Marriage in Pride and Prejudice is a central theme. I will critical argue of the theme of marriage in this novel, by including various marriages in Pride and Prejudice. Tis novel was published in the apartheid era and that is why marriages was treated differently in that century as in the modern society.
Mrs Bennet can be described as a giddy woman. In life her only purpose is to be gossiping and marrying off her five daughters. She believes that all her daughters need to be happy and that means that all of them must marry, for her it is a must. She lacks any awareness of her vulgar conduct and embarrasses Elizabeth and Jane to no end. At the ball she promises her daughters that all of them will get a chance to dance with Bingley. What stands out of her fickle character is that she can snap from disapproval to approval. The marriage of Mr and Mrs Bennet is an unsatisfactory relationship. She acts towards marriage that if it is her ‘business’. At the end she find no happiness in her tasks. Her whole mindset is about that the girls must marry handsome men who earns a lot of money. In chapter one she said, “Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune, four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!
Elizabeth Bennet is the second daughter of the Bennet family and she is very intelligent. The author of Pride and Prejudice uses her to show the contrast between marriage for love and marriage of the era. Her happiness is emphasises by the idealistic views than in taking a chance with any man of ‘good fortune’ and therefore she can be praised for personality, because she married Mr Darcy. She does not want to marry for money or status, her main purpose is to marry for love. She refused to marry Mr. Collins. Her views of marriage is an emotional romantic one. No- money in her prospectus. Her ideal of man goes beyond the advantages that influence Charlotte and Mrs Bennet. Her believes is in natural attraction.
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Charlotte Lucas is the character of the idea of marriage for security. She is the eldest daughter of the Bennet family. She can be described as a very clever lady and is 27 of age. In those era she was actually very mature, where she realised that marriage could pass her by. The facts that she marries Mr. Collins is her chance of true happiness. She actually married Mr. Collins, because she does not want to struggle and also doesn’t want to be alone. Charlottes true happiness basically lies within her security rather than love.
Jane Bennet is the lady with the good heart, she is very helpful towards her sisters. Jane is the sister who enters into the happiest marriage in Pride and Prejudice. She married Mr. Bingley and her feelings never changed for him. When she is alone, and Mr. Bingley leaves she feels empty and sad without him. The two of them married for love and are compatible. Because of her internal and external beauty she attracted Mr Bingley’s attention. That is also what pleases Mrs Bennet. Jane reserved nature puts her at a disadvantage and there she also has a lack of fortune and connections.
Miss Caroline Bingley has a foil character. She is Bingleys slobbish sister. She bears inordinate distain for Elizabeth’s middle class backgrounbd. She is jealous of the marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth.
To conclude I can say that marriage of those years was very strict as in today’s society.
