Can
“Pride and Prejudice” be regarded as a commentary on the theme of love and marriage?
The theme of love and marriage
happens to be one of the major themes in Pride and Prejudice. Jane
Austen is of the opinion that love is neither a terrible thing, nor a very deep
passion. Through five marriages, four new ones and a fifth old one, Jane Austen
tries to define good reasons for marriage and bad reasons. Charlotte Lucas and
Mr. Collins, Lydia and Wickham, Jane and Bingley, and Elizabeth and Darcy are
the four newlyweds. The old marriage to be discussed is that of Mrs. And Mr.
Bennet. In this novel, marriage is considered in terms of some pragmatic views.
Love is the corner-stone of the novel. Indeed, the novel is a commentary on
various types of love and marriage.
Mrs. and Mr. Bennet: - The
marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet is an ideal example of bad marriage. They
are poles apart in their natural disposition. Mr. Bennet is sharp and witty,
whereas Mrs. Bennet is vulgar and indiscreet. Together they constitute a very
ill-matched couple. This type of marriage is based on such superficial
qualities as sex, appearance, good look and youthful vivacity. Jane Austen
could approve only a sensible husband to a sensible wife and foolish one
to the foolish. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have lived together for twenty-three years.
They were once attracted towards each other but soon they understood that it
was just infatuation and their relation turns out to be a bad one. Mr. Bennet
married Mrs. Bennet because of her physical charm. But with the passage of time
her physical beauty dies out and Mr. Bennet finds no attraction to her.
