How Does Austen Present Marriage

Compare how the authors portray marriage as a convenience rather than a relationship in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘the Doll’s House’

During the times in which these texts were written marriage was more for a convenience purpose rather than being based on love. Divorce was not acceptable in society throughout the 1700 & 1800’s, which meant women were effectively confined in their marriage. In later 1700, marriages were arranged between lower and upper class for convenience and wealth. Austen’s novel is firmly grounded in the period and the social context of her lifestyle. The early 1800’s when this novel was written class divisions were powerfully embedded in family connections and wealth. In Pride and Prejudice Austen strongly distinguishes
In Austen’s novel there are several examples of marrying for financial gain. H Bertens, a famous Marxist critic explains that ‘Its outlook is materialistic, as opposed to the idealist perspective’. This clearly portrays the views on marriage in the context of this novel. Charlotte Lucas marries Mr Collins for finance and social status ‘considering Mr Collin’s character, connections and situation in life, I am convinced of the traditional view that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most.’ Austen portrays the realism of tradition to the audience through Charlotte, that she is more interested in status rather than happiness; almost out of desperation she marries Collin’s even though he proposed to Elizabeth 3 days beforehand. Moreover, Wickham marries Lydia in exchange for an annual income from Darcy ‘everything being settled between them...his debts are to be paid.’ Austen’s use of the word ‘debt’ particularly portrays that marriage is for convenience purposes over happiness. However, this could also be controversial to Darcy’s later proposal to Elizabeth, as he has witnessed the disgrace brought on the Bennet family, when visiting the house, with Wickham’s marriage to Lydia so it could be interpreted that he only married Elizabeth out of guilt. This is significant as Austen again creates the effect that marriage is for benefits in
Ibsen’s antithesis of Nora’s character between the beginning of the play where she is portrayed as silly and childish, ‘just a tiny wee bit’ contrasts the end where she is shown to be an intellectual woman are significant in portraying the recent developing break in society, women becoming more independent, individual characters. The insults from Torvald cause Nora to leave to follow her own ambitions, which also shows the development in society. ‘I cannot spend the night in a strange man’s room’ revealing that Nora has never felt the real meaning of the marriage for love and happiness. Also, in Austen’s novel Elizabeth shows in early stages that she is not prepared to just marry someone for the sake of wealth ‘An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents’, when Elizabeth rejects Collins as he is a ‘pompous’ man who she dislikes her mother rejects her, yet Austen cleverly forshadows Elizabeth’s later views on happiness in marriage. ‘The wife of Mr Darcy must have such extroadinary sources of happiness necessarily attached,’ portraying Elizabeth as a powerful female bravely overruling someone of higher class, Lady Catherine, by accepting Darcy’s proposal. Elizabeth however, still following the ‘rules’ of society unlike Nora, marries into a higher class of wealth. Nevertheless, here the idea of love and happiness is