1

Marriage in Pride and Prejudice During the 19th century, marriage was an obligation rather than a choice. The only means of survival for women was to find a suitable husband. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice reflects the pressure that women face to meet this obligation. Towards the end of the novel, many marriages have taken place. The marriages of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, Lydia Bennet and George Wickham, and Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, come together very differently and each with its own set of circumstances. The first marriage to occur in the novel is a marriage which is based on convenience and rationality. This is the marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins. Charlotte is a typical Victorian woman. She is twenty seven years old and is considered a burden to her family. Her view of marriage is based on practicality and that it is a requirement that must be met. Mr. Collins is a dimwitted pompous clergyman whose reason for getting married is to fulfill his patroness' request for him to find a wife. After three days of Elizabeth's rejection of Mr. Collins proposal, he becomes engaged to her friend Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte tells Elizabeth that she is not romantic and never was. Charlotte believes that love is a matter of luck, and she is only concerned with establishing "a comfortable home" (113). Marring Mr. Collins is a safe choice for her because of his position as a clergyman and his connections. Mr. Collins is not looking for love either, which makes this a perfect match. His reasons for marrying are to "set the example of matrimony in his parish" (95) look for a companion to share his life with, and of course the ultimate reason for him even considering the idea of marriage is because of the "particular advice and recommendation" (95) of his patroness', Lady Catherine De Bourgh, for him to find a wife. Their marriage was considered the norm during the 19th century, love rarely had anything to do with one's basis for getting married. Charlotte's and Mr. Collins's marriage was based on convenience, rationality and each wanted to please someone else.

Charlotte wanted to please her family by not becoming an old maid, and Mr. Collins wanted to please his patroness Lady Catherine De Bourgh who wanted him to take a wife. The second marriage in the novel is a marriage which came about as a result of a girl's youthful indiscretion and a man's egoistical intentions. This is the marriage of Lydia Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet's sister, and George Wickham. Lydia is a fifteen year old girl who has little or no common sense, lacks the ability to distinguish between right or wrong, never ponders as to what consequences her actions might bring, and as her father says is one of the "silliest girls in the country" (24). Elizabeth also believes that Lydia is the "most determined flirt that ever made herself and her family ridiculous" (205). Wickham is a fraud and opportunist. Money is his passion and he will do anything to obtain it. Lydia ran away with Wickham because she was infatuated with him, and he agreed to take her along because he could and wouldn't mind female company. Wickham is self-indulgent and would never deny himself any pleasure in his power. Lydia, being the foolish immature girl that she is, had absolutely no problem with running away with a man who had no intention of entering into the sacred bond of marriage with her. Wickham was planning on making his fortune by marring a wealthy woman, as he tried to do with Darcy's sister Georgiana till Darcy stopped him. Unfortunately, in Lydia's case, the damage was already done. However, after Elizabeth told Darcy about the misfortune that has befallen her family, Darcy felt that he had the power to track down Lydia's and Wickham's whereabouts and restore her reputation and the reputation of her family. Darcy accomplished what he set out to do and found them. He payed off Wickham and settled his debts. He also bought him a commission in the regular army, a position which Wickham could not have gotten on his own. With Darcy's help and influence the Bennet family can hold their head up high once again. However, Elizabeth could not imagine how Lydia and Wickham were to support themselves, "but how little of permanent

happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue, she could easily conjecture" (276). The last marriage to take place in the novel is one which is infused with love, admiration and respect. This is the marriage of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth is a twenty year old young woman who is intelligent, independent, and is described as having "a lively playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous" (9). Mr. Darcy is a proud man and as Mrs. Bennet puts it "is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him!" (10). Both Elizabeth and Darcy have completely misjudged each other. He saw her as "tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt [him]"(9), and she saw him as a man who "has a very satirical eye, and if [she does] not begin by being impertinent [her]self, [she] shall soon grow afraid of him" (20). Elizabeth detested the sight of him. On the other hand, Darcy's feelings were changing towards Elizabeth with ever encounter. He admired her quick wit and "fine eyes"(23). But Elizabeth's low opinion of him was stronger than ever and is made even stronger with the acquaintance of Mr. Wickham. He had only known Elizabeth for a few minutes before telling her his life story. He told her about Darcy's mistreatment of him and the injustice he committed by disobeying his fathers' wish for Wickham to enter the clergy. Elizabeth's hate for Darcy was so powerful that she easily believed the story of a stranger. Her hatred for Darcy grew stronger during her visit to Hunsford to see her friend Charlotte Lucas and her cousin Mr. Collins, Charlotte's husband. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam were visiting their aunt Lady Catherine De Bourgh who is Mr. Collins patroness. Elizabeth discovered that Darcy was the reason for her sister Jane's unhappiness, it was he who forced Bingley to change his intentions towards her sister. Unfortunately, Darcy could not contain his emotions any longer and proposes to Elizabeth, not knowing the information she has recently obtained. He insults her during his proposal which angers her even more and

despises him for "ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved sister'' (170). She tells him that her opinion of him was long decided after hearing his treatment of Mr. Wickham. She has made her feelings for him very clear, and so he left. He later wrote her a letter explaining himself and telling her the true story between him and Wickham. Elizabeth was ashamed for easily believing Wickham and felt sorry for treating Darcy so cruelly. After some time has passed, Elizabeth's uncle Mr. Gardiner and his wife invited her to see the great lakes with them. On the way the stopped in Derbyshire. Mrs. Gardiner wanted to see Pemberley, Darcy's estate. While they were there, the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, praised Darcy in a way which Elizabeth had never heard. No one had ever spoken so highly of him. She told Elizabeth of his kindness and generosity. By chance, Elizabeth ran into Darcy even though he was supposed to arrive at Pemberley the next day. Darcy was very polite and cordial towards her and her aunt and uncle. He invited them to dinner and wanted to introduce Elizabeth to his sister Georgiana. A few days later, Elizabeth received the alarming news of Lydia's elopement with Wickham, and couldn't help but tell Darcy about the matter. Darcy knew he had the power and influence to track down their whereabouts. After he tracked them down and forced Wickham to marry Lydia, he made them promise not to tell anyone his part in the matter. However, Lydia could not keep her mouth shut and let the information slip and Elizabeth knew the truth. She was very thankful and finally realizes how she feels about him. After he and Bingley arrived at Longbourn together and Bingley proposed to Jane they all walked outside and so Darcy said to Elizabeth "If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever" ('325) She made her feelings clear to him and accepted his proposal. Never has any relationship had so much "contradictions and varieties" (245) as that of Elizabeth and Darcy, but in the end the truth prevailed and the real identities of each character was revealed.

In conclusion, Jane Austen has given readers a glimpse of how marriages came about during the 19th century. Some were practical and others were foolishly entered into. However, once in a blue moon there are some who enter into the sanctity of marriage for all the right reasons. The concept of marriage does not fit one mould. Each of the marriage in Pride and Prejudice come together very differently and each with its own set of reasons. The first is based on practicality and convenience, the second is based on preserving the reputation of a foolish girl and her family, and the last is based on love and respect. Marriage should be entered into with caution and after allot of thought. Marriage is not a laughing matter, when considering your spouse you need to realize that you and that person are bound together for life. So, choose wisely.