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Critical Essay of Pride and Prejudice 3 - Which is Blind, Love or Marriage?

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen that explored love and marriage. There are two important characters in the novel, Mr. Wickham and Mr. Collins, who are both flawed in their own ways. Mr. Wickham is a charming and handsome soldier who initially appears to be a gentleman. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that he is a greedy and manipulative person. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, even if it means lying and deceiving others. Elizabeth is initially blind to Mr. Wickham’s true nature because of his charm and good looks. It showed how love is blind. On the other hand, Mr. Collins is a foolish clergyman who is obsessed with social status. He is convinced that he is a great man to Elizabeth, even though she has made it clear that she doesn't love him. Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s best friend, agrees to marry Mr. Collins because she believes that it is her best chance to secure financial stability. Charlotte is a smart woman who understands that marriage is often a matter of convenience rather than love. That marriage is blind. This novel showed how love and marriages can have lots of hidden problems and issues but love and marriages can still happen without being perfect.


Love can be blind because of how people can be judged only through their exterior. People can be misled if they don’t observe carefully before falling in love with someone. Love can appear blind because of how secrets of evil people’s personalities can be hidden very deep. The blindness of love is another way of saying how love can be created even with the worst partners. These blindness can be fixed easily though. If you live with an unsuitable partner for a while, you will notice their problems and give up that love. In the story, Mr. Wickham is a soldier who faked his personality to appear to be a gentleman. As the story moved on incidents like him telling Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy cheated him out of his inheritance, which is not true and made it clearer that he is hiding his real self. Elizabeth was initially blinded by Mr. Wickham’s fake nature because of his charm and good looks. She was shocked when she discovered the truth about him. This is an example of how love can be blind and how people can be easily deceived by appearances. Love should be considered after enough observing and conversations with the person. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Love can be very blind if someone is not thinking when making decisions.


Marriage can also be blind so that two very different people can be put together. Love is normally created by two people who have lots of similarities. That happens because they will like similar things and have topics to talk to each other about. If two people have different likings and don’t have a common thing between each other, they would normally not make a long and happy couple. Sometimes, though, these different people can also live happy lives with their partners but these couples are normally together not because of love but personal gains. Although they might not be happy, they get what they want and live happily. In the story, Mr. Collins is a foolish clergyman who is obsessed with social status. He loved Elizabeth, but she rejected him and Charlotte agreed to marry Mr. Collins because then, she would be more independent with more wealth. Charlotte is a smart woman Mr. Collins is stupid. Charlotte married him because of what he can give to her. This is an example of how marriage can be blind and how different people can also happily marry each other. Marriages are one of the most important things in everyone’s life. It is important to find the best partner for you if you want to be a peaceful and happy couple. When it was the time in the novel, people found money and social status more important than love and a good partner so marriages for wealth and social status were common. It might have been a good idea in the past but having a good partner who has similar hobbies and personality as you is important in the present days.


In my opinion, the novel Pride and Prejudice is a very interesting novel which can tell the readers lots of lessons and information. It showed the complexities of human relationships. The characters in the novel are flawed and imperfect which readers can find relatable to the real world. The themes of love, marriage, and social class are still relevant today. Elizabeth’s love to Mr. Wickham showed how love can be blind and she warned us to be careful when choosing who to adore. On the other hand, the marriage between Charlotte and Mr. Collins can show us that peaceful marriages can happen with anyone, even if they have great differences with you. The information and lessons in this story can help a lot in the real world. It can stop us when we are in love with someone when we don’t even know their true personality. This novel can warn us to investigate more into a person before relationships. The inside of people is as important as the outside. It also talked about how marriage can be blind and sometimes, it will still work out. Even if your partner has differences, you can still live together happily. A partner doesn't always have to be the same as you. This novel highlights the importance of being true to oneself and not being swayed by appearances or stereotypes. Overall, I believe that “Pride and Prejudice” is a must-read for anyone who loves a good romance and informational story.


In conclusion, Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” showed how not being careful and not trying before giving up can be a big trouble and a loss of opportunity. Elizabeth Bennet who was initially blinded by Mr. Wickham's charm learns the harsh lesson of love's blindness. It reminds us to observe carefully before loving someone. Meanwhile, Charlotte, who is very smart, married Mr. Collins who is one of the most stupid characters in the novel. Although they are different, they still live happily. Love can happen with anyone, but it is important to know what their real personality is. This novel is both a good book to read for fun and for reading carefully through the lines to understand the lessons and information behind the characters.


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