Now let us consider what marriage meant for men in that society. It seemed that not only women with little fortune were limited in their choice of marriage, but also men had to be prudent in choosing a partner. Taking Mr. Wickham as an example will prove the point. On his entrance to Meryton, he becomes well acquainted with Elizabeth, showing perhaps a partiality toward her. Such that Elizabeth is warned by Mrs. Gardiner against falling in love with Wickham and getting involved “in an affection which the want of fortune would make so very imprudent.” Very shortly after this, we are told how his partiality toward Elizabeth is subsided and that now he is “the admirer of someone else”, a Miss King who had recently come into possession of ten thousand pounds. What here comforts Elizabeth is her belief “that she would have been his only choice, had fortune permitted it” and the fact that “The sudden acquisition of ten thousand pounds was the most remarkable charm of the young lady” because after all “handsome young men must have something to live on”.
This matter is brought up again through Mr. Darcy who, despite loving and admiring Elizabeth, has “struggled” “in vain” against his better judgment and the expectations of his family to forget her because of the inferiority of her situation. Something else we can see in Darcy’s situation is that it is not only financial reasons that determine marriages, but also the society’s conventions regarding class and connections. But in this marriage formula there is no place for personal feelings. It is clear that love plays little role in the conventions of this society. It has little significance in the eyes of the people, though this is not the author’s view, which I shall present in the next post, and all these “rules” are defied through Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage.
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Wow! I've been missing your posts and now they are going so rapidly...well I can't speak to that because I do that as well...but at least I have the book on my bed ready to read...I may have to make you go back to Part 1 for my first comment soon. This will be fun to read and discuss.
ReplyDeleteThe plot is interesting to say the least...IF I ever read it, I've forgotten so you are reminding me of my own legacy...
ReplyDeleteMore after Ramadan
IF you have any Ramadan and Eid Mubarak experiences, memories past or present, I would LOVE to hear about them and ONLY with your permission to post? They could be anything from the most universal to the smallest detail.
ReplyDeleteI am still keenly interested in this novel although have not spent the time needed to discuss...YET...I know where to come when I do.
I wonder if you are drawn to this story in part because you too are a very young gifted writer? Maybe you will write a novel when you are still young?
Connie,
ReplyDeleteOne Ramazan experience which has always stayed with me dates back to my very first Ramazan, when I was ten. I remember it was the first year that I took it seriously and managed to fast for almost the whole month. At the end my parents bought me a gold necklace as a present, which I really loved and still have :)
And about Austen... I have to say that I really admire her style and her courage to have written during a time where female authors were not perhaps taken so seriously.
I must say that soemhow, perhaps secretly, she is one of my role models as a writer, and who knows what the furure has in store!!! ;)