Introduction
For this essay, I chose to read the perhaps most well-known book by the English author Jane Austen. Throughout the reading I was considering about which theme I really should choose to write about and analyze, and ultimately I felt that marriage was the central keyword in the book. I will concentrate on the predicament of the daughters in the household, considering that these are the finest described in the novel. My dealing with various ideals and difficulties inside a marriage will be illustrated with examples from the text.
Analysis
“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of likelihood. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so properly identified to every single other, or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently in contrast to afterwards to have their share of vexation and it is better to know as tiny as probable of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”
This is a quote from Charlotte Lucas, a single of the female characters in the novel, and a quote which very well exemplify the general feelings against marriage for the period and the persons in upperclass England.
Marriage is central for all characters in the novel: not just daughters and sons, but parents, aunts, uncles and everyone else who has some interest in the topic. Although it is of course most in the interest of the daughter herself to get married, the interests of the personal family members can be significant for the option of husband and wife. It is not acceptable for the daughter to opt for whoever she likes for her husband, which she- if she wants a satisfied marriage- is not very likely to do. I will talk about the factors for the cautious decision of a appropriate husband below.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a great fortune will have to be in want of a wife”
This is the 1st line in the novel, which clearly shows the connection between dollars and marriage. It lies in the interest of a woman to marry a man with a fortune, or at least some excellent deal of revenue. The husband is meant to help his wife, considering the fact that he is the a single with a profession and she is not (some thing that will be discussed additional down). So, naturally, private attractions are weighed against monetary considerations. This is why Mrs. Gardiner…