Austen again shows us the absolute incompatibility that exists between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and that it leads to unhappiness in their marriage. As I discussed in an earlier post, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not feel true affection for each other because of their lack of mutual understanding and respect. This deficiency and void in their relationship makes it so that they cannot be happy together. When Elizabeth looks at Jane and Bingley, though, she sees the possibility for a marriage that would be the exact opposite of her parents union. Both people understand and truly love each other which would result "in all the felicity which a marriage of true affection could bestow" rather than the unhappiness that her parents'"unsuitable" match creates (96, 229).
As a slightly random side note, perhaps Mrs. Bennet's obsession with finding husbands for her daughters stems from her own derelict marriage...
So what couple in the text provides a positive model for marriage?
ReplyDeleteMr. and Mrs. Gardiner. Elizabeth is finally shown a prime example of a relationship that is a partnership. There is a clear establishment of respect between both parties, and it directly clashes with the kinds of marriages she sees in her own parents as well as Charlotte and Collins. I wonder how that would influence Elizabeth in a marriage of her own.
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