“It
is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife,”[1] is
the opening line of Jane Austen’s Pride
and Prejudice. The opening line serves as a way to introduce to the reader
the topic of the novel—marriage and the courting process. By beginning with
this line, Austen has framed the environment that dictates the ‘means and ways’
of marriage in English society. However, what follows thereafter in the novel, provides
an insight into the ‘state of marriage’ by having some couples who abide by the
norm, and others who rebel against the convention. In the novel, four marriages
occur, but for the purposes of this essay, only the marriages of Charlotte and
Mr. Collins, Lydia and Wickham, and Elizabeth and Darcy will be addressed. In tackling
the issue of marriage, Austen has crafted a picture where those who abide by
the norm, end up in a state of marriage that is delusional. Whereas those who
go against the superficialness of marriage are the ones, that Austen epitomizes
as a true marriage. By the end of the novel, Austen has questioned the process
of marriage, for by having Elizabeth and Darcy as the main couple—it is clear
through the dialogue and the narrator’s commentary that marriage should be more
than just a business transaction. It should also incorporate one’s sentiments. Through
the three marriages, Austen distinguishes them carefully, by spending time
interpreting and delving into the reasons for each marriage. This is aimed at
the reader, for she hopes that a conclusion can be drawn that marriage is intended
to unite two people, for the benefit of each’s happiness, only if it is
embraced by true sentiments (like love and affection). The individual, in Pride and Prejudice, is what is emphasized in the novel. The convention
of marriage is personified as being the watchdog in society, where men and
women have little control over their lives, but Austen, through Elizabeth (and
Jane), break free from the chains of being objects of marriage, to being
individuals in the ‘state of marriage’.
Before going into the marriages in
the novel and interpreting Austen’s take on the different accounts, it is important
to look closely at what she means in the opening line of the novel. As stated
before, it introduces the topic of the novel, but it also divulges the factors
that determine marriage. The opening line reads, “It is a truth universally
acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want
of a wife.”[2]
What this sentence reveals is that single men are the ones who are in “control”
of marriage at this time. In addition, women do not have a say in this
convention, for the sentence implies that a woman is merely a benefit for the
single man. Sentiments (like love or affection) do not guide marriage, for
there is an obligation attached to being a man who happens to be single and
with money, on getting a wife. Austen has characterized the fruition of
marriage as being merely a platonic, partnership with no consideration on the
wants and desires of the individual, especially of women. This is clearly demonstrated
in the opening, second sentence of the novel,
However little
known the feelings of views of such a man may be on his first entering a
neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding
families, that is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of
their daughters.[3]
It
is of no importance that a man and a woman should have a prior relationship
before entering into a union, but rather, it all concerns the economic aspect
that should a single, rich man come into a neighborhood where there are outed
to-be “brides,” the transaction of marriage shall concern the economic gains of each other. This in retrospect commodifies the individuals,
in diminishing the individuality of the person, to simply the material gains
that come with such person.
The commodification and value of the
individuals, is a result of marriage, and is best exemplified by the marriage
of Mr. Collins and Charlotte. Mr. Collins and Charlotte have no desire of weighing
the intentions of marriage on sentiments or physical attributes, but rather who
can benefit each other.[4]
Mr. Collins and Charlotte’s way of seeing marriage embodies the convention of
the opening line of Pride and Prejudice,
for Mr. Collins only wants a “companion” (Austen, 103), while Charlotte only
wants “security” (Austen, 123). This marriage follows the model of the
established convention, and through this marriage, Austen highlights the nature
of how the established convention has led to superficial unions. Even though
Austen does not directly intervene and voice her criticisms, she does it
indirectly, through Elizabeth and the narrator.
When Charlotte tells Elizabeth of her engagement, Elizabeth reflects the
news and sees it as a “humiliating” (Austen, 123) experience for Charlotte to
accept Mr. Collin’s proposal, considering that Charlotte does not care fondly
of Mr. Collins.[5]
However, to reiterate, both of them do not care either. The individual is
simply not looked at. Elizabeth’s concerns are valid, but there is nothing that
can be said to save Charlotte from the dullness of being with Mr. Collins. Elizabeth
thinks so and is reflected when she visits them at their home and thinks to
herself, “But she [Charlotte] had chosen with her eyes open.”[6] As
stated in the introduction, Austen wants to address the lack of individuality
in the ‘state of marriage,’ and she has cleverly incorporated this aspect into
her novel, through which characters (like Elizabeth) assume the availability to
choose partners.
