Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

The key theme of pride and prejudice is marriage. This is indicated in

the opening of the novel, when Jane Austen muses, somewhat

sardonically, that 'it is a truth universally acknowledged that a

single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife'.

This sets the tone appropriately for the rest of the novel, as all

Austen's core plots centre around marriage. It was an institute of

paramount importance to people of Austen's time. As a young lady,

marriage was not only for love, but also for fortune, convenience,

stature and respect. Elizabeth Bennet is the heroine of Pride and

Prejudice, who finds her self in the marrying market, having to

consider the conditions of marriage. As with her other heroines, like

Fanny Price, Austen uses Lizzie to demonstrate her own opinions.

Throughout the novel Austen's other characters also illustrate her own

views about marriage and the views commonly held by people of her era.

Austen introduces us to Mr and Mrs Bennet in order to communicate key

ingredients she believes necessary for marriage. We realise very

quickly Mrs Bennets frivolous, foolish character is ill suited to the

calm, intelligent, introverted personality of Mr Bennet. We learn that

they married quickly, in a rush of lust, and that it wasn't until

after wedlock Mr Bennet discovered the unsuitability of his bride. Mr

Bennet who 'was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour,

reserve, and caprice' is totally incompatible with his spouse, 'a

woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain

temper.' As a means for coping with the irritation his wife's

...

... middle of paper ...

...ily money together. She assumes he has

forgotten 'what he owes himself and his family.' Her view is that of

one very common in Austen's era, that fortune should be built upon by

marriage, but we see Darcy, like Elizabeth, sees marrying for love as

more important that marrying for financial gain, revealing to us that

he shares a strong morality with Elizabeth in a time when such

principles were rarely come across. This of course expresses Austen's

own ethics. We are left to feel that Darcy and Lizzie have made the

perfect match for one another, thanks to the ingredients of good

sense, stability, affection, common interest, complimenting

disposition and most importantly mutual respect. These are the

ingredients Austen believes to be key to a successful marriage, as all

of the marriages in Pride and Prejudice demonstrate.