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marriage and its concept
the role of marriage in pride and prejudice
the role of marriage in pride and prejudice
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Compromise and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice
It is not unusual for an individual to disagree with social customs or expectations. Some people are only happy when they can rebel against society. Most mature adults eventually realize that compromise is necessary to achieve happiness. This is the case in the early nineteenth century England setting of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. In the novel, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a lively, independent woman, whose family's financial situation and whose strong mindedness suggest that she may never marry. Mr. Darcy, is a rigid and proper man, who falls in love with Elizabeth, despite their differences. By the end of the novel, Elizabeth and Darcy learn to compromise, and, in doing so, become truly happy. In marrying, they not only fulfill themselves as individuals, but also affirm the principle values of society. The marriage at the end of the novel shows Jane Austen's ideal view of marriage as a social institution.
The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen gives us the reader a very good idea of how she views marriage, as well as society. The theme of marriage is set in the very opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice; "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (Austen, 1) As Norman Sherry points out, this is Austen's way of implying that 'a single man in possession of a good fortune' is automatically destined to be the object of desire for all unmarried women. The statement opens the subject of the romantic novel; courtship and marriage. The sentence also introduces the issue of what the reasons for marrying are. She implies here that many young women marry for money. The question...
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...s, Jane Austen makes them 'all right'." (Sherry, 92) By having Darcy and Elizabeth end the novel engaged in an ideal marriage is a significant detail. Jane Austen, in doing this is suggesting that society would be better if it followed Elizabeth and Darcy's example. By controlling pride and prejudice, and by learning that compromise is sometimes the best way to happiness, society can hope to improve itself. Marriage in the end, is the perfect ending, since it is both an affirmation of the values of society as well as a personal fulfillment, which it is for both Elizabeth and Darcy since they improve themselves by being together.
Works Cited:
Austen, Jane. "Pride and Prejudice. New York. Bantam Books, 1813,1981.
Butler, Marilyn. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas. Oxford. Claredon Press, 1975
Sherry, Norman. Jane Austen. London. Montegue House, 1966
The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, in Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice” explores marriage and love. It shows how their class expectations and marriage play a major role in deciding how their relationship will end. When they meet each other at the first ball, Darcy says “She [Elizabeth] is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You [Bingley] had better...
3 John, Gilbert. "(War Guilt Methodology) Was Germany Solely to Blame for WWI?" 20th Century. History Beta, 27 July 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .
...ews of these ideologies. While Elizabeth does accept many of the norms of the period she also challenges the purpose for marriage and has an outspoken mind. Her confident personality doesn’t allow the fact that she has less wealth than many others and is constantly being scorned at to interfere with her happiness. She doesn’t permit the social expectations of her times to hinder her strong beliefs and fate in life. Pride and Prejudice is so vastly different to most other novels during the early 19th century that Jane Austen must have held some very alternative views. The heroine Elizabeth challenges the most social expectations of that time and she ends up the happiest of all the characters. This theme must have opened Romantic readers minds, perhaps to the way society should be and this I believe is why this novel is one of the great classics of English literature.
Bingley and Jane Bennet show immediate chemistry from the beginning of the novel to the end. They encounter a rough patch in their relationship towards the middle of the novel when Mr. Bingley does not visit Netherfield for an extended period of time. However, the reader can almost assume an impending marriage between the two from the beginning of the novel, even with their rough patch in the middle. Bingley and Jane serve as the two of the most kind characters in Pride and Prejudice and establish themselves as the perfect couple. Their intentions in the marriage exhibit themselves as pure and kind-hearted. They married each other for all of the right reasons. Love distinguished itself as the most important quality in their caring and passionate marriage which proves as rare marriage equality in this novel. Many tried to separate this couple, including Darcy, but in the end all attempts to ruin their love failed because they ended up happily married. Their views and attitude toward their marriage portray a unique and rare marriage in this novel due to the fact that they married for love instead of money or
Through the use of literary devices, Pride and Prejudice reveals Jane Austen’s attitude towards the novel’s theme of true love through the actions of the suitors; the process of courtship in the 1800s articulates characterization, foreshadowing, and irony. The novel opens with the line, “it is a truth acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of wife,” (Austen 1) which foreshadows the conflict of finding a significant other . During the Victorian age, men and women courted others of the same education, wealth, and social status; it was considered uncommon for someone to marry beneath them or to marry for love. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth Bennett’s encounters with different characters of varying social statuses to criticize the traditional class system; she illustrates a revolutionary idea that marriage should be based on love. In the resolution of the plot, Austen demonstrates the perfect qualities in a marriage; she incorporates Aristotle's philosophy of friendship to prove the validity of the having an affectionate relationship.
