This is the mindset that permeates both Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. Both plays, having been written at the end of the 19th century, offer insight into how this societal pressure creates an environment in which women face a particularly large amount of pressure to find wealthy, suitable husbands rather than ones they truly love. This issue of marriage being classified as business is best summed up in The Importance of Being Earnest when Algy, after having learned Jack intends to propose to Gwendolyn, remarks, “I thought you had come up for pleasure…? I call that business” (Wilde
Edith Wharton stated once that at some stage in a story there will be that turning point or “illuminating incident” that would be a window that opens to convey the whole message and show the deeper meaning of the work. Basing this on Pride and Prejudice, the most significant, shifting point would be when Elizabeth realizes that her first impression has done her wrong, and that she’s the one being prejudicial, not Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen follows the development of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship in how they both change in order to overcome their own vanities and be able to love each other. Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley, accompanied by her aunt and uncle, causes her to reconsider her thoughts about Mr. Darcy and shows how naïve and inconsiderate she was. After knowing the truth, Elizabeth’s reaction help build up the main themes of Pride and Prejudice which is to learn before making any judgments.
This external conflict also helps the reader develop a clearer understanding of Mathilde’s character in “The Necklace”. The first quote that shows the conflict between Mathilde and her husband occurs after he gives her the envelope with the letter to go to the ball, but she had other ideas in mind, “Instead of being delighted, as her husband hoped, she threw the invitation on the table with disdain, murmuring: ‘What do you want me to do with that?’” (Maupassant page) Maupassant uses this conflict between Mathilde and her husband because it helps the readers gain a greater understanding of who Mathilde is at her core. This quote supports the fact that Mathilde’s character is very not appreciative about what people give her or even when someone tries making a change to make her happy. Another quote that gives a good understanding of Mathilde’s character is following Mathilde’s losing of the necklace, and her husband responds, “’What is the matter with you?’” (Maupassant page) After Mathilde’s husband asks her what’s the matter with her, it shows that she is a type of character that is not responsible, and does not appreciate something that she is fortunate to have (the necklace and then loses it). This external conflict between her and her husband also helped create a good understanding of who she
This novel captures the readers’ hearts through Emma’s amorous, amusing life adventure. Emma structures around a number of themes. One of the main themes being recently consummated or anticipated marriages. Emma finds that Mr. Martin had written a letter of proposal to Harriet. Upon reading the letter together and discussing that Harriet should reject the proposal, Emma says, “A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter.” (75).
Mr Collins originally planned on proposing to Jane but Mrs Bennet tricked him by telling him that Jane was close to being engaged and that Elizabeth is in need of a husband. Elizabeth finds her mother’s marriage obsession annoying but somewhat reasonable. She understands that marriage is very important to a young girl but feels like her mother is a bit too crazy about it considering her daughters are getting married, not her. Without Mrs Bennet pushing the girls to be married, Jane would have never met Bingley and Elizabeth would have never met Darcy. The relationship between Elizabeth and her parents is not one of her strongest but is one of the more influential in her life.
“Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want” (J. Austen 1815, page 104), as Emma is not in need of anything and so, sees marriage as being a mistress to your partner. Mr Woodhouse views marriage as “the origin of change, was always disagreeable” (J. Austen 1815, page 6). He saw marriage as a cause of change. In the novel, Jane Austen portrayed that marriage was not centred on love, but wealth so that they can cater for their wants and needs; social status that is, women tend to marry men in the upper class; and family background in order to protect their reputation. The novel began with the wedding of Mr Weston and Miss Taylor, Emma’s friend which was significantly used to introduce the theme of marriage in the novel.
In the play, the driving force behind much of the play’s action was the pursuit of marriage. Just like other Victorian novels that came from that time period marriage is the plot that documents the misconception in social etiquette and romantic relationships. As Jack pursues Gwendolen’s hand, while Algernon pursues Cecily’s hand both are subjects that are used to show how marriage can cause misconceptions about a person’s character. Because both Jack and Algernon go to unconventional lengths to satisfy Gwendolen and Cecily’s aspirations for marriage which is the ultimate goal of the main characters. Both of the couple’s relationships are filled with roadblocks.
One of the major themes in the novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is marriage. Unlike today, women in the nineteenth century women did not have a lot choices. One of the choices include marriage. Women in this time were held back and are not expected to have careers like men. Once they decide on a man, there is no going back and divorce was considered uncommon.
Men needs to be wealthy and own many property while women are supposed to find a spouse as soon as they can. Behaviors need to be appropriate and social class is one of the determining factors on how people will be treated. Jane Austen satirized her society customs through her novel, using the character of Elizabeth and Lady Catherine. Many people believed
The author thought that marriage was to be made of a combination of love, affection and compatibility of character, just as the engagement between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Thus, she punished women who took wrong decisions when it came to marriage, as Lydia, who escaped from her family just to get married to George Wickham in a sudden and not very clever act – she clearly was decided just for passion and not for rational thinking. Jane Austen also punished women who got married for convenience, as Charlotte, who got engaged to Mr. Collins just to ensure her future and a stable economic status. At the very beginning, Charlotte Lucas was delighted for her engagement and forthcoming matrimony, but within a short period of time, she does not feel that happiness for her marriage, just as Austen declares in the novel: “his marriage was now fast approaching, and she (Mrs Lucas) was at length so far resigned as to think it inevitable, and even repeatedly to say in an ill-natured tone she ‘wished they might be happy ’” (Austen, 1813: