Abstract
Pride and prejudice is Austin’s great work. Through the discussion of the different marriages and love, the writer demonstrates her concept about love and marriage: love and marriage is closely associated with property and society, however, love and marriage can not only be decided by the property and social status. An ideal marriage should be based on mutual affection and respect. She rejects the marriage based on wealth and stresses the element of emotion in a marriage.
Key Words
Love; marriage; property; social status
摘 要
《傲慢与偏见》是奥斯汀的伟大著作，小说中的四段婚姻基本完全概括了当时社会中爱情和婚姻的状况.小说通过对四种不同婚姻和爱情的描写，解析和探讨，充分体现了作者的爱情和婚姻观。这篇论文就是通过对这四段婚姻的详细的分析，来探讨《傲慢与偏见》中的爱情观和婚姻观。那就是：恋爱婚姻与财产和社会地位相互关联，但恋爱婚姻不能仅取决于财产和社会地位,正确的婚姻应当建立在相互爱慕、相互尊重的基础上。她既反对为钱而结婚，也反对轻率结婚，强调婚姻中感情因素的重要性。
关键词
爱情; 婚姻; 金钱; 社会地位
Introduction
Pride and prejudice the book about commonplace things and ordinary people, is one of Jane Austen’s famous book, being the representative of realistic literature. It portrays, with special sensitive characteristic of female writers, the life and ideas of middle class who live in countryside. This novel makes an analysis of human nature and then stick up readers to think over social relations.
This novel takes young people’s marriage as the thread and it covers the inheritance of fortune, women’s social status, ethics and customs. Being the masterpiece of Jane Austen, it comes to the extensive favor of literary lovers and experts at the same time.
This paper makes an analysis of four marriages in pride and prejudice and discusses the deep outlook for their love and marriage in the light of social back ground at the time.
I. The Background of Austin and Her Pride and Prejudice
A. The Background of Austin
However, her marriage is like a blank paper in her 42 years real lifetime. Going through the finest time, but eventually without meeting a comfortable partner, she gives up her love. Going through the sweet and bitter feeling which helps her to write the great work pride and prejudice.
B. The Background of Pride and Prejudice
In this great book, the author amply demonstrates her point about love and marriage. Therefore, in order to analyze these points of views, we should firstly start from her great work.
“At that time, according to the social conditions in Britain, a good marriage for a young woman was critical. This phenomenon was closely associated with the British society and the status of women in the society. In the 19th century, women were not well respected compared with the ones in the present society. There was no equality between woman and man. Women were considered to be inferior to men in terms of intelligence and capacity. The central life of women was forced to be staying at home, their roles were to deal with the family affairs, such as taking care of the children and serving for the husband.”.(Zhu Hong,P34,1995)
People naturally thought that women should be submissive to their husbands. The virtues of women were patient and deferent. They must recognize their inherent inferiority to men, so they must restrict their abilities without conditions. Although the status of women was slow, few of them expressed dissatisfaction about their own destiny. At that time, many middle-class young women had three solutions: getting married; staying at home as old maids or working as the family female teachers. The income of family female teacher was very low, and the status was low as well. It was very difficult for them to change or swap out of this status, no one would like to be a maid forever, therefore, in terms of young women, especially those who don't have enough properties, to get married was the only way for them to gain respect, stability and social status.
Austin fully critiqued some bad phenomenon in her work pride and prejudice, taking some perfect points about marriage and love to demonstrate her own view on love and marriage.
II. The Four Marriages and the Revealed Concept of Love and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice
A. The Concept about Love and Marriage in the Society
The stories show the ordinary lives, feelings of the ordinary people. They were linked up in a harmonious order under the author's meticulous concepts. The work mainly describes four marriages. Two are the main and assisted by the other two assistant marriages.
