One point of view on marriage that is most common is Mrs. Bennett's. She believes that all of her daughters need to be married as quickly as possible in order to get the best possible life. She shows this by bring out her daughter all at once. Another point of view is that of Mr. Collin's. In his situation he plans on marrying one of the Bennett’s daughters to reconcile a relationship with the family as well as pleasing Lady Catherine. Marriage to him is to sustain and possibly elevate one’s class level. Mr. Wickham’s motives were similar to Mr. Collin’s but not of the same material. It is revealed that Mr. Wickham was born into the influence of greater wealth and society at the time. Desperate into acquiring wealth that Mr. Darcy has refused him he tried to marry his younger sister. Wickham’s reasoning for marriage was to gain wealth that he believes is easy and his.
I completely agree with what you're saying about Wickham! He seems like a really nice guy at first, but as the volumes progress, he turns into a complete scumbag when it comes to his view on marriage. He also tries to form a relationship between himself and Miss King because she has quite a considerable amount of money that would come with marrying her. Wickham is a strange man because he seems to be so convincing in his admiration, but really just looks for monetary value in his marriage.
Mrs. Bennet- Mrs. Bennet sees marriage as a way to ensure her daughters place in society, as well as to make sure that they have a place to go when/if Mr. Bennet were to die soon. Marriage is all that Mrs. Bennet cares about, and she is overly preoccupied with all of her daughters getting married, despite their feelings towards the man. Charlotte Lucas- Charlotte ends up being the first one to be married in the book, however she married because she felt it was necessary and that Mr. Collins was the best she was going to get. Her feelings about marriage is that it is not about love or anything like that, it is simply something that a young lady must do. She knew she didn’t love Mr. Collins when he offered, but she knew she was suppose to be married. Jane- Jane on the other hand has a very different approach to marriage than the other two, she can be seen as a hopeless romantic. She wants to marry a man that she is in love with and that she knows will make her happy. Jane falls in love very easily, and believes the good in everybody, and therefore she believes that this will be the case when she gets married. She cares little about social status, however, it is a factor, she is more purely devoted to the happiness of the marriage.
Hey Helen, I agree with your contrast concerning views of marriage between Mrs. Bennet and Jane. Mrs. Bennet is only concerned with the concept of marrying her daughters off to distinguished gentlemen, and doesn't overly concern herself with the prospect of her daughter's happiness once they are married. Jane, on the other hand is more concerned with finding love than the concept of marriage, which provides a definite contrast between the the two members of the Bennet family.
The first point of view on marriage comes from Mrs. Bennet who sees marriage as an indispensable part of life and has made it her first priority to have all her daughters married regardless of the guy’s personality. As long as they are mercenary and straight, Mrs. Bennet will do whatever she can to set her daughters up for potential husbands as seen through her actions with Jane, sending her to Netherfield by horse (rather than a carriage) to see Mr. Bingley, knowing it would rain and forcing her to stay the night.
To Elizabeth’s dismay, Charlotte Lucas accepted the proposal from the pompous character, Mr. Collins. In juxtaposition, Elizabeth is more independent and patient when it comes to marriage as she knows what she wants and doesn't have to conform to society's standards of marrying just for money or residency. Charlotte on the other hand proves to be more dependent and desperate in accepting right away to Mr. Colllin's proposal. While Elizabeth plans on marrying for true love, Charlotte planned on marrying for the sake of convenience as she states, “I ask only a comfortable home and considering Mr. Collin’s situation in life I am convinced my chance of happiness with him is as most people…”
When it comes to marriage, Darcy’s point of view comes off snobbish, haughty and materialistic. Persuading his best friend, Mr. Bingley, to not waste his time with Jane because her family was not socially acceptable shows his extreme vanity and how he looks down upon people that aren't as sophisticated and wealthy as he is. Interestingly enough, later on in the novel, he starts admiring Elizabeth’s fierce independence as he tries reconciling his pride and the feelings he has for her, while maintaining his affluent stature.
I would agree with the first two rationals of marriage with Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet's but not with Mr. Darcy's. As he had explained in Chapter 12, he had originally believed that Jane was more disinterested in Mr. Bingley and that she was just another one of those girls that did not entirely love him. "... I could then perceive that his partiality for Miss Bennet was beyond what I had ever witnessed in him. Your sister I also watched.— Her look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment." (p. 188) He was entirely mistaken on that essence though he did say that in addition was the fact of social place. Mr. Darcy's view is rather similar to Miss Elizabeth's, that he should marry for love and not social status or money.
Mrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet’s main goal at this time of her life is to get all of her daughters married. She views marriage almost as a task that she has to complete so she can stay in her house. She goes against society’s “norms” and has all five daughters “out” at once. Being in love is of no concern and she is extremely pushy in her efforts. Charlotte Lucas: Though in an ideal world Charlotte would marry for love she feels like she doesn't have the privilege and so instead marries because she believes it’s the best she can do and her best chance at a decently happy life. Elizabeth Bennet: Elizabeth is a completely independent person and is not forced into doing anything unless she wishes. She doesn’t believe that one should marry just because they feel like they have too. I think she views marriage much like we do today; you do it because you want to, not because you have to.
I agree with what you said about Mrs. Bennet taking on marrying her daughters off as her task. She is always stressed out of her mind and refers to even becoming sick sometimes because of her "poor nerves" when it comes to the choices that are being made regarding relationships. Her emphasis on the importance of their being married is most likely what has caused the two youngest Ms. Bennets to become so obsessive over men. I also agree that she isn't concerned with whether or not there is real love involved, and her flippant views on marriage as well as her unnecessary role as a matchmaking takes away from the way strong relationships naturally form.
Mrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet's view of marriage is the primary thought that exists in her mind at all times. She is constantly worrying and stressing over her daughters finding amiable suitors. Since the daughters are not able to inherit their house, they are to find preferably wealthy young men that they should marry as to not become old spinsters. She is very headstrong and aggressive with them, and is devastated when Elizabeth declines the proposal from Mr. Collins. Mr. Bennet: Mr. Bennet is the perfect contrast in comparison to Mrs. Bennet in regards to the subject of marriage. He is a very hands off father, and lets his wife deal with much his daughters lives, though he is quite partial to Elizabeth. This is why he is happy when Elizabeth declines Mr. Collins proposal. He believes that marriage should be about love instead of merely marrying for societal and monetary purposes. Charlotte Lucas: Charlotte Lucas is in her late twenties, quite old to not be married, and worries that she will become a spinster. After Mr. Collins is declined by Elizabeth, he proposes to Charlotte, and she accepts gratefully. She believes that although he is not the perfect man for her, marrying will be the best decision, and will make her much more happy than if she did not.
Mrs Bennet: Mrs. Bennet believes that the sole purpose in her life is to marry her five daughters away to distinguished gentlemen. She thinks that marriage is one of the most important parts of a woman's life. She treats marriage as more of material bond than an emotional bond, especially when it comes to her daughters.
Mr. Darcy: In Mr. Darcy's opinion, marriage is something that is out of the question for him unless he finds a distinguished woman. However, Mr. Darcy believes that finding distinguished women is like finding a needle in a haystack, especially out in the country. His overall view of marriage is that is must be perfection, not something he has to ultimately settle for.
Mr. Bingley: Mr. Bingley has a view on marriage that is very opposite of Mrs. Bennet. This is interesting because he shows interest in Mrs. Bennet's daughter Jane. He believes he should take his time in finding the right wife, and not rush his proceedings with any women.
Hello Matthew, I agree completely with what you are saying about all 3 of these characters. To begin with I like how you say that Mrs. Bennet sees marriage as a material bond. I think this is especially accurate given the fact that she wants her daughter to marry purely for a stable future. Along with that, your analysis of Mr. Darcy is very true as well. Stating that he wants to find the perfect wife, I think that he thinks so highly of himself that, all he wants now is someone to increase his social status, if thats possible. You're also correct when saying that Mr. Bingley is the exact opposite, although he falls in love with Jane quite quickly, he does not rush marriage.
Mrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet doesn't view marriage as a bond between two people that are deeply in love with each other, but as a way of getting her daughters out of her house. She is extremely motivated to find her daughters any suitors that she can, and is very unconventional because she is making all five of her daughters available at the same time.
Mr. Bennet: Contrary to his wife, Mr. Bennet is not actively searching for suitors for his daughters. When Mr. Bingly and Mr. Darcy come into town, Mr. Bennet doesn't really think anything of it. Overall his view on marriage is the opposite of his wife.
Mr. Darcy: Mr. Darcy's character is a very rich, somewhat off-putting man who moves next to the Bennets. He clearly is aware of his social status and is not searching for someone to marry. When asked about one of the Bennet daughters he says that she is, "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me." He is very snobbish, but clearly has high standards for who he will want to marry. To Mr. Darcy marriage is not just something to rush into and do just because of social norms.
