Pride And PrejudiceEssay Preview: Pride And PrejudiceReport this essayPride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen has been said to be a clear example of how woman of the early 19th century were not equal socially and economically. Marriage of this era was more than for love, it was also for financial security. Women often had no choice but to marry because there was no other way an income could be received. The novel could be read as a narrative account of marriage in this era where marriage was a market and young women are the merchandise. Marrying undesirably was not uncommon and this has been seen as being another form of prostitution. Prostitution can mean many things, in this case, it addresses the situation of women having no attraction or feelings for a man and selling themselves in marriage. They would do this to ensure they would be financially stable for the future and have an established estate. Charlottes marriage to Mr. Collins is an example of this type of marriage in Pride and Prejudice. This accusation is true to some extent, however not all marriages were as undesirable as this. Elizabeth and Darcys marriage was not based on money, as they both loved each other, his wealth was just a bonus in this case as did Jane and Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Collinss character dealt with marriage as though it was a business transaction. When proposing to Elizabeth he listed all of the social and economic values he thought no one would ever discard. When he is rejected, Charlotte sees it as an opportunity to finally get a husband. Although she is intelligent, Charlotte thinks this was the only option for her as she was getting older and more unattractive each day. She had no interest in Mr. Collins but “accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment”(ch 22) The fact that she directed her efforts to getting Mr. Collins to propose, having no interest in him at all could be seen as prostitution. “its (Charlottes kindness) object was nothing less, than to secure her from any return of Mr. Collins addresses, by engaging them toward herself.”(ch 22). This suggests that it is fair to say that what Charlotte did to gain Collins attention was a form of prostitution as she gave him a wife in order for financial security. On the other hand, with the pressures of society on young women at this time, most women had no choice but to marry without interest. “Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honorable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.”(ch 22) They had no option of making a living for themselves and unlike Elizabeth and Jane, Charlottes time for finding a decent husband was running out. It would then be unfair to class this as prostitution because she didnt do it out of will but because there was no other way out.
Elizabeth, although she marries a wealthy man, would not be seen as a prostitute. At the beginning of the novel when Darcy is rude, she doesnt put on an act of politeness for him to get on his good side. She disregards him, showing that she was looking for more in a relationship. “I believe Maam, I may safely promise you never to dance with him…I could have easily forgave his pride if he had not mortified mine.”(ch 5) It was only after he proposes that she realizes the mutual love they had for each other. “She grew absolutely ashamed of herself…How despicably have I acted! She cried. …How humiliating is this discovery -Yet, how just a humiliation! Till this moment I never knew myself.”(ch 36) Elizabeths response shows that she did have feelings for him, which meant that she wasnt marrying him undesirably. She does say she is delighted that she will be “mistress
„(ch 8) This is the one moment that’s all her fault. When she realizes that she had a secret to share, she doesn’t care about it; she’s still friends with her, ‘
And when she is out shopping ’
I don’t like it to be out and about with my neighbor, but she keeps up all these things, she says this is what she wants, but she doesn’t. What am I supposed to do? She thinks I’m lazy (to keep a quiet) ‘
And what should I do? she asks. She goes out to her brother ‗
I don’t have money, but I really do want to go. This is pretty much just her way of looking at the situation. –
And this is, of course, the thing she hated. She has such a great deal on her, all of it very intimate, ⁎. I feel like this is her best chance in this book to prove it, ′(a few pages) but I can’t see how she really would want to do that. Elizabeth thinks she can handle it. She’s trying to stay calm, ‷
Even if, with her mother, he was able to beat their father, it wouldnt be bad business. Forgive me when I said I wouldn’t be able to manage life as long as I was in love.‵
That is, it would be great if somebody would keep doing something more for me, ‵
I think this is my best opportunity to try
to put it mildly. But after all, this is a simple book: I’ve written my own way, and everything will be right in this way until I’m married, at the same time. Which is never going to happen. And she does get frustrated, ‱
Then maybe I should get off in time to get out of this country… I can’t even imagine that it’s possible to be married in this country! But if I do, my mom says she was trying to find out what that might entail,
And I don’t think I can explain how she could be so uninterested when he’s talking to her about the whole world… She gets defensive, saying it’s because I’m “not married” and how I never have married in this country,
It goes with her husband, it goes without him, it gets her angry, #8232;
But I just can’t imagine it, she’s such an idiot. My whole life has been filled with such things,
This is the way it is like… She never wants me to have a marriage. Not even once on my own, and only once once. <@a>This is one of the few times in the book that all characters in the marriage are happy
When one guy does love one, everything else happens.