Freedom to choose who one wants to marry is an important aspect to Austen’s
critique of the ‘marriage state,’ however there is a caveat to who is allowed
to choose. It is only the men. It all ties back to the opening sentence of the
novel. Women have no say in the marriage
transaction. Elizabeth, when she comments that Charlotte “had chosen with her
eyes,” mistakenly assumes that Charlotte had the ability to say no—she
(Elizabeth) can, as shown when she rejected Mr. Collin’s proposal[7]—Charlotte
cannot because her adherence to the convention of marriage and her superficial perception
of it, does not take into account one’s personal sentiments on the union.
Charlotte’s logic only concerns whether the partner can provide security, and
if so, she is willing to give up her sentiments (and individuality) for just that.
Through these acts, Austen wants to shed light to the non-existent freedom that
women have, should they simply look at marriage in such a technical and
superficial way. Elizabeth is Austen’s pioneer to inspire women to expect more
than just complacency.
The union of Charlotte and Mr.
Collins place emphasis on the stability of a companion and of finance. The
critique of their union is the lack of the individual and one’s sentiments, but
there is a limit to how far character (individuality) should influence
marriage, and that is where Lydia and Wickham come into the picture. Their
union is the means in which Austen critiques why relying on the physical aspect
of the individual, can create a bad marriage. Subtly, this also concerns the
marriage of Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet. Lydia is concerned with the art of
flirting and attention, and she is able to work on this through her admiration
of the officers, which leads to her encounter with Wickham on the account that
he has a “gentlemanlike appearance.”[8] When
she meets Wickham, she has developed a superficial crush on his beauty, and has
no desire to know more about the individual. When she pleads to go to Brighton,
her only goal is to be crowded by the “young and gay [men]…seated beneath a
tent, tenderly flirting with at least six officers at once.”[9]
The physicality of one’s beauty and a desire to be addressed for it creates temptation
that blinds the individual from being rational in choosing a partner. Wickham
is no exception to this. His first choice is in fact, Elizabeth, for “she had
been the first to excite and to deserve his attention…the first to be admired.”[10]
However, Elizabeth is yearning for more than just a good-looking guy. But even
so, Wickham has a reservation on who he chooses to marry, and that reservation
concerns status and his desire for wealth. His choosing of Miss King is similar
to the way that Mr. Collins decides to go after Charlotte. Wickham did not pay
attention to Miss King, until she had been given an inheritance.[11] He
is willing to set aside his desire for the individual (even if it is
superficial), for material gains. He is able to freely pursue this because of
his beauty, as is exemplified by his lack of money, yet he is able to become
indebted, and the town still favors him.[12]
Jane Austen’s inclusion of Wickham
and Lydia’s union, after they are forced to marry each other because of
societal conventions, shows her critique of the ‘state of marriage,’ in that it
should not be based on outer beauty, but the beauty on what is in the inside. This
type of marriage is not lasting, and the outcome for Lydia and Wickham, is
foreshadow by the inclusion of Mr. Bennet’s desire to marry Mrs. Bennet. He was
“captivated by youth and beauty,”[13]
even though their characters did not match all, for he was concerned about
books and thought, and she with the mundane world. After their coming together
in marriage, his affection for her disappears, just as it does for Lydia and Wickham:
“His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; her’s lasted a little
longer.”[14]
Through the convention of marriage in society, Lydia’s (and Mr. Bennet’s)
consideration solely relies on their temptation, and Wickham’s desire for
wealth, create two marriages that create indifference, and alienate the
individual.
The balance between the desires of
the outer world (wealth and personality), and the inner world (one’s
sentiments, individuality) is exemplified through the union of Elizabeth and
Darcy, but it is Elizabeth that is able to make the union possible. The marriages
of Charlotte and Lydia (and to an extent Jane), come together through the means
of others, meaning that their marriages form under the control of those not in
the union. Elizabeth, however, breaks free from the control of the ‘state of
marriage,’ when she not only refuses the (companionship) proposal of Mr.
Collins, but when she also refuses the economic benefit and personal beauty of
Mr. Darcy’s first proposal. All the other marriages are pursued, except for Elizabeth’s. She is not actively looking to
find a husband, but rather to define herself.[15]
At the end of the novel, Austen epitomizes the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy,
because they formed their union not only in a judicious manner, but that they
formed it through their choosing and individuality.
[1] Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: Penguin
Classics, 1996. 5.
[2] Austen, p. 5.
[3] Austen, p. 5.
[4] Austen, pp. 103, 112, 123.
[5] Austen, pp. 112, 120.
[6] Austen, p. 209.
[7] Austen, pp. 102-118.
[8] Austen, p. 71.
[9] Austen, p. 224.
[10] Austen, p. 149.
[11] Austen, p. 151.
[12] Austen, pp. 306-7.
[13] Austen, p. 228.
[14] Austen, p. 366
[15] Austen, pp. 345-359.
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