Mrs. Bennet has an emotional disinterest in her views on marriage. She is obviously very obsessed with making sure all her daughters can be both financially and socially secure with finding them husbands as soon as possible. Her concern with personality and compatibility is not evident, and she is astonished when Elizabeth doesn’t accept Mr. Collins proposal. This is extremely intrusive and overbearing, but her underlying motives are more or less rooted in care for the future of her daughter. Mr. Collin’s views on marriage are heavily superficially influenced by appearance, and on pleasing lady Catherine. His constant obsession with complimenting and apologizing further shows his obsession with politeness and simplistic standards regarding marriage. Elizabeth has a more serious and deep approach to the idea of marriage. She isn’t influenced or pressured into it by those around her, and her standards far exceed the typical women of her time. She isn’t swayed by the financial aspect, but rather shows a strong interest in the character of each person. She doesn’t feel the desperation to marry, but if she does she will do it out of love.
I completely agree with what you've said about Mrs. Bennet. Although she is overbearing with marriage, her concerns are whole-hearted and deep down she just cares about the future of her children. I also agree with your view on Mr. Collins. Rather than believing that marriage should be about attraction, passion, and love, he thinks that only his relationship to Lady Catherine should be enough. He thinks that just because of status and future success that he should be entitled to marriage. This of course is opposite of Elizabeth, which you've said also. She would fall first in love and then marry.
Mr. Bennet is a very laid back father who chooses not to involve himself in his daughter’s marriages whatsoever. He doesn’t seem concerned with them being left without an estate if they don’t marry. His largest concern is that his daughters marry someone whom they love, as is the case when he supports Elizabeth’s denial of Mr. Collins. He has experience firsthand with the mistake of marrying Mrs. Bennet based off of her beauty and youth, while she turns out to be horribly annoying and opinionated. His latest notion of a successful marriage is based off of how well he can avoid his wife.
Mrs. Bennet is an up in your face mother who constantly encourages her daughter’s to take every step possible towards marrying, even if they are not in love with them. She is much more concerned with leaving her daughters in rich hands rather than their own emotional well-being. She doesn’t give much thought to her own marriage, besides her constant nagging of Mr. Bennet, although it has come to a point where every word she says seems to go right over his head.
Wickham’s idea of marriage is very different from most of the characters in the book. His reason for wanting to marry Ms. King was based solely on monetary purposes. His financial situation is difficult at the time and marrying a girl with money will help his social status. His view of marriage is not based off of love whatsoever, but is superficial and extremely selfish.
I completely agree with your depiction of Mr. Bennet. I completely forgot to take into account his regrets involving his own marriage. It really does show that he wants more happiness for Elizabeth than he has in his own life as he struggles to put up with Mrs. Bennet's antics. The section regarding Mrs. Bennet is pretty spot on in my opinion as well. It's almost funny how much she badgers him to help his daughters to find marriage, and the way he simply shrugs it off. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet together present a perfect dichotomy of views on marriage and of how much emotion should be involved in finding a partner. I agree in that Wickham is interesting in his motives for pursuing Miss King. He shows the other side of the coin, the side where marriage is to benefit the man and not to give the woman a secure future.
The idea and action of marriage consumes Pride and Prejudice as the underlying theme and crucial issue of the all the main characters. Austen gives preference to the idea that marriage is based on love but supplies several contrasting attitudes towards it.
Mrs. Bennett's main agenda in life is to marry off her five daughters. As disheartening as this may seem, she finds joy in her life mission and views marriage as a social step ladder in order to increase status and achieve a cushy, affluent lifestyle. To her, personality and compatibility play a menial role in the process of finding a husband.
Mr. Collins' views marriage are truly a product of society's influence at the time. In his original intent of proposing to a Bennet girl, he did so as an offering of making amends for being the alien heir to their property. In only a few weeks of his visit to Longbourn, he readily expected to find a wife and eventual happiness in one of his 5 female cousins as per suggestion of his idol, Miss Catherine. Like Mrs. Bennett, he believes marriage as a means to elevate status.
As the heroine of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet plays the role of the hopeless romantic and most sensible in terms of modern ideals of love. It is through Elizabeth that Austen projects her personal views of marriage and that the basis for it should be happiness and love, not pecuniary goals. Her ideals juxtapose directly with her mother's in believing marriage depends on mutual understanding; hence her rejection of Mr. Collins proposal.
