All of Jane Austen's novels deal with the marriage plot--or the main action of each novel revolves around marriage. In Pride and Prejudice this theme is introduced immediately. As we said in class, the Bennet girls must marry because they have no rights to their father's estate. But why marriage?
Why is marriage so important to all the female characters? Why does Charlotte Lucas marry Mr. Collins, clearly, according to Elizabeth and most readers, I might suggest, an undesirable match for many reasons? Look carefully at what she says--and how Elizabeth responds.
Pride and Prejudice is written during the 19th century a time period when women had very little rights. Women could not have money of their own and had very few options available that would lead to a stable future. Young girls like the Bennet girls and Charlotte Lucas had only one choice—marriage. Marrying a man with money who could provide a decent stable life for them was the most viable option for many women. Love or attraction in many cases became obsolete. Charlotte Lucas’s marriage to Mr. Collins seems very irrational and almost silly but not to Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte is not like Elizabeth who feels that love and marriage go hand in hand. Charlotte Lucas states, “I am not a romantic you know. I never was, I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (111). Although her future husband is neither handsome nor charismatic, Charlotte genuinely feels that she can live a pleasant life with Mr. Collins because he can provide for her what she most desires, economic security.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth’s response to hearing about Charlotte Lucas’s marriage to Mr. Collins is one of total and complete shock. Elizabeth cannot fathom why Charlotte Lucas could ever lead Mr. Collins on and even more inconceivable why she would ever accept a marriage offer from him. Although she makes a very mediocre attempt to hide it from her dear friend, Elizabeth is painfully assured that Charlotte Lucas has sacrificed her happiness. Elizabeth is certain that it is impossible for Charlotte to be happy in her marriage to Mr. Collins.
most certainly agree with your comment. Elizabth knows that Charlotte is marrying for reasons differnt than her own. Elizabeth, like her sisters, desires to marry for love while Charlotte simply wants to marry for security. Charlotte knows that the whole idea of marriage to Mr. Collins is solely based on interest. She knows she is the second choice; however, she seems to believe that Mr. Collins might grow fond of her over the years but is certain it might not happen. Marriage was her only choice. Elizabeth wants to protect her friend but choses not to mindle because she knows how important this "marriage" is to Charlotte. Charlotte,like many women of her time, needs to define herself, and she can only do that by having a husband of good fortune such as Mr. Collins. There is something about the character of Mr. Collins that seems to describe the characters of men of the era, but I am not certain what it is yet. They all seem to share this narrsasistic "pride." I hope to discover the answer through our discussions of the novel and futher reading of it.
DeleteI'm really glad that Austen decided to include a character who was not willing to marry for anything less than love. We know from research that women would marry their husbands purely based on money, even if they were in love with someone else. They had to as a means of survival. I'm glad she constructed a character willing to stand up for herself and not settle for a comfortable home and a secure plan for her future.