“Darcy and Elizabeth’s love and marriage is the main theme of this work. After undergoing many setbacks, Darcy’s arrogance and Elizabeth’s prejudice eventually eliminates, the lovers finally get married. The marriage of Elizabeth’s sister Jane and Darcy’s friend Bingley is another clue. They deeply love each other, but they are multi—blocked, after their departure, Jane misses Bingley very much. The two marriages reflects the another point of view in positive way that marriage should be based on true love, which is the ideal marry in the author’s opinion. The stories seem to be the ordinary lives, feelings and persons linked up in a harmonious order under the others meticulous concepts. However, the marriage between Charlotte and Collins is a negative example with the marriage between Lydia and Wickham, which help to make the plots more tortuous and richer.”.(Zhu Hong,P12,1985)
B. Four Marriages in Pride and Prejudice
1. Collins and Charlotte’s Marriage
In pride and prejudice, the first part is the marriage of Charlotte and Collins, their marriage is lucky and natural. They get married without any expectation. Charlotte is William Lucas’s daughter, who is the neighbor of Lizzy Bennett. She was born of humble parentage and very mediocre in every aspect. So she has not got married even until she is 26 years old. She may be a typical questionable girl. However, there are 5 daughters in the Bennetts, the five daughters are gradually growing up to the age for marriage. So both of the two families rival mutually, especially in the eyes of the vulgar women, such rivalry was particularly tedious. Bennett’s wife was especially typical; she does not give birth to a boy but five girls. The family’s property couldn't be given to a daughter according to the custom at that time, and the family without a son can grant the wealth to the nephew. Thus, one of Bennett nephew－Collins can inherit the family wealth. Therefore, Mrs. Bennett has great expectations on her nephew. Though the family is not very rich, he is the final owner of Bonnet family's wealth. With this, Mrs. Bennett felt at ease, and then she has great hope on Collins and likes him. Catherine Collins, with the help of one of his relatives, becomes a priest. And then he goes to the home of his uncle, wanting to be home complement of Bennett. Because he has heard a lot about the arrangement of the five golden flowers of his uncle's family, he is coming to try his luck here. In his mind, if he could be one son-in-low of his uncle’s, then he could get the property of the family. He stays at home for a long time to repay his uncle's heritage and gets sympathy by the family. Informed that the eldest daughter Jane has a boyfriend, he aims at the second daughter Elizabeth Bennett in spite for his aunt’s interesting sake, Elizabeth has been tired of him. Eventually, she refuses him with sharp tongue. But Collins quickly finds comfort from Charlotte who desires to get love from a male and believes marriage is the elegant way for a girl with some education, and then they get married as quickly as the lightning. A mediocre love, a dull marriage has been established effortlessly. Such marriage without love is too practical, so it is a kind of superficial marriage without happiness.
2. Lydia and Wickham’s Marriage
The second marriage is between Bennett’s third daughter Lydia and Wickham, the son of the housekeeper. Originally he is well-treated by the family and the friends. However, he comes down in the world because of his misbehavior. He gets into debt. So, he wants to get money and become rich and change his social status through marriage, marriage is also a way to approach the talents, he is a man without any responsibility. He does nothing except assailing a woman with obscenities. In his opinion, love is only recreation. For his purpose, he entices Lydia and gets her love easily, because she is young, innocent and vainglorious, and loves to go ease and hates to work hard, and is spoilt by her mother. Getting love and praise of a boy is her dream. So when Wickham wants to reach his aim－getting wealth by love and exalts her beauty hypocritically, she forgets who she is and feels she is the most beautiful and happiest girl in the world. Their love does not get the permission from the parents, and then they elope. When Elizabeth hears the news, she believes that their love is false, Wickham would not marry Lydia, because she is no charming and has nothing to attract him, He does not love her but the wealth of her family. The marriage is admitted on the condition of Darcy's help. Their marriage is considered to be a scandal in Bennett’s family. But Mrs. Bennet is not disgraceful to this marriage. When Collins gets the news, of course, he is very angry and reacts to the marriage to revenge his early failure of proposal to her. This marriage is one without love. They don’t the real meaning of marriage, they only want to satisfy their aspiration. So we can say this is a kind of impromptu love and marriage without true love and responsibility. Such couple only seek having had the experience but not everlasting and unchanging. Of course, such kind of marriage is doomed to be a tragedy.
