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In this novel, Austen shows her own marital views by describing the marriage of Miss Bennets’. Although the story is set at the turn of the 19th century, many marital views reflected still useful and enlightening to us. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature and frequently made into movies and TV series. The book has influence many generations.
2.2 Reflected marital views
There is a saying in the beginning of the novel, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”(Jane Austen, 1983 ) It indicates that the book will be related to the theme of love and marriage in the 18th century. By describing the love story of several pairs of lovers, the author analyzed the important impact of the objective conditions like money and social status on marriage.
In the novel, the author focuses much of her efforts in the love story of 5 pairs of lovers. Through their love stories, the marital views of the author can be clearly reviewed. There are 3 distinctive marital views:
a. The marriage focuses on external condition and absent of emotional attachment.
It can be reflected by the marriage of Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet whose combination was tempted by youth and beauty of a woman, while the marriage of William Collins and Charlotte Luca was focus on the wealth and social status of a man. The two marriages mentioned above are all lack of emotional attachment and mutual understanding between partners.
The combination of Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet was a bad example of focusing only on the outside factors. Young Mr. Bennet married Mrs. Bennet because he was “captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humor which youth and beauty generally give”. However, the real Mrs. Bennet “ whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in the marriage put an end to all real affection for her.”
The direct result of this incorrect marriage is the impropriety behavior of Mr. Bennet as a husband. Mr. Bennet treats his wife’s ignorance and folly as his amusement. All the respect, esteem and confidence a husband should give to his wife absent. Being indolence and careless of his family issues, Mr. Bennet spent most of his time in appreciating country beauty and books, staying in his library. Another disadvantage of their unsuitable marriage is showed by allowing Mrs. Bennet to spoil her daughters and never exert him to restrain their shortcomings and misconducts, especially for Lydia.
As for the marriage of William Collins and Charlotte Luca, was founded major because of the social expectation and pursuit of a comfortable life. Each side has different expectation. Mr. Collins, a clergyman whose character is a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility. Having a good house and very sufficient income, he intended to marry. The reasons for him to marry are to be a good example of matrimony in his parish, a way to add happiness and follow the advice and recommendation of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He first wants to marry Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter of Mr. Bennet in order to show his generous and disinterested to amend or atonement for inheriting the estate of Mr. Bennet. After the rejection of Elizabeth, he then turned to Charlotte, a best friend of Elizabeth.
Charlotte’s marriage of Mr. Collin is “solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment.” She clearly and objectively notice that” Mr. Collins to be sure was neither sensible nor agreeable, his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. ” But still she was generally satisfactory of her decision. “Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honorable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want. ” In the age of 27 years old, fears becoming a burden to her family, Charlotte agrees to marry Mr. Collins, whom she does not love, to gain financial security. Charlotte is a rational and intelligence lady for that she realizes clearly the material factors are the major factors in the British noble marriage. Although the marriage with Mr. Collins is not an ideal one, at least the economic power Mr. Collins has can secure her with a decent life.