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ReplyDeleteAusten begins her novel by acknowledging a "universal truth." She utters," a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in a want of a wife" (5). With this sentence, she states the whole purpose of her novel - marriage. Well, to be more percise the marriages of the five Bennett girls. Marriage is of extreme importance to all of the characters in Austen's novel because as it sadly was marriage defined for the most part whom women were. They were a symbol of their husband's good fortune and wealth. Throughout the novel, the Bennett girls are social and in what seems to be in desperate need of a significant others;however one must admit that the Bennett girls seem to want to oppose tradition. As Jane and Elizabeth desire to marry for love. On the other hand, Charlotte Lucas in comparison to the Bennett girls was not of particular beauty. During the first few chapters of Austen's novel, Mr. Bennett harshly says that Charlotte Lucas was not that extraordinary beautiful in comaprison to his Jane. I would say that Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins's proposal as a desperate attempt to define herself. She is the second choice or Mr. Collins's reaction to Elizbeth's refusal. He askes Charlotte out of desperation and anger; however, she gladly accepts. I would go as far as to argue that she even knows that she is the second choice for Mr. Collins because she tries to justify and explain her choice to Elizabeth. I think that by elaborating upon her decision to Elizabeth she is in fact convincing herself that Mr. Collins picked her for other reasons. She says to Elizabeth " Do you think it incredible that Mr. Collins should be able to produce any woman's good opinion, because he was not so happy as to succeed with you? (100)" Elizabeth on the contrary knows that this idea of marriage carried different meanings for the two ladies and Mr. Collins. Elizabeth wants to marry for love, but Charlotte wants to marry for defintion and security. Austen tell the reader that "she [Elizabeth] had always felt that Charlotte's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own (101)." Elizabeth still cannot help but feel sorry for Charlotte as she knows Mr. Collins too well. For Austen, this idea of marriage became the central theme of her novels because marriage was the only option that the women of the 19th century had in a desperate attempt to define themselves. For instance, the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett was based solely on everything but love. He never truely loved his wife. In fact, he was annoyed by her. I would argue further that Austen purposefully uses the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett to illustrate what all of the marriges that are not for love in the end turn out to be - ways of life. She uses the Bennett girls to oppose tradition. They are determined to marry for love. Austen herself never married and perhaps one of the characters is based on her. Austen herslef tried to oppose tradition, and she did. She chose not to marry. Further, I believed that Austen had a very romantic idea of marriage, and she did not see it as something that a woman needs to define her character
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DeleteGreat analysis--especially near the end! I agree that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's relationship possibly represents the relationship you have outlined. The Bennet girls may not entirely oppose tradition, but they do seem to progressively rebel (or experiment) against the convential standards in one way or another. They all have their own individual ways of dealing with relationships and love is proving difficult to find for all of them. The difficult measures of finding love are a common characteristic (or stage) of youth that marriage--and tradition--disrupts and obscures.
DeleteMary is one of the most interesting characters. She has had very few lines in the novel but I have highlighted each quote of hers. She is always in study and easily ignored when everything she says seems morally critical and essential to the novel. If Austen did create a character for herself, could it have been Mary?? [Ideas for a paper are stirring~~]
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DeleteThat is so funny and creative. I defenitely think that she modeled one of the characters after herslef. I do agree with you that it porbably was not Jane or Elizableth but perhaps Mary. That is a great idea for a paper. Hopefully, if someone decides to go with that, they can find lots of research on such topic. As we discussed in class, Austen's theme is marriage in this novel and in many of her other works. Also, as we have mentioned, her novels deal with contemporary issues and that is why they are considered among the best works of literature.
DeleteWomen were needed to marry because they did not have the freedom to own their own things. The things that were given to them would be owned by their husband. They were just another piece of property, and as Mrs. Bennet assumes, all men would want to collect another piece of property, a wife. Also, in these times some women would find it strange not to marry, even disgraceful and embarrassing if they could not find a husband. Charlotte Lucas said she “only asks for a comfortable home,” not love or compassion within a mate. It is clear she is marrying to be well taken care of and to have the reassurance that she won’t struggle for the rest of her life alone.
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DeleteShe most certainly marries for security. Her marriage to Mr. Collins will set her up for life. However, it is also important to note that Charlotte Lucas does not have many choice. For instance, she is 27 years old, she is not considered attractive, and out of desperation she knows she has to marry
DeleteCharlotte Lucas's response to Elizabeth's initial reproach summarizes her humbly submissive position:
ReplyDelete"I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state."
Oh Charlotte (sigh) . . .
In chapter 25, Mrs. Bennet comments interestingly on the subject in conversation with Mrs. Gardiner. She is relaying her feelings about Elizabeth's denial of Mr. Collin's proposal:
"The Lucases are very artful people indeed, sister. They are all for what they can get. I am sorry to say it of them, but so it is. It makes me nervous and poorly, to be thwarted so in my own family, and to have neighbours who think of themselves before anybody else."
I have thought in reading of the possibility that Mrs. Bennet's voice might serve as the "popular/public opinion" of women in general (during the era in context, of course); or a representation of popular (and distasteful) moral expectations and reactions from the common passive/submissive woman of the time. Bear with me . . .