3. Jane and Mr. Bingley’s Marriage
The third marriage is of the eldest daughter Jane and Mr. Bingley. Bingley is a friend of Darcy. Bingley’s sister loves Darcy very much. She wants Bingley to get married with Darcy’s sister Georgiana, because she wants to get love from Darcy by this way, which also reflects the selfishness the sister. The marriage of the able man- Bingley and the beautiful girl-Jane is ideal in most people’s eyes. Of course, the couple meets many setbacks, such as the misunderstanding of Darcy and Bingley's selfish sister. At last, the lovers get married as the misunderstanding between Elizabeth and Darcy has been solved.
4. Darcy and Elizabeth’s Marriage.
The fourth marriage is the main theme of the works. That is Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage. At the beginning, Elizabeth rejects the pursuer-Darcy, because she does not like him, even looks down upon him though Darcy loves her very much. In Elizabeth’s eyes, he is arrogant and unreasonable because he is rich and has high social status. Realizing that, Darcy begins to get rid of those bad habits quietly to crate her taste and get good impression and love of her. Because of Darcy’s perfect behavior and good education, Elizabeth gradually eliminates the bias on Darcy. Then they spontaneously fall in love. So when Darcy’s second suitor is sent to Elizabeth, Elizabeth readily agree with, and they get married and have happy family lives.
III. The Different Understanding about Love and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice
A. The Marriage Based on Same Interests
Bolobbyist, a politician, at the end of the 18th century, said that upbringing was more important than law, because it could promote moral, help to realize moral or ruin moral. Thus it could be concluded that upbringing played very important role in life at that time. On the first ball organized by Mr. Bingley in the Niger Park, Jane---the eldest daughter of the Bonnets’ is favored by the host. But the reserved personality and the standardized qualities make her feelings show nothing, so she almost loses Bingley, which is also caused by her nest-of-kin’s lap sad conducts. For example, Mrs. Bennet often gives comments on the marriage in public, especially the benefits of the marriage, which almost frightens Bingley away. This good marriage based on a favorite of mutual good impression and true love nearly evaporates. Fortunately, the loves get married by experiencing twists.
B. The Marriage Based on Vanity and Carelessness
Lydia is impulsive, credulous and blindly following. She is pursuing love and thinking about how to get love from a male. She is stiffened with the style of an officer called Wickham. She elopes with him because of an impulse. They spend money without restraint, and they are unable to make ends meet. For sake of Elizabeth, Darcy gave them a sum of money to let them get out of difficulties. At the same time, this swindler prepares to climb another woman for a sum of money.
Bennet couple is another example for this kind of marriage. Mr. Bennet covets the youth and beauty and is attracted and gets married with a narrow-minded young and beautiful woman lacking intelligence. Not long after the marriage, he puts an end to his love and affection, the mutual respect and trust between the couple has gone. The expectation to have a harmonious and well-being family has evaporated. Clearly, this couple’s marriage is unfortunate caused by rashness and vanity.
C. The Marriage Based on Money or BenefitAlthough Mrs. Bennet has been described as a comedy character in the work gaining a lot of sarcasm and derision, her universally acknowledged truth－all the wealthy bachelors want to marry a lady, has been proved to be truth which proves another fact that it's the wealth and the number of the wealth that decides the fate of life and marriage.
Charlotte knows that the marriage without property would eventually move toward disappointment and suffering. Even if the couple loves each other deeply at first, when Collins, known as a social climber, is rejected by Elizabeth, he immediately turns to fall in love with Miss Charlotte. Although Collins is an inborn fool, his love could not move the heart of a woman, Charlotte accepts him, because her purpose is to get married. Almost all the girls born in a poor family without good education always regard marriage as the only decent way, although marriage might not necessarily bring happiness to them. She manages to arrange one of the most reliable way by marriage, thus she would not be exposed to the cold temperatures and suffer hunger in the future. She now gets a storage room.
