In the novel “Pride and Prejudice” written by Jane Austen, many female characters experience their personal stories and end up getting married. Each person is an example of a type of life that might happen to other women in the era. One character in the novel ends up being married to an awkward man, Mr. William Collins. The pragmatic woman, Charlotte Lucas, has entirely different views of marriage compared to Elizabeth Bennet, her best friend. Charlotte believes that marriage is for wealth and a stable life, while Elizabeth believes that it’s for love. Charlotte’s marriage can show us the perspectives of poor women in the Victorian era and how marriage is almost the only way to live and have a stable life.
Charlotte Lucas is a “well-educated young woman of small fortune”, and believes that marriage, although it might be unpleasant, is the only way to provide her a stable life. Charlotte is in the middle class, but she is an educated woman who can’t marry any man lower than her social class. She has to climb up to a higher social class for her family and herself. However, as she says, she’s at the “age of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome”, so wealthy men in the higher social class won’t marry her, since she’s not a pretty young woman. Eliminating both options, her only choice is to marry someone in the middle class and find a man that has enough fortune to provide a safe home. Charlotte is not a “romantic person”, she doesn’t dream of meeting her true love one day and live happily ever after. She understands how life is difficult, and knowing that women have petty rights choose what they want, she is determined to marry Mr. Collins after observing, according to what Charlotte says to Elizabeth, “his character, his connections, and his situation in life.”
The man Charlotte decides to marry is a very unpleasant man. His characteristic displeases many characters in the novel. As Lizzy describes, Mr. Collins is a “conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man.” He proposes to two women in just a few days, he changes his mind really fast just to get married. The actions Mr. Collins does and the descriptions of him can show us his silliness and arrogance. However, although the personality of Mr. Collins is awful, Charlotte still accepts him as her husband. After knowing that Charlotte Lucas accepts the proposal of Mr. William, Elizabeth is shocked. Just like what Eliza thinks, she can’t believe that Charlotte “would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage.”
It sounds like Charlotte has no choice but to marry him, as if it’s done without the intention of Charlotte. However, although it’s true that Charlotte’s problem disallows her to marry the man she wants, she still makes her choice after many years of thinking. Miss Lucas is an intelligent woman, and in her life, she knows her situation, she knows that she can’t be married to a very wealthy man, and she knows exactly what to do in a specific situation. For instance, in the story, after perceiving Mr. Collins from the upper window, Charlotte “instantly set out to meet him accidentally in the lane.” As we can see, Charlotte uses tricks to get a man 's attention. It doesn't mean that Charlotte is a scheming person, but in her own situation, her only way to achieve her goal is to use skills. Of course, as Charlotte says, although she tries to make a man fall in love with her, she “little had she dared to hope that so much love and eloquence awaited her there.” Charlotte is such a realistic woman, she doesn’t believe that love is essential in marriage. As she says to Elizabeth, “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” Not all women get to meet their loved one, and not all women get to have a peaceful life.
In the Victoria era, women could do little to support themselves. Upper-class women usually inherit money from their parents or marry a wealthy man for the rest of their life. For the lower-class, women have a harder life. Their life depends on men, and they are trying as hard as they can to marry a sustainable person. Unlike Elizabeth Bennet or Jane Bennet, many women don’t have a choice but to accept a marriage they don’t want. Not all women are as pretty as Jane or Elizabeth, and not many have a good social class to reach a wealthy man. Just like Charlotte, a poor woman who has an ordinary-looking face, the only chance to have a better life is through marriage. She knows that “marriage had always been her object.” She’s smart and studies about how to gain a man’s attention and get married. We can tell from her conversations with Lizzy that she learns a lot about love and marriage. Charlotte’s marriage is like a kind of job. She doesn’t marry for companionship or love, she marries for fortune, for a peaceful life and for a place to live. This is also why no matter what kind of person is Mr. Collins, she still intends to marry him.
Charlotte’s marriage is completely realistic, and both people marry only for money and position. Charlotte, someone who is very well-educated but poor, is a very logical and abundant woman who marry to provide her a peaceful life, while Mr. Collins, a middle class man, marries to stabilize his position. Charlotte’s view of marriage is for a stable future, and this choice represents a strong and intelligent woman who is very realistic and thoughtful. After knowing her own situation and difficulties, she can find the best way to stabilize her life. Charlotte Lucas can also refer to many other women out there in the Victorian era, who had no choice but to marry for a better life.
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