If Austen intended Mrs. Bennet's words in this way, a simple quote, such as the one above, may provide an applied view of the institution of marriage and gender roles. This quote in particular communicates a wealth of perspective from this character about the subject--FOR EXAMPLE--from this passage, we know how Mrs. Bennet feels about marriage, the Lucas family, Elizabeth, Mr. Collins, and the value she places on ALL of their decisions. If we allow my adorable (if I do say so myself) "popular/public opinion" possibility, then what could that tell us about marriage or general moral expectation and reaction??
It may sound ~trippy~ and perhaps I didn't explain my ideas well enough, but I thought I would bring up something a little "different" that came to mind when going over the prompt again. Everyone has responded wonderfully!
If I were Mrs. Bennett, I doubt my feelings would have been much different than hers! Here, Collins proposes to Charlotte, making her the future mistress of Longbourn! How dreadful the thought of any mother with no sons be during that era, wondering what might become of her! Never knowing what the future will hold once the husband is deceased! In all probability, this would be the popular opinion of many women during this era.
DeleteJared,
DeleteShe probably is the public opinion because her characteristics have too much to say. She most defenitley could be the public voice within the novel.
Chapters 22 and 23 certainly make known the importance of marriage during the time in England this book addresses. In the middle of chapter 22, the whole family is excited and relieved: "The whole family, in short, were properly overjoyed on the occasion. The younger girls formed hopes of coming out a year or two sooner than they might otherwise have done; and the boys were relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte's dying an old maid" (104). Further, Charlotte herself was relieved: "This preservative she had now obtained; and at the age of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it" (105). Jane Austen is master of creating marriage as all important among both of the families and those reading the novel. Why the excitement in the Lucas family? As each of my classmates know, made so apparent by Austen, Charlotte is marrying well. She is marrying above her class; she has secured a future free from the burden of "want." No one in the Lucas family even seems slightly agitated that Elizabeth was asked by Collins just three days prior! It is of course a sheer disappointment for Elizabeth, in thinking her best friend could never be happy in such a marriage arrangement. Elizabeth's thoughts reveal the shock: "She had always felt that Charlotte's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she could not have supposed it possible that when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage" (107). Yes, worldly advantage, without marriage, the girls have nothing! They are not allowed to inherit property! This becomes the focus of Mrs. Bennett at the outrage: "'It is very hard to think that Charlotte Lucas should ever be mistress of this house, that I should be forced to make way for her, and live to see her take my place in it'" (111). Is Charlotte such a fool for taking the deal, despite the lack of love? Wasn't it Charlotte who felt un-handsome? Hasn't marriage always been her goal? Perhaps because I too am also un-handsome, perhaps this is why I don't pity her; I can relate to Charlotte's relief. With her case however, the stakes are much higher. I say, "Congratulations! at least you have someone!"
ReplyDeleteI must agree with you Jim, I think Charlotte has made a decent choice in choosing to marry Mr. Collins. Granted, Mr. Collins proposal was her only choice but at least she had the courage and right mind to take the offer. Charlotte is simply securing her well being. Is there any shame in that? Why must Charlotte be looked at with shame for deciding to take the safe bet and marry Mr. Collins rather than waiting for wealthy Prince Charming to come sweep her off her feet? I also seem to disagree with Elizabeth's pessimistic view of her friends future happiness. I think Charlotte has a good a chance as any of being happy with her new husband. Sure Mr. Collins is a twit at times but it is undeniable the doors and opportunities he offers Charlotte. Charlotte can have a comfortable home, be worry free, and take advantage of her comfort. Like you Jim, I cannot agree that Charlotte has been foolish in her decision. After all she has accomplished (sooner than all the Bennet girls) to fulfill her goal in life-- to marry a man that can provide her with a comfortable home.
DeleteIf the page numbers or chapters seem off, please note that I am using the Texas Wesleyan Library copy.
ReplyDeleteI can still post on this way old blog? wow.
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