Marriage Proposals In Pride And Prejudice

Two Very Different Marriage Proposals

Both the first passage from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and the second from a novel

written by Charles Dickens are marriage proposals made by men. Even though the explicit

purpose of these proposals is to persuade, the two essays reveal two very different

assumptions each of the writers have on the subject of marriage. This major difference

separates the essay in terms of the approaches each of the writers took and this more than

anything is very likely to land one man in the happy seat of a bridegroom and the other in the

lonely seat of a bachelor. Mr. Collins, the writer of the first passage, is far from being

persuasive due to his failure in taking into consideration
the lady’s interests while the

character from Charles Dickens’s novel revolves his essay around the interests of his loved

one so that she could be convinced of his love and affection toward her.

Mr.
Collins’ absence of thoughtlessness that belies the whole purpose of a persuasive essay

comes from the selfish ideas that he had about marriage. The arguments that he brings up are

not about why she should marry him, but rather about why he should marry her instead. It is

as if the receiver, the lady in question, asked Mr. Collins to marry her first and he is writing a

response to the request. Also phrases such as, “and for your own, let her be an active, useful

sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way,” reveal

that Mr. Collins thinks women are men’s subordinates when it comes to marriage. Because of

these self-interested assumptions, the tone of this proposal is condescending and superficial,

full of arrogance and logic, but devoid of feelings. In his arguments that he lists as reasons for

his marrying her, it is impossible to sense any sort of loving emotion and care. The words

such as, “right,” “example,” and “recommendation,” makes the letter sound more like a

contract than a marriage proposal. Overall, Mr. Collins’ marriage proposal is a total disaster

because he failed to take a right approach, addressing the concerns and interests of the
person

whom he tries to persuade

The second marriage proposal written by the character from Charles Dickens’s novel is at

the far end of the spectrum from the one written by Mr. Collins because of two major reasons.

First of all, the writer of the second passage starts his letter by confessing his love for the

receiver. This strong confession of love distinguishes the second marriage proposal from the

first which is full of pretentious words and reeking with meaningless formality. Furthermore,

to emphasize intimacy, the character from Charles Dickens’s novel addresses the lady in

question with the personal pronoun, “you.” The second reason that differentiates this male

character from Mr. Collins is the fact that unlike Mr. Collins who makes self-centered

arguments, Charles Dickens’s character makes arguments that can actually appeal to the

receiver whom he wants to persuade. The repetition of the phrase, “you could draw me to~,”

which conveys his desperate love for the receiver, sets the focus not on him but on her. He

wants her to “take a pride in him,” and promises her that he would try his utmost best to

please her. This kind of selfless approach gives this marriage proposal an earnestness that

cannot be felt in the first marriage proposal made by Mr. Collins.

It is possible to note from the stark difference of these two marriage proposals that it is

very important to have a right approach when writing with a specific purpose in mind. It is

the writers’ approach and assumptions that influence their arguments and the tone of their

writings. Comparing Mr. Collins’s self-centered approach and Charles Dickens’s character’s

selfless way of persuasion, it is more than obvious who will end up winning the answer, “yes.”