Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Thoughts on Marriage in Pride and Prejudice
In
the first few chapters of Pride and
Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, I have noticed that the emphasis of this
novel is on marriage and how the girls in this book need to be married to be
happy. Not only do Mr. Bennett’s daughters, especially Jane and Elizabeth, want
to find their soul mates, but their mother also tries very hard to find a man
to marry her daughters. For example, Mrs. Bennett embarrassed herself by rambling
on about how beautiful Jane was to Bingley. Even Miss Bingley was throwing
herself at Darcy in hopes that he would notice her, but instead he found
himself fond of Elizabeth. After reading the first 50 pages, I find that
marriage is important, not only for the reason that the daughters need to find
someone to live with before their father dies, but it also seems like they need
to be married to be considered happy. Do you think this is something that only
occurred during this time, or is it still happening in our society today?
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I think at that time, for women especially, marriage was more important in the sense that a woman would need to be sure she would be taken care of. As for marriage equalling happiness, it seems that attitude is still very present in today's society. It's hard for some people to imagine that a woman in particular could be truly "happy" without being married and starting a family. People often feel sympathy for aging women who are not married, and I feel these types of attitudes pressure women into marrying before they are ready for such a commitment.
ReplyDeleteI think women rush marriage for different reasons in today's society, but I also think it depends on maturity. Personally, I had every intention of marrying by the time I was 24 (I'll be 22 this year), but after just getting out of a long relationship, I realized that I may have been mature enough, but the guy was not. Women, like myself, need to realize that youth is important, and it only lasts so long. This situation, however, can be flipped. For example, I had two friends who dated for 5 years, and the girl ended it when marriage became a topic of discussion. I think today, it's just preference--some want to marry early, and some freak out at the thought of it. I see marriage as a beautiful thing, while others may see it as restrictive or life-ending.
ReplyDeleteDoes a couple have to be married to be happy? Can they not live together to see how it works? I lived with my partner for three or four years before we decided to get married, and I have never regretted that decision. My wife, Alice, and I have been together for 25 years. If we had decided to never marry, I would not have been disappointed. The point is to be together intellectually and spiritually and to share life's joys and struggles. We have been through a lot together. I like the fact that Alice thinks for herself, has her own dreams and interests, and does not hesitate to tell me that I am full of it when she thinks it necessary. How boring life would be if there was always agreement and no conflict. Alice does not need me to complete her.
ReplyDeleteWomen back then married for security and for status. I don’t think the same thing happens now, and people don’t always marry to be happy. Some people marry because of kids or because they just want to be married. Some people do tend to thrive when in a relationship rather than on their own. I think that a lot of times, people see marriage as something that happens to others and I have known some people to want a wedding and not a marriage. Because women have different standards now, I think that they can behave and respond differently than they did in Austen’s time.
ReplyDeleteI do not necessarily think that, in regards to this novel, it is every females object to procure happiness for the women through matrimony. I see the foundations of hope that marriage would lead to happiness, but I do not think characters such as Mrs. Bennet feel as if the girl's pleasure with their spouse is of any particular issue. In today's society I feel as if marrying for anything other than love is a cultural tactic seen in various places of the world. I think now more than ever men and woman have the choice to marry whomever they wish not for superficial reasons such as status of money, but because they genuinely care for the other person. We are a society that is at such leisure to make these decisions because it does not impede on our survival if we choose not to marry at all.
ReplyDelete