In Pride and Prejudice, the three main reasons to marry seem to be love, lust, or money. Mrs. Bennet seems to be motivated financially, Lydia seems to be motivated through lust, and Emma seems to actually care about loving someone as a person beforehand. Mrs. Bennet’s motives are by far the most logical, and common of the time. While her daughters seem to have specific things in mine for their betrothed, none of them besides her seem to be as aware of the possible financial consequences they are facing. Lydia’s motives are typical of a 15 year old. It’s not a massive shock that in the midst of the hormone fueled war zone that is a teenager’s mind, an obsession with the opposite sex seems to be a major motivation for everything. Though her motives are by no means as permanent as the others, they are the ones most socially acceptable in present times. Emma’s motives for marriage seem to be the perfect compromise between the others. While she fully recognizes the urgency of her situation, she also has no intention of marrying someone she can’t stand. Her motives for marriage are easily the most pure.
Its interesting you point out lust as a desire for Lydia. While I agree wholeheartedly in the hormone fueled war zone of teenager's mind, I feel that rather than lust, Kitty and Lydia are fueled by the external emphasis of marriage as well as the boredom and seclusion of their environment in rural England. As a result, they turn to the excitement of the officers in nearby Meryton and let the idea of flirting and romance consume their mind. I feel that lust rather connotes to physical cravings and sex whereas Lydia and Kitty are chasing after the excitement of romance and being desired by a man. Its also interesting and non-surprising to find out their mother, Mrs. Bennett, was exactly the same way at their age, and as a result she lives vicariously through her daughters and their love antics.
In Pride and Prejudice, the three main reasons to marry seem to be love, lust, or money. Mrs. Bennet seems to be motivated financially, Lydia seems to be motivated through lust, and Emma seems to actually care about loving someone as a person beforehand. Mrs. Bennet’s motives are by far the most logical, and common of the time. While her daughters seem to have specific things in mine for their betrothed, none of them besides her seem to be as aware of the possible financial consequences they are facing. Lydia’s motives are typical of a 15 year old. It’s not a massive shock that in the midst of the hormone fueled war zone that is a teenager’s mind, an obsession with the opposite sex seems to be a major motivation for everything. Though her motives are by no means as permanent as the others, they are the ones most socially acceptable in present times. Emma’s motives for marriage seem to be the perfect compromise between the others. While she fully recognizes the urgency of her situation, she also has no intention of marrying someone she can’t stand. Her motives for marriage are easily the most pure.
Marriage is approached in many angles throughout the course of the first two volumes of the novel. Beginning with Mrs. Bennet we see an approach to marriage that is aggressive and unemotional. In Mrs. Bennet’s eyes marriage is simply a piece of life that, more than anything else, is there only for the purpose of raising one’s status and providing one with a reliable place to live and situation to live in. This would also provide for the rest of the unmarried Bennet sisters until they would find a partner, as there is the current threat of losing their property should Mr. Bennet pass. Elizabeth’s view of marriage contradicts her mother’s in nearly every way possible. She is seemingly unconcerned with the thought of being put out on the street if her father were to die. Instead, she sees marriage as a much more personal endeavor. This can easily be seen when she turns away the hand of Mr. Collins and later rejects Mr. Darcy’s proposal, even though she would have then committed herself to a secure life, the latter offering her a good deal of wealth, too. Against her mother’s wishes she chose to remain single due to her personal beliefs and values. Finally, Charlotte Lucas, though close friends with Elizabeth has a much more impulsive and eager approach to marriage. She cares very little for the character of her fiancé or motives that lie within the proposal, quickly accepting Mr. Collins hand though he had proposed to Elizabeth just days before. Charlotte could be said to be similar in view to Mrs. Bennet, but Charlotte also seems to be naïve to the potential consequences of rushing into marriage.
Mrs.Bennett- All that she cares about is getting her harem of daughters to marry. When she has all them married off, she feels as if she can finally rest. The reason she wants them to wed is because the inheritance of her family would go out of the family if her husband were to die.
Mr.Bennett- Mr.Bennett really could care less about what happens regarding the marriage of his daughters. As we discussed in class, he seems to have a very hands off approach when it comes to his parenting style and that flows directly into how he thinks of his daughters and their marital status. I'm sure he wishes that they just hurry up and get wed so that he didn't need to worry about this whole hassle.
Elizabeth Bennett seems to have a perfect balance of opinions. She doesn't feel as if she needs to rush into anything with a man that she doesn't like or who doesn't seem fit to marry her (rather the opposite of the time period). She does display signs of wanting to be wed though, that much can be deduced, so she has that characteristic of her mother in her but also the careless "meh"attitude of her father as well.
