Pride and Prejudice《Marriage: the stepping stone for women》

In the presentation of the 18th and 19th British society in Pride and Prejudice we can see women’s pitiful social status. Since they do not have decent jobs and female is the not the sex that enjoys preferential rights to inherit without economic independence marriage is imperative for them to guarantee a well-off life.

Comically Mrs.Bennet’s most cherished dream is that her daughters will find qualified husbands. The richer the better. No wonder when Mr. Bingly first enters their neighborhood she gets excessively excited at the possibility that he might fall in love with one of her daughters. When Elizabeth refuses proposal from Mr.Collin who is the heir of Mr. Bennet Mrs.Bennet scolds Elizabeth as “a very headstrong foolish girl” who “does not know her own interest ”.In addition she even arranges a dangerous ride for Jane in a coming raining day with the purpose that Jane will be delayed in Netherfield to spend more time with Mr.Bingly. If her daughters cannot find good husbands their life may be miserable. Women’s inferior economic position is the cause of the trend of thought at that time. In order to survive women have to find a dependable husband to support their life. That is the unjustified side of a man-oriented society.

It’s odd to find that Charlotte a sensible woman will choose vulgar Mr.Collin as her husband. More surprisingly out of her own intention. Tracing from her former remarks we can see her action and thought is consistent actually. “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” How fatal it sounds! Under the social oppression at that time women even lost their confidence in the happiness of marriage and dared not expect more than the material comfort. And she speaks of her motivation as follow: “I am not romantic you know I never was. I ask only a comfortable home”. It is very practical attitude towards marriage so it is hard to say whether it is sensible or not. If she can bear her husband and be wisely ignorant of his dullness she can live leisurely within her reach.

In the class the teacher told us that Elizabeth would not marry Mr.Darcy without his fortune and social position. At that time I held a reserved opinion about that. Not until I had finished the novel was I convinced by her words. When Elizabeth uncovers her engagement to Jane she confesses her love dates from her “first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberly”. Also in the former chapter Elizabeth speaks to herself: “It was a union that must have been to the advantage of both” from his judgment information and knowledge of the world she must “received benefit of greater importance”. Intelligent as she is she will not give up the chance to enter an upper class surely.

I am not blaming the women in the novel for they are just trying to lead a more prosperous life out of human nature. Women could not dominate their future and have to seek safety from the marriage. And that marriage is based on material and can be exchanged with money in the novel reflects a harmful phenomenon in British society at that time. When the marriage was materialized as a stepping stone for women the cultural trend and the society is by no means healthy.