Charlotte is like a rodman catching a fairly plump fish－Collins. But if he doesn’t meet a setback from Elizabeth, and the encouragement of Charlotte, I am afraid that he would not be so willing to propose marriage to Charlotte. The man like Bentley who has fairly numerable money need a beautiful wife, the poor man needs a wife with a huge wealth, like Wickham; It was lucky for Charlotte that she could gain the marriage with Collins although their marriage is not happy at all.
In these marriages, it was quite interesting that the women without property really get married with those rich bachelors. However, the happiness brought by marriage to them has not accompanied the husband. In marriage, money is very important. Austin objects such marriage simply based on money. Collins is the heir of Bonnet family; he doesn’t know what love is. He would state some of the inappropriate remarks at any time. Charlotte gets married for money. Eventually she gets nothing more than a rich man, though she has economic security. She doesn’t care about her husband's accompanying and love. She encourages him to clean up the garden more. She sets his living-room in the small house absent of even a small number of sunshine. When her husband makes gaffe in front of their friends, she ignores and turns a deaf ear. Such arrangement for the story is a perfect irony for” the truth universally acknowledged” at the beginning of the novel. The author expresses great sympathy to the tragic fate of the women at that time and those who had to marry because of economic restraints by the description of the marriage of charlotte.
Austin understands completely that the social environment makes man obey not only in material but in psychology, which improved that Austin is a rational author that she prefers true love to survival.
Miss Bingley also extremely objects the marriage between her brother and Bennet’s eldest daughter Jane. She hopes her brother to marry Darcy’s sister Miss Geovgiana in order to make herself to have the same status.
D. The Marriage Based on True Love
Elizabeth is the ideal image for women as well as the most charismatic person in the novel. She is Bonnet’s second daughter, an active, intelligent and smart girl. She has a middle-class family background and has not been affected by the formal education belonging to those aristocratic young girls, so she isn't good at music and painting, but she has read many books which make her knowledgeable and perceptive. The most important aspect is that she is a lady with dignity and upbringing. Darcy is a man with tall figure and good manner. He is handsome, rich and powerful. So he is the ideal husband of most girls. But he has grown up in the surroundings with strong sense of power, so he always is selfish and arrogant, and he has a critical look at each inspanidual, except the family members., he is not concerned about anyone else, and looks down upon anyone else. Therefore, when he first arrives in the village, he finds all the persons are far away from those imagined .Although every girl there is young and lovely, he has no interest to anyone except Elizabeth. At first he doesn’t put an eye on Elizabeth. Gradually, he has to admit that Elizabeth is beautiful, distinct and popular, although he insists that Elizabeth hasn't the same social status as him. Darcy is rational because he has a strong sense of power, which agrees on the reality at that time. Although he expresses his love to Elizabeth, he couldn't help showing his arrogance, which makes Elizabeth have misconception and prejudice on Darcy. Darcy loves Elizabeth, but looks down upon her social status. He considers that he has been lowing himself and doing something against his will, personalities and even moral standard. He thinks that his marriage would certainly succeed and Elizabeth is waiting for him to propose marriage.
Therefore, even he is irresistible to the flooding feelings, and condescends to Elizabeth, he still remembers the gap between them. Clearly, the rational aspect of Darcy’s personality performs on the realities of society. When he talks about his feelings of love, he also expresses the arrogance of these feelings in details, which results in the arousing resentment of Elizabeth; she rejects his marriage proposal, and angrily accuses his insolence. The rational aspect of the heroine Elizabeth shows her clear, calm and actually stressful personality. Compared with her stupid mother, the smooth and lazy father, the shallow-minded, self-willed sister with feather head, Elizabeth is one with ideal mind. She is elegant like her sister Jane, but more intellectually superior unlike her sister being easy to be favorable. She also advises her sister to see through the stupidity and nonsense of those camouflage honest persons.