One point of view on marriage that is most common is Mrs. Bennett's. She believes that all of her daughters need to be married as quickly as possible in order to get the best possible life. She shows this by bring out her daughter all at once. Another point of view is that of Mr. Collin's. In his situation he plans on marrying one of the Bennett’s daughters to reconcile a relationship with the family as well as pleasing Lady Catherine. Marriage to him is to sustain and possibly elevate one’s class level. Mr. Wickham’s motives were similar to Mr. Collin’s but not of the same material. It is revealed that Mr. Wickham was born into the influence of greater wealth and society at the time. Desperate into acquiring wealth that Mr. Darcy has refused him he tried to marry his younger sister. Wickham’s reasoning for marriage was to gain wealth that he believes is easy and his.
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DeleteI completely agree with what you're saying about Wickham! He seems like a really nice guy at first, but as the volumes progress, he turns into a complete scumbag when it comes to his view on marriage. He also tries to form a relationship between himself and Miss King because she has quite a considerable amount of money that would come with marrying her. Wickham is a strange man because he seems to be so convincing in his admiration, but really just looks for monetary value in his marriage.
DeleteMrs. Bennet- Mrs. Bennet sees marriage as a way to ensure her daughters place in society, as well as to make sure that they have a place to go when/if Mr. Bennet were to die soon. Marriage is all that Mrs. Bennet cares about, and she is overly preoccupied with all of her daughters getting married, despite their feelings towards the man.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte Lucas- Charlotte ends up being the first one to be married in the book, however she married because she felt it was necessary and that Mr. Collins was the best she was going to get. Her feelings about marriage is that it is not about love or anything like that, it is simply something that a young lady must do. She knew she didn’t love Mr. Collins when he offered, but she knew she was suppose to be married.
Jane- Jane on the other hand has a very different approach to marriage than the other two, she can be seen as a hopeless romantic. She wants to marry a man that she is in love with and that she knows will make her happy. Jane falls in love very easily, and believes the good in everybody, and therefore she believes that this will be the case when she gets married. She cares little about social status, however, it is a factor, she is more purely devoted to the happiness of the marriage.
Hey Helen,
DeleteI agree with your contrast concerning views of marriage between Mrs. Bennet and Jane. Mrs. Bennet is only concerned with the concept of marrying her daughters off to distinguished gentlemen, and doesn't overly concern herself with the prospect of her daughter's happiness once they are married. Jane, on the other hand is more concerned with finding love than the concept of marriage, which provides a definite contrast between the the two members of the Bennet family.
The first point of view on marriage comes from Mrs. Bennet who sees marriage as an indispensable part of life and has made it her first priority to have all her daughters married regardless of the guy’s personality. As long as they are mercenary and straight, Mrs. Bennet will do whatever she can to set her daughters up for potential husbands as seen through her actions with Jane, sending her to Netherfield by horse (rather than a carriage) to see Mr. Bingley, knowing it would rain and forcing her to stay the night.
ReplyDeleteTo Elizabeth’s dismay, Charlotte Lucas accepted the proposal from the pompous character, Mr. Collins. In juxtaposition, Elizabeth is more independent and patient when it comes to marriage as she knows what she wants and doesn't have to conform to society's standards of marrying just for money or residency. Charlotte on the other hand proves to be more dependent and desperate in accepting right away to Mr. Colllin's proposal. While Elizabeth plans on marrying for true love, Charlotte planned on marrying for the sake of convenience as she states, “I ask only a comfortable home and considering Mr. Collin’s situation in life I am convinced my chance of happiness with him is as most people…”
When it comes to marriage, Darcy’s point of view comes off snobbish, haughty and materialistic. Persuading his best friend, Mr. Bingley, to not waste his time with Jane because her family was not socially acceptable shows his extreme vanity and how he looks down upon people that aren't as sophisticated and wealthy as he is. Interestingly enough, later on in the novel, he starts admiring Elizabeth’s fierce independence as he tries reconciling his pride and the feelings he has for her, while maintaining his affluent stature.
I would agree with the first two rationals of marriage with Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet's but not with Mr. Darcy's. As he had explained in Chapter 12, he had originally believed that Jane was more disinterested in Mr. Bingley and that she was just another one of those girls that did not entirely love him. "... I could then perceive that his partiality for Miss Bennet was beyond what I had ever witnessed in him. Your sister I also watched.— Her look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment." (p. 188) He was entirely mistaken on that essence though he did say that in addition was the fact of social place. Mr. Darcy's view is rather similar to Miss Elizabeth's, that he should marry for love and not social status or money.
DeleteMrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet’s main goal at this time of her life is to get all of her daughters married. She views marriage almost as a task that she has to complete so she can stay in her house. She goes against society’s “norms” and has all five daughters “out” at once. Being in love is of no concern and she is extremely pushy in her efforts.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte Lucas: Though in an ideal world Charlotte would marry for love she feels like she doesn't have the privilege and so instead marries because she believes it’s the best she can do and her best chance at a decently happy life.
Elizabeth Bennet: Elizabeth is a completely independent person and is not forced into doing anything unless she wishes. She doesn’t believe that one should marry just because they feel like they have too. I think she views marriage much like we do today; you do it because you want to, not because you have to.
I agree with what you said about Mrs. Bennet taking on marrying her daughters off as her task. She is always stressed out of her mind and refers to even becoming sick sometimes because of her "poor nerves" when it comes to the choices that are being made regarding relationships. Her emphasis on the importance of their being married is most likely what has caused the two youngest Ms. Bennets to become so obsessive over men. I also agree that she isn't concerned with whether or not there is real love involved, and her flippant views on marriage as well as her unnecessary role as a matchmaking takes away from the way strong relationships naturally form.
DeleteMrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet's view of marriage is the primary thought that exists in her mind at all times. She is constantly worrying and stressing over her daughters finding amiable suitors. Since the daughters are not able to inherit their house, they are to find preferably wealthy young men that they should marry as to not become old spinsters. She is very headstrong and aggressive with them, and is devastated when Elizabeth declines the proposal from Mr. Collins.
ReplyDeleteMr. Bennet: Mr. Bennet is the perfect contrast in comparison to Mrs. Bennet in regards to the subject of marriage. He is a very hands off father, and lets his wife deal with much his daughters lives, though he is quite partial to Elizabeth. This is why he is happy when Elizabeth declines Mr. Collins proposal. He believes that marriage should be about love instead of merely marrying for societal and monetary purposes.
Charlotte Lucas: Charlotte Lucas is in her late twenties, quite old to not be married, and worries that she will become a spinster. After Mr. Collins is declined by Elizabeth, he proposes to Charlotte, and she accepts gratefully. She believes that although he is not the perfect man for her, marrying will be the best decision, and will make her much more happy than if she did not.
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ReplyDeleteMrs Bennet: Mrs. Bennet believes that the sole purpose in her life is to marry her five daughters away to distinguished gentlemen. She thinks that marriage is one of the most important parts of a woman's life. She treats marriage as more of material bond than an emotional bond, especially when it comes to her daughters.
ReplyDeleteMr. Darcy: In Mr. Darcy's opinion, marriage is something that is out of the question for him unless he finds a distinguished woman. However, Mr. Darcy believes that finding distinguished women is like finding a needle in a haystack, especially out in the country. His overall view of marriage is that is must be perfection, not something he has to ultimately settle for.
Mr. Bingley: Mr. Bingley has a view on marriage that is very opposite of Mrs. Bennet. This is interesting because he shows interest in Mrs. Bennet's daughter Jane. He believes he should take his time in finding the right wife, and not rush his proceedings with any women.
Hello Matthew,
DeleteI agree completely with what you are saying about all 3 of these characters. To begin with I like how you say that Mrs. Bennet sees marriage as a material bond. I think this is especially accurate given the fact that she wants her daughter to marry purely for a stable future. Along with that, your analysis of Mr. Darcy is very true as well. Stating that he wants to find the perfect wife, I think that he thinks so highly of himself that, all he wants now is someone to increase his social status, if thats possible. You're also correct when saying that Mr. Bingley is the exact opposite, although he falls in love with Jane quite quickly, he does not rush marriage.
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ReplyDeleteMrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet doesn't view marriage as a bond between two people that are deeply in love with each other, but as a way of getting her daughters out of her house. She is extremely motivated to find her daughters any suitors that she can, and is very unconventional because she is making all five of her daughters available at the same time.
ReplyDeleteMr. Bennet: Contrary to his wife, Mr. Bennet is not actively searching for suitors for his daughters. When Mr. Bingly and Mr. Darcy come into town, Mr. Bennet doesn't really think anything of it. Overall his view on marriage is the opposite of his wife.
