In 19th century England, women were limited in nearly every aspect of life. Women could not own land, inherit possessions or work the same jobs that men had. They were inferior in most ways, molded into mindless housewives, utterly dependent on their husbands. However, there existed one tool to improve a woman’s life. It was marriage, more specifically marrying well. Having a rich husband provided a woman with financial security, a good house to tend and a materialistically satisfying life. In Pride and Prejudice, one woman who recognized the merits of a good marriage was Charlotte Collins. Charlotte married Mr. Collins primarily to secure a good future for herself. This future that did not include living in her parent’s house for the rest of her life. Charlotte was 27, and at that age, women did not get many offers of marriage. She was logical, she knew her situation in life was not ideal for a woman of her age, and if she did not act soon, she would end up a spinster. She acted for her own good, and later thought of her own happiness, much like Mr. Collins. When Mr. Collins had proposed to Elizabeth, he stated that he wished to marry mainly because it would set a good example for his parish and his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
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Before proposing to Elizabeth, Lady Catherine de Bourgh ordered Mr.Collins to “chuse properly, chuse a gentlewoman for my sake; and for your own, let [the wife be]...active, useful...person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way.” This order from Lady Catherine de Bourgh pushes Mr. Collins into the marriage state. It is not for his own happiness, even though he claims to Elizabeth that “[he was] convinced that [marriage] will add very greatly to [his] happiness.” He needed to marry quickly, to keep his job and patroness. His happiness was not an important factor in his decision. Just like Charlotte’s manner of selecting a spouse, Mr. Collins is calculating. This sort of view on marriage is nearly opposite of Elizabeth Bennett’s. Elizabeth believes in marrying for love, and only because of love. Charlotte and Mr. Collins’ marriage of convenience leaves Elizabeth stricken. Throughout Pride and Prejudice Austen implies that “entering the marriage state” should benefit the bride and groom, and not an simply be exchange in currency and land. Austen also uses Elizabeth to express these ideas, after Charlotte explains her reasoning about marrying Mr. Collins. What Charlotte is doing,”[sacrificing her] every better feeling to worldly advantage”, Elizabeth declares that “she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, [that she] would have [done the same as Charlotte]. After all, Elizabeth is “determined that only the deepest love will induce [her] into matrimony.” The way these women were raised also affects their differing opinions on marriage. Charlotte was the eldest child of her family, and her parents have two sons and two daughters besides herself. Charlotte is 27 when she marries Mr.Collins. 27 was around the age that spinsters or old maids were labeled. Charlotte knew she had to marry quickly or be stuck as the spinster living in one of her younger siblings’ homes. Charlotte and Jane Bennett faced the same kind of pressure; they were the eldest women. Their families were depending on them to marry well and fast to set an example for their younger siblings and leave their parent’s home. Mrs. Bennett certainly pushed her daughters to marry quickly and well, because she bore five of them. She recognized the real threat that one or more of her daughters would not receive marriage proposals since “[their] portions [are] unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of [their] loveliness and amiable qualifications.” If the older daughters married well, it would hopefully give the chance for the younger ones to follow in their footsteps. Charlotte and Jane Bennett faced the same kind of pressure; they were the eldest women, and their families were depending on them to marry well and quickly. The pressure these single women received from their families affected them in startlingly different ways. Charlotte set herself on a mission to find
Before proposing to Elizabeth, Lady Catherine de Bourgh ordered Mr.Collins to “chuse properly, chuse a gentlewoman for my sake; and for your own, let [the wife be]...active, useful...person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way.” This order from Lady Catherine de Bourgh pushes Mr. Collins into the marriage state. It is not for his own happiness, even though he claims to Elizabeth that “[he was] convinced that [marriage] will add very greatly to [his] happiness.” He needed to marry quickly, to keep his job and patroness. His happiness was not an important factor in his decision. Just like Charlotte’s manner of selecting a spouse, Mr. Collins is calculating. This sort of view on marriage is nearly opposite of Elizabeth Bennett’s. Elizabeth believes in marrying for love, and only because of love. Charlotte and Mr. Collins’ marriage of convenience leaves Elizabeth stricken. Throughout Pride and Prejudice Austen implies that “entering the marriage state” should benefit the bride and groom, and not an simply be exchange in currency and land. Austen also uses Elizabeth to express these ideas, after Charlotte explains her reasoning about marrying Mr. Collins. What Charlotte is doing,”[sacrificing her] every better feeling to worldly advantage”, Elizabeth declares that “she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, [that she] would have [done the same as Charlotte]. After all, Elizabeth is “determined that only the deepest love will induce [her] into matrimony.” The way these women were raised also affects their differing opinions on marriage. Charlotte was the eldest child of her family, and her parents have two sons and two daughters besides herself. Charlotte is 27 when she marries Mr.Collins. 27 was around the age that spinsters or old maids were labeled. Charlotte knew she had to marry quickly or be stuck as the spinster living in one of her younger siblings’ homes. Charlotte and Jane Bennett faced the same kind of pressure; they were the eldest women. Their families were depending on them to marry well and fast to set an example for their younger siblings and leave their parent’s home. Mrs. Bennett certainly pushed her daughters to marry quickly and well, because she bore five of them. She recognized the real threat that one or more of her daughters would not receive marriage proposals since “[their] portions [are] unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of [their] loveliness and amiable qualifications.” If the older daughters married well, it would hopefully give the chance for the younger ones to follow in their footsteps. Charlotte and Jane Bennett faced the same kind of pressure; they were the eldest women, and their families were depending on them to marry well and quickly. The pressure these single women received from their families affected them in startlingly different ways. Charlotte set herself on a mission to find