The Importance of Marriage Pride and Prejudice

In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, marriage is a very serious topic, it determines a woman’s class, their happiness for future life or even if they will have a life at all. Marriage Forms alliances between families as land, income and title are extremely fruitful topics. "Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong argument in favour of matrimony" -- Jane Austen, letter of March 13, 1816 In …

…her silliest characters have such sentiments, while Mr. Bennet says "He is rich, to be sure, and you may have more fine clothes and fine carriages than Jane. But will they make you happy?". However, Jane Austen does not intend to simply condemn Charlotte Lucas, who finds consolation in "her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry, and all their dependent concerns", for marrying Mr. Collins -- Charlotte's dilemma is a real one.