural compatibility for one another. Jane says, "He is just what a young man ought to be, sensible, good-humored, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! So much ease, with such perfect good breeding" ( 15). They have true feelings and learn to value each other more because of their difficult, interrupted courtship. They possess no feelings of greed or any other desires to marry except for the fact that they are truly in love. "It was generally evident, whenever they met, that he did admire her; and to her it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much in love." (page 22). Jane and Bingley both possess a personal attraction towards one another. They have dignity and social graces and both are very sensible. Unfortunately, they lack insight, and self-confidence, which causes trouble and interference by outside forces in the course of their relationship. Bingley's affection towards Jane distresses his sisters, including Caroline Bingley, and Darcy himself. They all believe that the Bennet family is too far down the social ladder to deserve such attention from him. Jane's hesitancy towards Bingley and her quickness to believe that he has lost interest in her show an inability to stand up to a very class-aware society.
Jane and Bingley's relationship serves to demonstrate the reverse of the caring upper class. Darcy's interference in the relationship was unnecessary and harmful, damaging not only Jane's happiness, but also that of his friend. Jane's chief problem, in Darcy's eyes, is not her failure to conform to society's rules, but rather her excessive conformity. Many have criticized Austen's portrayal of women as being too passive. Just as Jane demonstrates, none of the women ever take active control of their lives. Instead, they think that they must wait around until the men act. (Novels for students, 299). Her behavior towards Bingley did not, in his opinion, show evidence of "any symptom of peculiar regard... and though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment." So, by being too much of a lady and conforming too closely to society's stereotypes, she comes very close to losing Bingley.
The next couple to demonstrate Austen's ideas on marriage are Lydia and Wickham. Austen uses their relationship to satirize the convention of marriage by showing Wickham and Lydia breaking marital conventions themselves. Elizabeth says, "My youngest sister has left all her friends--has eloped; has thrown herself into the power of--of Mr. Wickham. They are gone off together from Brighton. You know him too well to doubt the rest. She has no money, no connection, nothing that can tempt him to--she is lost forever" (258). Their promiscuous actions of elopement are all together seriously looked down upon in society. Mary puts it very blatantly, ."..loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable--...one false step involves her in endless ruin--...her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful--and...she cannot be too much guarded in her behavior towards the undeserving of the other sex." But luckily, Darcy saves the family's reputation by buying off Wickham and they surrender almost completely to the discerning eye of society. His guarantee of Lydia's present and future security accomplishes the affirmation of his feelings towards Elizabeth. Their chief motivation appears to be sexual passion, but still a few other motivations are visible. Lydia who is seemingly rebellious seeks freedom and excitement. Her presumptuous and ill-mannered actions put her sisters' marriage prospects in jeopardy, but she shows no signs of remorse; unlike Elizabeth and Darcy, she does not learn from her mistakes. Wickham sees an opportunity to flee his creditors, and also seems to have some hopes for a somewhat agreeable marriage settlement, using the mindless and immature Lydia purely for his self-advancement. "Wickham will never marry a woman without some money. He cannot afford it. And what claims has Lydia, what attractions has she beyond youth, health, and good humor, that could make him for her sake forego every chance of benefiting himself by marrying well"" (263). This is seen after Wickham elopes with Lydia, Darcy tracks him down, bribes him into marrying her, and then buys him an officer's rank in the army. Wickham is seemingly presented in the novel as a man totally without principle and morals. These two characters help to satirize the conventions of marriage by going against them and showing a stark contrast to the relationships of Jane and Bingley and Elizabeth and Darcy.
Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas create much distress to Elizabeth when she decides to marry Mr. Collins out of interest in his estate rather than his personality. Austen uses their relationship as a prime example of the stipulations, which were placed upon marriage during her time. Just like Lydia and Wickham, they seem to act only in the hopes of their own self-advancement. Charlotte is twenty-seven, unmarried, not pretty, not well-to-do, living in a society which treats a penniless old maid less as a joke and a burden upon her family. By Charlotte's actions, Austen makes it clear that to vie oneself to a man without desire, is to sacrifice what is most valuable in the self.
Charlotte says, "I see what you are feeling, 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 all over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am no romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and, considering Mr.Collin's character, connections, 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." (120).
This couple yields to society, presenting a complete abandonment of personal claims in favor of social claims. Collins seeks a wife so that he may set a proper social example and obey Lady Catherine's wishers. Charlotte will accept such a disreputable man because he is the only alternative to poverty and social isolation. Collins values only social power so he seeks security by serving and fulfilling his superior's ideas and conceptions. His selfishness is too much a part of his characters that there are no possible alternatives for him. Charlotte yields to society and she accepts the loneliness of her marriage with Collins because to her it seems better than the alternative of social isolation.
This novel continually contrasts Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage and Jane and Bingley's to the completely selfish marriages of Lydia and Wickham and Charlotte and Mr. Collins, who live only for themselves and for their own advancement. In contrast are Darcy and Elizabeth. Charlotte marries Mr. Collins because she does not wish to remain a daughter all her life and to her, marriage to Mr. Collins is seen as liberating. Elizabeth sees this situation differently though. Her refusal to marry Mr. Collins shows her courageousness to make decisions based upon her own desires not the wants of society. Lydia follows Charlotte's path and also marries for the wrong reasons. These two couples contrast to Elizabeth and Darcy and Jane and Bingley because they married for society while Elizabeth and Jane married for themselves.
The main subject of Pride and Prejudice is marriage in an acquisitive society. The plot of the novel is driven by its examination and satire of the difficulties to be faced by any eligible female in pursuit of a husband. Austen mainly concentrates on the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy, keeping the relationships of Jane and Bingley, Charlotte and Collins, and Wickham and Lydia in the background. All of these relationships show how Austen satirizes the convention of marriage in her novel. She shows that the likely consequence of a marriage based on mere personally liking, wealth, and class factors can produce only misery and shame. She also makes it clear that a woman should be able to choose her husband for herself. Austen breaks the ideals and morals of the society during her time by showing that is it wrong to make marriage an economic investment, and that love should be the basis of any relationship.
This is the complete article, containing 2,588 words
(approx. 9 pages at 300 words per page).