Mr. Darcy: Mr. Darcy's character is a very rich, somewhat off-putting man who moves next to the Bennets. He clearly is aware of his social status and is not searching for someone to marry. When asked about one of the Bennet daughters he says that she is, "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me." He is very snobbish, but clearly has high standards for who he will want to marry. To Mr. Darcy marriage is not just something to rush into and do just because of social norms.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bennet has an emotional disinterest in her views on marriage. She is obviously very obsessed with making sure all her daughters can be both financially and socially secure with finding them husbands as soon as possible. Her concern with personality and compatibility is not evident, and she is astonished when Elizabeth doesn’t accept Mr. Collins proposal. This is extremely intrusive and overbearing, but her underlying motives are more or less rooted in care for the future of her daughter. Mr. Collin’s views on marriage are heavily superficially influenced by appearance, and on pleasing lady Catherine. His constant obsession with complimenting and apologizing further shows his obsession with politeness and simplistic standards regarding marriage. Elizabeth has a more serious and deep approach to the idea of marriage. She isn’t influenced or pressured into it by those around her, and her standards far exceed the typical women of her time. She isn’t swayed by the financial aspect, but rather shows a strong interest in the character of each person. She doesn’t feel the desperation to marry, but if she does she will do it out of love.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you've said about Mrs. Bennet. Although she is overbearing with marriage, her concerns are whole-hearted and deep down she just cares about the future of her children. I also agree with your view on Mr. Collins. Rather than believing that marriage should be about attraction, passion, and love, he thinks that only his relationship to Lady Catherine should be enough. He thinks that just because of status and future success that he should be entitled to marriage. This of course is opposite of Elizabeth, which you've said also. She would fall first in love and then marry.
DeleteMr. Bennet is a very laid back father who chooses not to involve himself in his daughter’s marriages whatsoever. He doesn’t seem concerned with them being left without an estate if they don’t marry. His largest concern is that his daughters marry someone whom they love, as is the case when he supports Elizabeth’s denial of Mr. Collins. He has experience firsthand with the mistake of marrying Mrs. Bennet based off of her beauty and youth, while she turns out to be horribly annoying and opinionated. His latest notion of a successful marriage is based off of how well he can avoid his wife.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bennet is an up in your face mother who constantly encourages her daughter’s to take every step possible towards marrying, even if they are not in love with them. She is much more concerned with leaving her daughters in rich hands rather than their own emotional well-being. She doesn’t give much thought to her own marriage, besides her constant nagging of Mr. Bennet, although it has come to a point where every word she says seems to go right over his head.
Wickham’s idea of marriage is very different from most of the characters in the book. His reason for wanting to marry Ms. King was based solely on monetary purposes. His financial situation is difficult at the time and marrying a girl with money will help his social status. His view of marriage is not based off of love whatsoever, but is superficial and extremely selfish.
I completely agree with your depiction of Mr. Bennet. I completely forgot to take into account his regrets involving his own marriage. It really does show that he wants more happiness for Elizabeth than he has in his own life as he struggles to put up with Mrs. Bennet's antics. The section regarding Mrs. Bennet is pretty spot on in my opinion as well. It's almost funny how much she badgers him to help his daughters to find marriage, and the way he simply shrugs it off. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet together present a perfect dichotomy of views on marriage and of how much emotion should be involved in finding a partner. I agree in that Wickham is interesting in his motives for pursuing Miss King. He shows the other side of the coin, the side where marriage is to benefit the man and not to give the woman a secure future.
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ReplyDeleteThe idea and action of marriage consumes Pride and Prejudice as the underlying theme and crucial issue of the all the main characters. Austen gives preference to the idea that marriage is based on love but supplies several contrasting attitudes towards it.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bennett's main agenda in life is to marry off her five daughters. As disheartening as this may seem, she finds joy in her life mission and views marriage as a social step ladder in order to increase status and achieve a cushy, affluent lifestyle. To her, personality and compatibility play a menial role in the process of finding a husband.
Mr. Collins' views marriage are truly a product of society's influence at the time. In his original intent of proposing to a Bennet girl, he did so as an offering of making amends for being the alien heir to their property. In only a few weeks of his visit to Longbourn, he readily expected to find a wife and eventual happiness in one of his 5 female cousins as per suggestion of his idol, Miss Catherine. Like Mrs. Bennett, he believes marriage as a means to elevate status.
As the heroine of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet plays the role of the hopeless romantic and most sensible in terms of modern ideals of love. It is through Elizabeth that Austen projects her personal views of marriage and that the basis for it should be happiness and love, not pecuniary goals. Her ideals juxtapose directly with her mother's in believing marriage depends on mutual understanding; hence her rejection of Mr. Collins proposal.
