Seeing Daughters Go

Seeing her daughters well married obsesses Mrs. Bennet. It just seems socially acceptable. On the other hand, Mr. Bennet isn’t so eager to see them married. The development of both characters in Pride and Prejudice revolves around the idea of their daughter’s marriage. Towards the end of the novel we observe how: “Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley and talked of Mrs. Darcy may be guessed” (Austen, 289). Her obsession with seeing her daughters marry may be explained by her own life as a wife. The juxtaposition of this perception of marriage with that of Mr. Bennet surfaces when Austen states that “Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her drew him oftener from home than anything else could do” (Austen, 289). The differences between the two character’s vision of their daughter’s future develops a sense of disunity in their perceptions of parenting. What does Mr. and Mrs. Bennet want for their daughters? How does the relationship between Mr. Bennet and his daughters develop through the novel? How does it compare with Mrs. Bennet’s? How does Mr. Bennet impact Elizabeth in terms of marriage and love?

Marriage And Money

Is Elizabeth truly as moral and integral as the novel makes her seem? Are Elizabeth’s intentions of marrying Darcy truly as pure and distant from economical purposes as we think? In Chapter forty-three we encounter an admiring Elizabeth who, impressed by Darcy’s mansion wishes to be his lover. The narrator describes Elizabeth’s mind as “too full for conversation, but she saw and admired every remarkable spot and point of view. [. . .] They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!” (Austen, 181). The moral, thoughtful character of the novel seems baffled by Darcy’s wealth and motivated by it to develop a closer relationship with him. What are Elizabeth’s true motivations to change her mind and accept Darcy’s proposal? How does wealth really affect her?

Social Class And Marriage

Social class issues are much more powerful than most people imagine. In Pride and Prejudice relationships and marriages are arranged and ended due to status and Mr. Darcy’s marriage proposal to Elizabeth shows how he still has doubts of their different social status. The narrator describes how “there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit” (Austen, 142). Even though he seems truthful of his doubts of marrying a lower class the reader is shown the possibility that he may not be accepting this. How does Darcy end up accepting the difference in social class and marrying Elizabeth? Are there relationships in the novel where social class isn’t an impediment? How does social class impact each one of the characters?

Social Acceptance

Is trying to be moral and thoughtful against society’s principles? At least that is what the relationships in Pride and Prejudice show. Women marry for money while men do it for beauty. Is society so simple and decadent? Are there any exceptions to this in the novel? At least we know that societal acceptance plays a fundamental role in the understanding of relationships and marriage. Parental guidance seems to do its own social pressure to marry someone of a determined social class. But, what happens if we go against it? Do we end up lonely? Can we reconcile our true love and passions with society’s inherent pressures?