Marriage in Pride and Prejudice novel by Jane Austen.

Title: Marriage in Pride and Prejudice novel by Jane Austen.

Thesis Statement: Marriage, for any reasons is important.

Marriage (also called matrimony or wedlock) is a socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them, between them and their children, and between them and their in-laws. The definition of marriage varies according to different cultures, but it is principally an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity. When defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal. People marry for many reasons, including: legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, and religious. Who they marry may be influenced by socially determined rules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules, parental choice and individual desire. In many parts of the world, marriages are arranged. This writing is mainly going to explain more about marriage in Pride and Prejudice novel which is written by Jane Austen.

There are four marriages that take place in the novel namely: Mr. Wickham and Miss Lydia Bennet, Mr. Collins and Miss Charlotte Lucas, Mr. Bingley and Miss Jane Bennet, Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. The reason why marriage is important in those days because if a woman did not find a good husband, she would not have any income and she would be a burden on her family. In the Bennet's case, if Elizabeth and her sisters did not marry well, and their father died, then the entire estate would have been passed to the closest male relation: Mr Collins. The family would have been turned out onto the streets. In this novel, Jane Austen presents several contrasting attitudes to marriage and there are four mainly attitudes to marriage namely: the marriage for money, marriage for the satisfaction of bodily desires, marriage based on the physical look and marriage for love. At first, “marriage for money”, this attitude is presented through Mr. Collins and Charlotte. Both men and women of Austen’s society have internalized the idea that women are financially and socially dependent on men. It is very ridiculous that in such a matter of marriage, he is considering only the “property” not his own prudence whether the Bennet girl is fit for him or the marriage will be a proper one. Lydia’s attitude to marriage is solely based on passion and physical attraction. She elopes with Wickham. It is the basest among the attitudes of the other characters. She is totally controlled by her bodily desire and passion. As in the novel, Lydia and Wickham's marriage gradually disintegrates. Lydia becomes a regular visitor at her two elder sisters’ home and “her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London. Jane Bennet is the eldest Bennet daughter; she is kind, considerate, intelligent, beautiful, good with children, and, apparently, each parent's second favorite. Although she wants to marry Mr. Bennet for love, she realizes that, as the oldest daughter, it is her responsibility to marry well, to secure the future of her younger sisters. Not only does she think that there needs to be attraction on both sides, she accounts for suitable temperaments as well. The relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in this novel is often cited as one of the greatest love stories of all time because of the obstacles that the two have to overcome in order to be together. When Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, he presumes that she is not in a position to reject him, for his standing in society has made him quite an eligible husband. Alternatively, Elizabeth clearly has a very different thought to him: “You could not make me happy.” Actually it is Elizabeth through which Austen’s on views on marriage are clearly expressed. As Elizabeth believes that the basis for marriage should be happiness and love, not money. She is uncertain of the lasting qualities of passionate love and convinced that it is not a strong enough basis for marriage. It is based on mutual esteem, respect and gratitude, and it arises from a clear sighted understanding of the other’s character. So, she does not care about Collins’s wealth and thinks that their marriage would be a bad one because they are not attracted to each other. From Darcy and Elizabeth’s character we understand that this two people are very different, and their relationships are “rationally founded”, based on “excellent understanding” and “general similarity of feeling and taste.”

            As we have known that marriage, for any reason is importance. Everyone has their own reason for why they have got married. Their reason can be possibly very different among the others.  There are four different marriages in the Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She explains those marriages in an interesting way. We can see that each marriage contains different story.

            The first marriage which is shown in the novel is between Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas. This marriage is very fascinating because it represents non-ideal marriage. The marriage between Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas represents two things, from Mr. Collins’ side and Charlotte’s side. From Charlotte’s side, she accepts Mr. Collins just for financial and social status purposes.

            Those reasons for marrying can also be seen in our environment nowadays. We sometime even often see woman decides to get married with man whom she does not love at all but he has well financial to gain. She is afraid of being hunger and suffer if she does not get enough financial and she can’t satisfy her desires. And also she is afraid if she has not good social status in her society that makes them embarrassed.

            It is important to consider about our financial future, but it is more important to get peaceful and happy life. It is impossible to get peaceful life when we are live together with someone whom we are not love. It is important to be with someone who can share love with us. Because financial is not the only guarantee to get a peaceful life.

            Different from Charlotte’s reasons, Mr. Collins has his own reason. He decides to get married just because of advice from his sponsor Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He does not have good reason for getting married. He is an absurd person. He firstly interests to Jane, but when he knows that Jane will soon engage he move his choice to Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth declines his proposal he chooses Charlotte as there are no other options. The most important thing for him is that he gets married no matter who the girl is. It is very ridiculous because marriage should be based on love and feeling.

            What happen to Mr. Collins gives us lesson which is we should find a right woman that we love to share with then think careful to decide to get married. And the other lesson is from Charlotte which is that financial is important but it is not the main or the only reason.

            The next marriage is between Wickham and Lidya. Their marriage also does not based on love. Wickham is marrying Lidya because he is offered money from Mr. Darcy. Like Charlotte, he also gets married because of money. And Lidya wants to get married because of sexual desire. She is young and has little experiences. She does not have good thought. She just wants to be with the charming man especially he is a military soldier.

            We also can see this kind of marriage nowadays. Many girls are trapped in sexual desire. They can’t control that feeling. It gives us advice that we as a young man must learn how to respect ourselves and to protect us with knowledge and norms that rule the society. Don’t let this sexual desire, especially for us as a young man controls us because we have customs and norms that we must obey.

The other kind of marriage in this novel is the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth. This is the main idea that Jane Austen wanted to share with the readers. Their relationship has passed through struggle of pride versus prejudice, the pride of Darcy and the prejudice of Elizabeth. Love is the only one reason how they developed their relationship compared to the others relations on the novel. They have not married simply for social acceptance, like Charlotte and Collins marriage or for sexual desire, like Lydia and Wickham. They are truly in love with each other. This is something that could never be replaced with other motives of marriage. While pleasure, money, or sexual desire can simply disappear, love lasts forever. Marriage should make both of couple feeling happy and loved, no other purposes including for financial purposes.

Both Darcy and Elizabeth is a union of different aspects of characters. Darcy with his proudness and Elizabeth with her prejudice is a kind of different personal character, but the love has built a bridge between their different characters. People often look for a partner who has the same characteristic with their own. This practice was happened with the marriage of Lydia and Wickham. They had the same purpose of marriage and what happened to their marriage give a proof that sometime same-character marriage does not really create happiness.

While the other relationship does not really have a happy ending, Elizabeth and Darcy marriage which contained with respect and love makes their marriage has a happy ending in the story. Something that cannot be compared with the other purpose of marriage.

In the end of this writing, we take a conclusion that marriage, however in the nineteenth century is just such an option for the women to still survive their lives. But in the other hands, Elizabeth can deny it by portraying the honest characteristic and she chooses to marry the man she loves most is solely based on true love and she is also learn by her mistakes to get a perfect marriage. 

Written by: 

Arlantino  

Oldry Ronald  

Afik Kuncoro