Compare and contrast the variety of attitudes to marriage as expressed

Compare and contrast the variety of attitudes to marriage as expressed

by different characters in Pride and Prejudice.

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most famous novels in the history of

English Literature. Written in the year of 1813 by the very well known

author, Jane Austen, whose novels all examine the nature of love. The

general tone of the novel is light, but serious.

Pride and Prejudice is a story that focuses on the life of marriage,

it is full of love. Money and wealth is also a main aspect of the

book.

Marriage in Pride and Prejudice is acknowledged in that a single man

in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. The first

sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice could not have better

prepared the reader for the rest of the novel. The thread that sews

together the lives of all the characters in the novel is the

establishment of marriage. Jane Austen uses the Bennet family of

Longbourn to illustrate the good and bad reasons behind marriage.

Mrs. Bennet is an irritating woman whose main goal in life is to get

her five daughters married. It might be correct in assuming that she

felt social and financial pressure to do so. Her husband's estate was

entailed to his nephew, Mr. Collins, when Mr. Bennet was to pass away.

Therefore, Mrs. Bennet wanted her daughters to have financial

stability elsewhere in case of their father's death.

In the time period of this story there was very little social

acceptance of women who were single their whole lives. For the most

part, women could not acquire money on their own without inheriting or

marrying into good fortune. Women who could not find a husband were

often referred to as “old maids” and lived their whole lives with

their p...

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...daughters were pleasant and appear to be ideal. Jane

had longed for Mr. Bingley for quite a while. Bingley was handsome,

rich, kind, and well liked. He and Jane shared many conversations and

had complimentary personalities. They were pleasantly matched and I

believe that they shared a happy life together.

Elizabeth (the main character in the novel) and Darcy's marriage was

an excellent match. Though she thought him a cold, aloof snobbish man

at first, this soon evolved into something else, it was love. They

were equal in intellect, had physical attraction and deep love for one

another, financial security, romance, and companionship. They are the

two I believe would be most happy in life. Jane Austen wanted the

reader to know that marriage should be approached as a package deal -

a package of love, financial stability, physical attraction, and

happiness.