Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs Bennet got

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Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs Bennet got

rid of her two most deserving daughters.’Discuss the theme of marriage in

this novel with particular reference to Mrs Bennet and her three daughters

who marry.

‘Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs Bennet

got rid of her two most deserving daughters.’

Discuss the theme of marriage in this novel with particular reference

to Mrs Bennet and her three daughters who marry.

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in

possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’(Chapter 1,

p1). This is the opening line to the book which is an ironic opening

which sets the tone and theme of marriage and social criticism. This

quote could be translated to mean that any single woman without a

fortune must be in need of husband that has one.

In Austen’s time, marriage was almost necessary to be accepted by

society. Woman had little power and could be seen as vulnerable.

Austen demonstrates the inequality and injustices of genders present

in 19th century English society. The novel demonstrates the

practicalities of marriage and how often it is done for the wrong

reasons. Entailment of the Longbourn estate is an extreme hardship on

the Bennet family, and makes Mrs Bennet desperate to marry her

daughters off. The entailment of Mr. Bennet's estate leaves his

daughters in a poor financial situation which makes it more difficult

for them to marry well. Throughout the novel, Austen tries to show

that woman are equally as intelligent as men. She shows her views

through the mind of Lizzy. Through the plot of the novel it is clear

that Austen wants to illustrate how Elizabeth is able to be happy by

refusing to marry for financial purposes to Mr Collins and marries a

man whom she truly love.

Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of the novel. She is the second

oldest of five and is an intelligent, quick-witted, sharp-tongued and

bold woman who is good looking and has ‘fine eyes’. The importance of

her eyes symbolizes her abilities of perception. She has pride in her

abilities to notice the truth of situations and of people's

characters. Lizzy is less concerned with wealth and stature of her

place in society but believes in marrying for love. She turns down Mr

Collins proposal as she does not love him and knows that she never

will.

Mr Darcy is a very wealthy aristocrat who is proud, superior and

conscious of class differences at the beginning of the book who has a

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