Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is a novel that goes into great detail discussing the reasons for marriage. Marriage in the 1800’s, when this novel took place, was very different from conventional marriages today. In that period in time, reasons for marriages were wealth, convenience, and most uncommonly, love. T
he first of these reasons is the subject of wealth. The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice states, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. ” In the 19th century, women usually only wanted to marry men if they were rich.
This was the guys’ way of getting a wife, if they were fortunate enough. As Mrs. Bennet says, “If I can see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfieldand the others equally married, I shall have nothing to wish for. ” One easily realizes how obsessed Mrs. Bennet is with having rich son-in-laws. All that matters to her is having her daughters married to wealthy men. This one concern was not scarce in the era. The second of the three reasons is convenience.
Charlotte Lucas says it best: “I only ask a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast” Collins isn’t wealthy, but all that Charlotte wants, he can give her. This marriage is by far the most convenient of the novel. Another great example of a marriage of convenience is Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. This convenient marriage is not as easily seen, though one notices how formal they are with each other. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet don’t seem to like each other at all. This seems to be very far from Jane Austen’s view of marriage, though.
The third reason for marriage is love. Although a marriage brought about by love was very uncommon at this time, Jane Austen believed it was the only true reason. Elizabeth Bennet was Jane Austen’s “mouthpiece” regarding this. Austen showed her new fangled views of marriage though the character of Lizzie. A prime example of marrying for the reason of love is Jane and Mr. Bingley. These two characters were attracted to each other from the very beginning, and are the only characters in the novel that truly married out of a devout love for each other.
Darcy and Elizabeth did marry for this reason, but their relationship sprouted from hatred. The fact that only one couple in the novel married for love proves how rare that occasion really was. Wealth, convenience, and sometimes even love, are three reasons for marriage in nearly every novel. The novel Pride and Prejudice takes this subject to a whole new level of understanding for the reader, though. This makes this novel an important contribution to the world of English literature.
