The Theme of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Assignment Example

Response Essay Please write an essay in response to the following, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813). Introduction The first sentence in Pride and Prejudice is also one of the most famous sentences in English literature as well as a representative of the times. It can also be understood as the plot of the novel as well as many others of the time since it describes as a universal truth that a single man who has had good fortunes will automatically be looking for a wife. Importance is given to the male character while the female part of humanity acts as nothing more than a wife or a prospect for a wife. Essentially, the conservatism of society at the time and the repressive attitudes contained therein were the hallmarks of how women were expected to behave in social settings. For example pursuing a good husband is seen as the only social duty of a lady while those who seek to be professionals in some field or are actually trying to avoid getting married by choosing to remain single are seen as odd or as outsiders. While the sentence mentioned about focuses on the need and expectation from women to make responsible marriages decisions, it also highlights the case of the man to be socially acceptable only if he has good fortune. A poor man or an improvised male should only seek a female from his own class and the class barriers are quite strong in terms of rich and poor, noble and common as well as between those who are married and those who are yet to obtain the social license which permits marriage. Without marriage, the idea of loneliness and the sense of being miserable is paramount in several stories of the time. The Fate of Single Women For example, Charlotte Brontë’s Villette was the only novel which was published under her own name rather than her nom de plume of Currer Bell. It won critical acclaim from many reviewers over the years it has remained in publication. In many ways, it can be seen as a reflection of her life with themes which are present in her other works. It was first published in 1853 and while she was writing the novel, she was also fighting her illness and bearing the loss of her sisters (Giles, 2004). The idea of loneliness, being a single woman where society does not accept single women, and giving love without receiving it in return figure prominently in this work. For instance, the image of the nun which is mentioned at several places in the novel is a clear indication of what it would be like to be alone and not have a bond with a person that can be loved. As opposed to Jane Eyre which begins with pessimism but ends with a happy solution for almost all the characters which includes marriage for the central character, Villette is pessimistic throughout and clearly reflects Brontë’s own mood at the time. Like the characters, the events and personalities depicted in the novel have hidden allusions and social meanings which can be obtained from a deeper reading for the text (Wikipedia, 2006). The nun first appears when Lucy is heartbroken by the man she loves. Dr. John is the person who Lucy falls in love with in all earnestness; however, he does not respond to her since after rescuing Paulina from a fire the two started a romantic relationship which ended in marriage (Brontë, 1853). This heartbreak causes a visitation of the ghostly nun which represents the nun who was cruelly buried alive for breaking her vow of celibacy. The symbolism here is quite clear since Lucy can not be with the man she loves the visitation of the nun which shows that she might have to be celibate and alone throughout her life. The social meaning is quite clear in this case since Lucy did not get the suitable social match and had to make do with an image. Marriage as an end to Loneliness The idea of celibacy, poverty, misery and being lonely figures prominently in how Lucy views nuns and the life associated with being a nun. She describes how nuns (essentially single women) lived in small “queerest little dormitories” (Brontë, 1853, Pg. 76) as well as how they remained quiet and did not speak to each other or anyone else. The comparison of ghosts to nuns is painfully clear when we consider that both of them remain silent, move quietly, and have little will of their own. That comparison can also be made to how single women were viewed in society at the time. The best way to view them would be to see single women who do not get married at all would be to see them as nuns and the worst way to view them would be as ghosts. Both of which would be equally damaging for the individual woman who was given that image since neither seem to have a great role to play in society as far as the times were concerned. Brontë’s own words express the depression and the loneliness she felt while writing Villette and Giles (2004) quotes her on a letter she wrote to her friend (Ellen Nussey) saying that: “My life is a pale blank and often a very weary burden…The evils that now and then wring a groan from my heart - lie in position - not that I am a single woman and likely to remain a single woman - but because I am a lonely woman and likely to be lonely. (Giles, 2004, Pg. 1)” It can be seen quite clearly from the writers own words that being single did not hurt her as society might have thought, rather it was the idea of being alone which was more hurtful for her. The theme of loneliness is also present in the novel Jane Eyre considering the most climactic moment in the novel where Jane discovers that the love of her life and the man she is about to marry is already married. It seems that the character of Jane Eyre has nothing but bad luck. At the climax, whatever little she had in terms of being able to marry Mr. Rochester and settling down with the love of her life seems to be lost. Even before this discovery, her life had not