Urgency to Marry in 18th Term Paper

Through their relationship, we see how Charlotte decided to marry him because she did not want to be left alone and without anyone at all.

Pride and Prejudice allows us to see the different types of marriage through each relationship. Not all marriages are equal and husbands and wives are never easy to understand. Lydia marries Wickham and their marriage is shallow as the two are inexperienced in the ways of a healthy relationship. Lydia may be a beautiful woman but she is ignorant when it comes to her husband and his behavior. Lydia's relationship with Wickham weakens over time and the two grow apart. From this couple, we can see how a good marriage takes hard work and commitment. Things will not improve if each partner goes his or her separate ways and the couple spends more time apart than they do together. This frustration is viewed by Jane as "tolerable independence" (232). Additionally, she thinks "how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue" (232). This statement serves as a warning to those that might consider marrying someone for convenience or security rather than love. We also see how the pressure to marry is so great that one will marry just to be married.In other words, it is easier to be in a difficult marriage than it is to be alone and thought a spinster.

Pride and Prejudice is a novel about the complexity of relationships. What we can learn about the eighteenth century is that women did not always have the freedom to choose their future - especially when it came to marriage. Women from this era did not have the luxury of being single for a while to find a husband that suited them. Instead, women were urged to find husbands before they became too old to try. Being single was almost like a curse for the single girl and her family. While it was not immediately shameful, there was a sense of negativity associated with being unmarried. Girls were taught and prepped for marriage from an early age and they were defined as women by their husbands. This frame of mind seems ridiculous in the twentieth century when women experience freedom, independence, and love. There are no planned marriages in America and while women still marry for money and status, they are not urged to do so by their families.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York:….....