Pride and Prejudice: Importance of Marriage

Richard Pho

Mr. George

Honors World Literature

14 February 2011

The Importance of Marriage

            In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen construes the importance of marriage for the women of Longbourn.  Women focus solely on marriage due to the society they abide in.  These women look for wealthy men that have high social status, disregarding the true objectives of a marriage.  Through the marriages and relationships in the novel, Austen demonstrates the juxtaposing reasons for these commitments; love versus wealth.

            For most women, marriage was a task of gaining social benefits.  The novel commences with the importance of marriage from society’s point of view: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in a want of a wife” (Austen 5).  The reader is acquainted with marriage as a process of increasing social status and financial benefits.  After Mr. Collins’ terrible proposal to Elizabeth, Mr. Collins ends up marrying Charlotte Lucas.  Charlotte marries Mr. Collins in order to attain financial and social security.  Women feel the need to marry any gentleman they see to achieve social status.  Women were nothing without a male figure to support and protect them.  They heavily stressed marriage because without it, they were lost in society.  Women took extreme measures no matter the consequences.

            Following the ordeals of society, marriages do not end up reflecting their denotation.  A marriage is a commitment between two people due to a certain bond and connection.  Looking at the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, they appear to have married for incorrect reasons. Their relationship consists of agitation and insanity. Mr. Bennet has a witty sense of humor that irritates his wife. This is the only enjoyment he gains from Mrs. Bennet.  Mrs. Bennet devises insane plans for her daughters to get married.  Her insanity annoys Mr. Bennet.  The flaws in their marriage augment as they progress through their lives: “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance” (21).  Through societal constraints, women solely search for a significant other, disregarding key components such as happiness and love.  Austen utilizes Elizabeth to highlight the importance of marrying for love instead of wealth.

            The reader views the world of the novel through Elizabeth’s perspective in order to understand the absurdity of marrying for reasons other than love.  All the women obsess over marriage, but Elizabeth refuses to marry any gentleman she has no feelings for.  After Mr. Collins’ proposal, she reacts in a manner reflecting her independent persona: “Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me.  I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them" (93).  It may seem foolish of Elizabeth to refuse an offer from a gentleman of such social status.  Any other woman would take Mr. Collins for herself.  Elizabeth juxtaposes societal standards.  Even though Elizabeth is alone, she is happy with her life because she can refuse her the standards of marrying for social status and wealth, rather searching for her true love and happiness.

            Women find marriage essential in order to achieve social status and wealth, disregarding the true objective of their happiness and love.  Most of the women have a mind frame of marrying a gentleman at a higher social class than themselves, in order to move their family and progeny forward.  These marriages may have their benefits, but they do not necessarily have happiness and love.  Those two characteristics usually come in chance when marrying in the world of the novel.  Elizabeth avoids that chance, and exemplifies the true objective of marriage.  Ignoring the pressures to marry for social status that society presented her, Elizabeth marries for the real reason: love.