In Pride and Prejudice, Austen explores the conditions that will :: English Literature

In Pride and Prejudice, Austen explores the conditions that will allow for the right kind of marriage. Which of the marriages do you think she sees as likely to be the happiest, and why? In Pride and Prejudice, Austen explores the conditions that she believes are required for true happiness through different couples. The couples that she sees to have promising, long lasting relationships are portrayed through characters, which complement one another. She also shows how romantic feelings can overwhelm us. Couples where parties are in love with each other seem very happy, but even so, Austen shows us that this does not mean a long lasting relationship. Austen shows what she believes to be the contributing factors of a happy relationship with longevity, through how she portrays the main characters and their relationships. We are first introduced to Mr and Mrs Bennet at the beginning of the novel; it is their absurd personality clash that causes us to look for qualities in their relationship that could make a good marriage; their, seemingly, satisfied demeanours must not fool us into believing that theirs is a happy marriage. Unlike most other couples in the novel, we are able to see the results of time and its effect on their relationship. We can see, by the way Mr Bennet freely mocks and teases his wife about her 'poor nerves', that it is a regular occurrence and possibly has been for a long time. Mr Bennet had been 'captivated by youth and beauty' but Mrs Bennet's 'weak understanding and illiberal mind' prevented any long lasting affection. They show no signs of being in love at this stage; however, they both seem to draw vague contentment through compromise and small things. For example, when Mr Bennet proclaimed himself adamant not to visit Mr Bingley when his intentions were otherwise. Mr Bennet gets to have his fun and Mrs Bennet gets to have her daughters introduced to a 'young man of large fortune'. Their relationship is not explored much in the novel, we never read of much interaction between the two solely. Like Charlotte Bennet we see that Mr Bennet spends much of his time in his office, as Charlotte learns to cope by spending time in a back room to avoid her husband. It seems that even if their marriage was happy in its beginnings, it did not have the requirements of a happy long lasting marriage. I believe Austen thinks their relationship is comfortable but not happy. Perhaps the most peculiar, surprising marriage is between Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins. We see nothing of a previous relationship before engagement, and the text suggests that there was none.