Beneath the surface of the romantic comedy Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen presents an underlying theme of the economic situation faced by women in the early nineteenth century. The best representations of this in the story is how two of the women in the novel approach marriage, and what they hope to achieve or gain through it.
The two girls mentioned above are Elizabeth and Charlotte. Elizabeth is one five sisters in a family with no male heir. Their father's estate is entailed in such a way that no one in their immediate family will receive it, so when their father dies all that they will have is the small amount of money that belongs to
their mother. One of the problems that both of the girls, and the rest of the women in their society for that matter, faced was the fact that even the most educated woman could not support herself. Unless you are very wealthy woman or had very wealthy parents then marriage seems to be the only way you can live a decent
life. Most people of the day thought that marriage "was the only honorable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune." It became a source of financial security that in many cases went no furth
she will have almost no means to support herself. Her constraint is that she will not enter marriage for any other reason but love, and she proves this by denying Mr. Collins her hand in marriage.
As you can see, the situation faced by these two women did not leave them many options. To choose a marriage based on love was to risk your future, and to risk the future of your children as well. While basing a marriage on wealth and financial security jeapordizes your future happiness. Elizabeth claims that giving up love in marriage is "sacrific[ing] every better feeling to worldly advantage,"
Being a woman in this time and being in a situation where she looks as to inherit almost nothing a marriage such as this does not seem unreasonable but she thinks differently. Even though her economic outlook does not look good at all it does not constrain her and she still treasures love and happiness above her financial standing. This decision is extremely brave considering that once her father is dead
but that was a choice every woman like her had to make. Women of the day seemed to have faced one of two constraints in marriage. Either they had to have a husband that made t
All papers and essays are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright 2002-2009
Direct Essays , LLC. All Rights Reserved. DMCA Webmasters make $$$$