Jane Austen s Pride And Prejudice - 1418 Words

Marriage is a fundamental topic in Jane Austen’s famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. Readers become invested in the lives of the Bennet sisters who are constantly dreaming of relationships. Still unknown, however, is Austen’s reason for writing this novel that is so extremely concentrated on marriage. Some critics believe that Austen wrote the novel to portray how different social classes affected the lives of women such as the Bennet sisters. Others, however, believe that the novel was written to portray what unhealthy versus successful marriages look like. Upon much research, it can be proved that Jane Austen uses marriage throughout Pride and Prejudice to fight society’s ideas on marriage, proposing that marriage should be the†¦show more content†¦Collins is entitled to the family’s entire estate upon Mr. Bennet’s death. Elizabeth, however, does not love him nor ever could. She is often regarded as being too stubborn, socially rebelli ous, and judgmental, viewing those who do not share her same beliefs concerning marriage in a condescending light. This proves true when Elizabeth’s dear friend, Charlotte Lucas, in turn marries the spurned Mr. Collins solely for financial security. Elizabeth disapproves of her friend’s shallow and conformist decision, causing her to so eagerly court and proceed to marry him.† The parallels between Charlotte and Elizabeth represent the woman society accepts versus the woman that all women want to be. Charlotte had little to no option of what she wanted to do due to the reality of her life. Elizabeth, though in the same situation, chooses to take the risk of not marrying and is criticized for from almost every member of her family. Marriage is an action in which Austen uses to show impactful change, whether the marriage is positive, as in Elizabeth’s, or negative, as in Charlotte’s. These scholars regard Jane Austen’s presentation of marria ge as a challenge against the restrictions on women and demonstrate how impactful marriage is on an individual. Another idea that critics have is that Jane Austen was not attempting to show the effects of marriage on an individual but rather how social classes played a