In the world of Pride and Prejudice, marriage was of great importance both in the fictional world of the novel and also in the society of the time in which Jane Austen lived. Considering the context gives us insight to the reasons for marriage being viewed with such significance. The different attitudes and viewpoints of various characters reflect different reasons as to why marriage was so important.
Marriage is a central theme in this text emphasizing its importance. This theme is evident from the very beginning of the novel. The opening line states, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. In this sentence, Jane Austen is using irony to suggest the need for a young woman to find a man in possession of a good fortune. The entire novel revolves around marriage and the various motives as well as the results.
In Pride and Prejudice, we are presented with different types of marriages, the main contrast being those who marry for money and those who marry for love. Other motives for marriage included physical beauty, the family name and connections, and also societal constraints, which provided very little choice.
In the society of the time, marriage was almost necessary, especially for women. Without marriage, women would receive no income as they could not work or inherit property due to entailment. The estates were only inherited through the male line. The grim prospects held out before women who did not marry was that of a poor old maid. Many were keen to marry early, as this would ensure financial security, which caused many in society to marry for economic purposes only, rather than love. The minimal choice and the significant impact of marrying made love to be considered irrelevant. .
The importance of marriage extended beyond the couple and had a great impact on the entire family. Mrs Bennet was obsessive with marrying off her daughters.