Elizabeth is unique, because she has a deep understanding of all the things around her. In fact both she and Darcy are extremely sensitive to the social status. Different from Darcy, Elizabeth doesn’t have superiority about her family background and status. Instead, she feels deeply ashamed for her sister’s being lack of fairly education and her mother's rudeness and stupidity. Compared with her moderate and generous sister Jane, she is smarter and even more profound. She has a clean understanding about her own social status, which is due to the psychotically sedimentary deposits because she is in a inferior position for long time. Because of this, she resists extremely against the arrogance of Darcy, and she tries her best to protect herself from being hurtled by Darcy's commanding attitude. She believes that she must make him understand that she is not woozy, which reflects her belief to deal with the emotional entanglements with Darcy, as well as her constant patter with Darcy and the prejudice on Darcy. It superficially seems to be shared by the traditional psychological requirement that everyone needs to be respected mutually. Mutually speaking, this is another form of expression about the awareness of status. Perhaps, to some extent, Darcy has more romantic temperament than Elizabeth, it is because he is better positioned than her. Elizabeth refuses the stupid priest Collins and challenges wealthy Darcy, all of this is actually the resistance of the prevailing marriage at that time. The ultimate failure makes Darcy wake up. He is aware of his own short-comings. He accepts Elizabeth’s criticism, and faithfully corrects the shortcomings and mistakes. He is no longer arrogant and has a real love with Elizabeth.
With the revealing of the truth, Elizabeth’s prejudice on Darcy becomes deeper. Until when Elizabeth refuses Darcy’s long love letter, she experiences the fierce shock. After undergoing a period of painful and profound thought, she could not help but to shout how despicable she is, she believes she is the excellent one in the family, she is skillful and always despises her sister’s dress. In order to satisfy her own vanity, she always treats people with an irrelevant suspicion and confusion. How shameful it is! But this shame serves her right. Even if she really falls in love with someone, she should not be so blind to meet this flunking stage. She is stupid not only in love, but in the vanity. When she first knows them two, one loves her and makes her feel happy, and the other treats her in a cold manner, which makes her angry. All these cause her prejudice and ignorance, when she encounters their affairs. She would not be able to distinguish the right and the wrong. She could be considered to be knowledgeable at last.
When we see the blame from heart, we find her shortcomings and the courage that she could face herself directly. It is her bringing that plays a role; she starts to give up the bias caused by self-esteem, truly and seriously understand Darcy. Elizabeth wouldn't believe the shameless lies about Darcy said by Han and eliminate the misunderstanding and prejudice. She finally falls in love with Darcy. When the sister asks how she would love Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth replies that she should date from the day she see the beautiful lane manor park. The statement seems to refer to the property of Darcy. Therefore, Jane doesn't want the sisters to be kidding. In addition to referring to the specific manor, she also refers the new Darcy seen in the garden. In other words, Darcy changes the attitude of being arrogant and rudest, and this is the reason why Darcy wins Elizabeth’s heart and love. We can imagine that if Darcy doesn't change his mind, even if other misunderstandings have been resolved, they would not fall in love forever.
IV. Austin’s Concept about Love and Marriage
The author embodies four different marriages in the novel. From the analysis of the marriages, we can find the author's idea about marriage: marriage and property and social status are interconnected. But marriage could not only depend on the property and the social status. The happy marriage should be based on the mutual respect, mutual admiration. She objects the marriage for money and opposes the thoughtless marriage, but stresses the importance of emotional factors.
Conclusion
By description and discussion of the four marriages in the novel, we can see that Austen fully expresses her views on love and marriage only by appreciating the marriage founded on the basis of mutual understanding and true love, but also by satirizing the marriage founded on the basis of origin and desire.
The marriage based on social position and money can’t bring happy life. Aimless marriage and love are impracticable.
Austen’s views on marriage and love are also suitable for our real social. We youth should make right marriage and love views to orient our lives
.
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