been an easy one since the first chapter described her state compared to the people she was living with. Both men and women in her life seemed to treat her with cruelty and there was very little kindness shown to her throughout her younger days and teenage years (Brontë, 1874). Amongst the characters in Jane Eyre, the contrast between Jane and Helen is very obvious since Jane comes across as a headstrong child who has been somewhat hardened by the life she has lived. Helen on the other hand, seems bent upon taking things like a stoic and not complaining against whatever troubles God has decided to send her way. On the other hand, the completely inhuman character of Mr. Brocklehurst leaves very little that can be admired as an archetype of the traditional Victorian male. In fact, it seems that Jane Eyre is the realistic middle ground between the two extreme natures of Mr. Brocklehurst and Helen Burns (Brontë, 1874). As opposed to Jane Eyre has given the impression of being aware of her self worth and she is never ready to give up her sense of justice. As evidenced by her constant attempts to right wrongs at Lowood. Additionally, even though Helen dies in the opening chapters of the book, a reader can assume that had she been in place of Jane Eyre as Mr. Rochester wooed Miss Blanche Ingram, she might have not reacted with the jealousy shown by Jane (Brontë, 1874). Overall in comparison to several other characters, the character of Jane seems to be the most believable and real. Faith and belief seems to be a part of the social setup in the times since the character of Helen shows a faith which is stronger than Jane’s. While Jane seeks freedom and independence, Helen seems to accept whatever comes to her as a gift or a punishment from God. Helen believes that for all the wrongs which he has suffered in this lifetime, she will be rewarded when she is taken to heaven (Brontë, 1874). It seems that Jane has a comparatively lesser strength of faith since she wants her happiness, her revenge and her gifts to be given to her in the world she is in. The Male Character Helen is similar to Jane in many ways but her highest contrast comes when we examine her position with regard to Mr. Brocklehurst. They appear to be diametrically opposed to each other in nature and in faith since Helen presents the ideal feminine image of a person who wants to help everyone she can and accepts all those who are in pain as her friends. On the other hand, Mr. Brocklehurst practices a Christianity which is dependent on asking others to make sacrifices while he maintains his own lavish and luxurious lifestyle. Mr. Brocklehurst dominates and controls other people through his words and his power over them while Helen is the part of the meek group which is supposed to inherit the earth (Brontë, 1874). The opinion of Brontë when it comes to Mr. Brocklehurst is not hidden since the character has his fall quite harshly. He is the person who suffers the ultimate judgment which Helen wishes to see but dies before it could come to pass. As Helen dies, the cruelty and dishonesty of Mr. Brocklehurst is exposed to the world and he loses whatever sense of credibility he had in the world (Brontë, 1874). In comparison to Helen, as Helen sought her paradise in the next world and supposedly obtained it as she died, Mr. Brocklehurst sought his heaven in this life and got it for a while before losing it completely. In terms of the sentence used in the topic, the universal acknowledgement for the man as an individual simply seeking a wife is also a rather limiting approach for a male character. Of course homosexuality was considered a criminal deviance as in the case of Oscar Wilde therefore a man who does not marry is also seen with suspicion or seen as evil. Prince Charming is not charming if he does not find himself a wife and there can be no question of a person living alone even if s/he wants to be left alone. In fact, the same idea can be expanded to include male monsters that need to have a partner in order to justify their existence and their own presence in the world. For instance, the character of the unnamed monster in Frankenstein in quite clearly understandable since he desires to have a mate in order to escape his loneliness and this forces him to seek out his creator in order to ask him to make another monster like him. The monster might have had the good fortune of life, of being able to enjoy the wilderness, but he sought out a mate due to a need for contact and understanding before he can realize his own self. In fact, his motive for abducting Frankenstein’s bride is simply revenge because Frankenstein took away something he promised to the monster, i.e. provide him with a female. Therefore, man, woman or monster were all expected to only be happy if they have someone to call their partner in socially acceptable terms. Conclusion In conclusion, the social influences on the literature of the times are very visible in many different examples. Despite the fire in the character of Jane Eyre and the willfulness that she displays, her eventual goal and need remains to be married to the man she loves. However, it seems that this is more out of a need to share her loneliness rather than to simply be married to satisfy the demands of society. At the same time, it is also quite clear that the demands of society are nothing less than universal acknowledgements which have to be followed since not following those dictates leads to being made an outside in society. Works Cited Brontë, C. 1854, Villette, Random House. Brontë, C. 1874, Jane Eyre, Penguin. Giles, J. 2004, ‘Villette’, The Literary Encyclopedia. [Online] available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8625 Wikipedia. 2006, ‘Villette’, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. [Online] available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villette_(novel) Read More