Elizabeth is a romantic, and wants to find a man worthy of her love. On the other hand, Charlotte believes “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” Elizabeth laughs at her friend, and replies, “You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself” (24). However, Charlotte soon enters into a marriage that offers her a good home and security, but a repulsive husband. With these two characters, Austen illustrates the two kinds of marriages most common in the novel: Charlotte’s is an example of a secure, if not pleasant, marriage arrangement. Elizabeth eventually marries Darcy out of genuine love for him, not for want of money or prospects. Unfortunately, others still see the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth as
Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice portrays varying attitudes to marriage. "The intricate social network that pervades the novel is one that revolves around the business of marriage". Through her female characters the reader sees the different attitudes to marriage and the reasons that these women have for marrying. These depend on their social status and their personal values. The reader is shown the most prevalent and common view of marriage held by society in Austen's time, and through the heroine, a differing opinion of marriage is explored. We are shown how marriage is viewed by the very wealthy and the values they emphasise in marriage. Through the characterisation of these women and use of irony, Austen has influenced the reader's opinions on the characters attitude about marriage and that of their contemporaries.
She emphasizes that marriages can only be successful if they are founded on mutual love. Elizabeth and Darcy 's relationship is really different from all the others in the novel. Elizabeth does not care about him being super rich and he does not find her the most beautiful. At the beginning, he thinks she is “tolerable”. They do not like each other at the beginning, they argue a lot and are really sassy towards each other. They are the opposite of amiable. Their relationship is far beyond just physical attraction. Darcy secretly helps out with Lydia 's situation. He does not want Elizabeth to be hurt nor does he want her family to ruin their repuation. He helps Elizabeth and does not bring it up, let alone brag about it. Love is not boastful. This shows the reader how contrasting Darcy and Collins ' characters are. “Elizabeth 's heart did whisper, that he had done it for her...” She has a feeling that Darcy is the one who helped out but she is not one hundred percent sure. Elizabethis wistful about saying so many bad things about him and she regrets her little speech when she rejected him. Unlike every other character in this novel, Darcy and Elizabeth took things slowly. Darcy purposes to her after a long time, when he was sure about his feelings for her. Even when she rejects him once he did not ask her over and over again, unlike
The path to marriage initiates in the very first paragraph of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This courtship novel begins with the premise that “a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife” (pg. 5) Throughout the competition for the single men, characters are naturally divided by the norms of their social standing. However, the use of social conventions and civility further divides them. The characters in need of the most moral reform remain unchanged, leaving a path for the reformers to travel to each other’s company. Austen uses the stagnant characters and their flaws as a line that needs to cross in order to achieve a dynamic marriage of mutual respect.
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s famous novel, is, in large part, a study of marriage. It is an interesting novel for Austen since she was never married. The social culture of Austen’s day made marriage a crucial aspect of a woman 's life. A women in that time was dependent on a man for money and social standing. Synonyms for marriage are union and alliance both have very different meanings. Marriage as a union implies a fully joined couple. A marital alliance suggests that marriage is an association for mutual benefit such as money, social standing, or physical desires. Austen 's characters are developed to emphasize these differences in the reasons for marriage. She makes abundantly clear through her development of these marriages
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others
Pride and Prejudice is an apt name for the book, since these notions permeate the novel thoroughly, especially in the views of Elizabeth and Darcy. Eventually when Elizabeth accepts Darcy’s final proposal we. Even after they both confess their love for each other; they pose and answer questions for each other. This shows that from the beginning to end, Darcy and Elizabeth have gone through major changes by putting aside their pride of themselves and prejudices for others.
From the moment Elizabeth and Darcy meet, Elizabeth is blinded by prejudice and Darcy by pride though they like each other. Only when they admit the wrong they have done, especially Elizabeth, they are to be married. She should accept the right of Darcy to have some sense of pride toward his class and she has to learn to comply to social rules .therefore, it is not about marriage as much it is about learning to comply to rules. Elizabeth and Darcy will meet on common grounds. It is about finding moderation between nature represented by Elizabeth and art represented by Darcy. Only then the marriage would be successful.
Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice promotes change in the way the English society during the 19th century viewed marriage. Through the use of conservative characters that were socially accepted in England during this time, Austen provides the reader with necessary details that show how insane these people were. On the other hand, Austen gives her dissentient characters more credit for their rebellious deeds. Austen’s campaign against social prejudice seems to succeed when Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy for love rather than money.
In the 19th century, a controversy arose over what the true foundation and purpose for marriage should be. The basis of this conflict was whether one should let reason or emotion be the guide of their love life and if a balance between the two could be maintained. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice depicts such a balance, thus becoming the model for Austen's definition of a perfect couple and for true love. Their relationship is neither solely based on a quest for money on Elizabeth's part or emotions that blind the couple from all other important aspects of life. The significance of having this balance is portrayed through the inability of the other couples in the story to reach an equal amount of happiness as Elizabeth and Darcy because of their pursuit of either reason or passion.