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ReplyDeleteIn Pride and Prejudice, the three main reasons to marry seem to be love, lust, or money. Mrs. Bennet seems to be motivated financially, Lydia seems to be motivated through lust, and Emma seems to actually care about loving someone as a person beforehand. Mrs. Bennet’s motives are by far the most logical, and common of the time. While her daughters seem to have specific things in mine for their betrothed, none of them besides her seem to be as aware of the possible financial consequences they are facing. Lydia’s motives are typical of a 15 year old. It’s not a massive shock that in the midst of the hormone fueled war zone that is a teenager’s mind, an obsession with the opposite sex seems to be a major motivation for everything. Though her motives are by no means as permanent as the others, they are the ones most socially acceptable in present times. Emma’s motives for marriage seem to be the perfect compromise between the others. While she fully recognizes the urgency of her situation, she also has no intention of marrying someone she can’t stand. Her motives for marriage are easily the most pure.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting you point out lust as a desire for Lydia. While I agree wholeheartedly in the hormone fueled war zone of teenager's mind, I feel that rather than lust, Kitty and Lydia are fueled by the external emphasis of marriage as well as the boredom and seclusion of their environment in rural England. As a result, they turn to the excitement of the officers in nearby Meryton and let the idea of flirting and romance consume their mind. I feel that lust rather connotes to physical cravings and sex whereas Lydia and Kitty are chasing after the excitement of romance and being desired by a man. Its also interesting and non-surprising to find out their mother, Mrs. Bennett, was exactly the same way at their age, and as a result she lives vicariously through her daughters and their love antics.
DeleteIn Pride and Prejudice, the three main reasons to marry seem to be love, lust, or money. Mrs. Bennet seems to be motivated financially, Lydia seems to be motivated through lust, and Emma seems to actually care about loving someone as a person beforehand. Mrs. Bennet’s motives are by far the most logical, and common of the time. While her daughters seem to have specific things in mine for their betrothed, none of them besides her seem to be as aware of the possible financial consequences they are facing. Lydia’s motives are typical of a 15 year old. It’s not a massive shock that in the midst of the hormone fueled war zone that is a teenager’s mind, an obsession with the opposite sex seems to be a major motivation for everything. Though her motives are by no means as permanent as the others, they are the ones most socially acceptable in present times. Emma’s motives for marriage seem to be the perfect compromise between the others. While she fully recognizes the urgency of her situation, she also has no intention of marrying someone she can’t stand. Her motives for marriage are easily the most pure.
ReplyDeleteMarriage is approached in many angles throughout the course of the first two volumes of the novel. Beginning with Mrs. Bennet we see an approach to marriage that is aggressive and unemotional. In Mrs. Bennet’s eyes marriage is simply a piece of life that, more than anything else, is there only for the purpose of raising one’s status and providing one with a reliable place to live and situation to live in. This would also provide for the rest of the unmarried Bennet sisters until they would find a partner, as there is the current threat of losing their property should Mr. Bennet pass. Elizabeth’s view of marriage contradicts her mother’s in nearly every way possible. She is seemingly unconcerned with the thought of being put out on the street if her father were to die. Instead, she sees marriage as a much more personal endeavor. This can easily be seen when she turns away the hand of Mr. Collins and later rejects Mr. Darcy’s proposal, even though she would have then committed herself to a secure life, the latter offering her a good deal of wealth, too. Against her mother’s wishes she chose to remain single due to her personal beliefs and values. Finally, Charlotte Lucas, though close friends with Elizabeth has a much more impulsive and eager approach to marriage. She cares very little for the character of her fiancé or motives that lie within the proposal, quickly accepting Mr. Collins hand though he had proposed to Elizabeth just days before. Charlotte could be said to be similar in view to Mrs. Bennet, but Charlotte also seems to be naïve to the potential consequences of rushing into marriage.
ReplyDeleteMrs.Bennett- All that she cares about is getting her harem of daughters to marry. When she has all them married off, she feels as if she can finally rest. The reason she wants them to wed is because the inheritance of her family would go out of the family if her husband were to die.
ReplyDeleteMr.Bennett- Mr.Bennett really could care less about what happens regarding the marriage of his daughters. As we discussed in class, he seems to have a very hands off approach when it comes to his parenting style and that flows directly into how he thinks of his daughters and their marital status. I'm sure he wishes that they just hurry up and get wed so that he didn't need to worry about this whole hassle.
Elizabeth Bennett seems to have a perfect balance of opinions. She doesn't feel as if she needs to rush into anything with a man that she doesn't like or who doesn't seem fit to marry her (rather the opposite of the time period). She does display signs of wanting to be wed though, that much can be deduced, so she has that characteristic of her mother in her but also the careless "meh"attitude of her father as well.