Pride And Prejudice Marriage Analysis

Marriage in the 21st century has been considered to be a sacred declaration of eternal love between two individuals. However, in the 19th century, marriage rarely ensued due to love, but instead for security and bettering one’s social class. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, many characters prove to have various superficial reasons to marry. For example, Charlotte Lucas marries a pompous, arrogant man for security due to the pressures of society placed on women in Austen’s era. Despite the dishonorable intentions of George Wickham, he decides to marry Lydia out of an inconvenient agreement that guarantees financial gain. Conversely, Elizabeth Bennet refuses to marry for any reason that goes against her strong values; instead she marries
Wickham’s charm and humorous charisma allows him to position himself in females’ lives, such as the foolish Lydia. He manipulates his young and impetuous victims by feeding them with dishonesty in order to achieve their compassion. “His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address” (Austen 70). However, the novel quickly shows the unraveling of his mercenary nature and gambling habits. To make matters worse, Wickham attempts to escape his debts and elope with Lydia for companionship, without ever having the intention of actually marrying her; “in [Darcy’s] first conversation with Wickham, he easily learnt [marriage] had never been his design” (Austen 314). Wickham’s selfish habits blind his judgment because he does not consider that Lydia and the Bennet’s reputation is at stake. Unpredictably, Wickham marries Lydia when an agreement is made that finalizes his financial security; conveniently, paying off his debts. As a result, Wickham’s marriage to Lydia is a consequence made of need on one side and a blurred judgment on the
Society in Austen’s era controlled and reduced women’s option involving men. Charlotte Lucas worries about being a nuisance to her parents, deciding to marry an ill-fitting man for a reassuring future instead. George Wickham enters an unsuitable marriage only for the monetary advantage. In contrast, Austen’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, is set on marrying for only noble motives, mainly true love. In conclusion, Jane Austen utilizes her major characters to demonstrate the various objectives acquired by marriage in her celebrated novel Pride and