Marriage and Wealth in Pride and Prejudice Essay Sample

Is it better to marry someone for love or their money? Or rather, is love enough for a happy, successful marriage? In the 19th century, it was rather common for one to marry for the latter reason. However, there really should not be a relationship between marriage and a person’s wealth. This can not be said about Jane Austens’ Pride and Prejudice which places a strong, direct relationship with wealth, and a successful or happy marriage. This can be seen in Elizabeth and Mr. Collins' relationship, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship, Mr. Collins and Charlotte’s, and even Mr. Wickham and Lydia’s relationship.

In the novel, Elizabeth has three potential suitors: Mr. Wickham, Mr. Collins, and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Wickham was Elizabeth’s first love interest and she was attracted to him physically. He was very charming and the two were able to hold a conversation well so she was allured and had a crush on him. However, she realizes she was never in love with Mr. Wickham when he proposes to Miss King and she is not bothered by it. This entire “relationship” makes the reader expect Elizabeth to marry for love because she didn’t even consider his wealth, or lack of since he has less wealth, material things, and prospects than Darcy, when liking him. In fact, her dislike of him occurred after discovering his true nature, who is selfish and greedy. She even is determined to reveal the truth despite “the sentiments… Mr. Wickham has created” (Volume 2 Chapter 12). Elizabeth realized that she judged him and assumed he was great due to his physical appearance and let herself be swooned by his facade, showing the importance of personality, and not wealth regarding receiving her affection.

Mr. Collins, her cousin, was a clergyman, had a supportable amount of money, next in line to inherit her father’s estate and ‘’guaranteed to make her happy.” Elizabeth acknowledges that he has great credentials but still rejects him because she doesn't love him, further making the reader expect her to pursue love. This causes an argument between her and her mother, who wants her to marry him, and her father, who wants Elizabeth to be happy, and explains that she “must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do” (Volume 1 Chapter 20). Mr. Bennet takes Elizabeth's side, and due to the time’s societal gender roles that made his say matter the most, Elizabeth does not have to marry Mr. Collins if she doesn’t wish to. It also divides the priorities of her parents: her mom - who wants her to marry for the financial benefits, and her dad - who wants her to marry for love.

This can be further displayed in Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr. Darcy and how her parents view it. In the novel, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s dynamic gets off to a rocky start then slowly gets better as they learn more about each other and grow to love each other. Mr. Darcy even proposes to her twice. The first time she declined because she was angry with him for getting Mr. Bingley to stop seeing Jane, who were both in love with one another. However, after reading Mr. Darcy’s letter explaining and taking some time to think things over, she accepts his second proposal. Their unification could be seen as a reward for Elizabeth since she married for love, she also happens to marry the most attractive man (personality-wise) in the novel.

However, their engagement is quite ironic. Some may say that Elizabeth married for love and it was a successful marriage. This is true, yet who she is betrothed to is also the same man whose income is 10,000 pounds. This ending almost undermines Elizabeth’s beliefs for marriage because she rejected Mr. Collins, who was also quite wealthy, saying that when it comes to marriage, substance isn't important and love is, only to marry the richest man in the entire novel. Her exchange with Jane about their engagement doesn’t help the case. After hearing that Elizabeth was soon to marry Mr. Darcy, Jane asks Eliza when she started loving him. She dates it to “first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley” (Volume 3 Chapter 17 ). Considering the reason that she refused to marry Mr. Collins was that she didn’t love him the same should be true for Mr. Darcy— that she wouldn’t marry him for wealth. In addition, if what she said to Jane was true, then she would’ve accepted his proposal the first time. Elizabeth is also her father’s daughter who is notorious for being sarcastic, so it is natural for her to be the same. She even tells Mr. Bennet how much she loves him saying “I love him. Indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable…”(Volume 3 Chapter 17). Because of this, her father approves of their marriage, but her mother’s reaction is quite different. In the novel, Mrs. Bennet disliked Mr. Darcy after he called Elizabeth merely “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt” (Volume 1 Chapter 2) but this feeling grows as time continues in the novel. However, after hearing that he is engaged to Elizabeth, her persona and attitude towards him and Elizabeth completely changes. She becomes more affectionate towards her and calls Elizabeth “My sweetest Lizzy” and continues on Mr. Darcy’s wealth- “how rich and how great will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have!” (Volume 3 Chapter 1) and how she has surpassed her sisters, including Jane. Mrs. Bennet has made it clear at the beginning of the novel that Elizabeth is her least favorite child, and her complete 180 due to money is comical. 

Mr. Collins and Charlotte’s relationship is an example of marrying for money and not love. Mr. Collins didn’t even want to marry as far as the reader knows, he simply said that he had to get married because his patron said so. The novel even goes as far as to say “his attachment to her must be imaginary” (Volume 1 Chapter 22). He wasn’t very dispirited after being rejected by Elizabeth because he knew that his rank would easily get him a wife. Charlotte acknowledged his wealth and made sure to always be there around him. So, when he popped the question she said yes. She even tells her best friend Elizabeth that “I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (Chapter 22). She further confirms that has no romantic feelings and that her unification with him is strictly business and the happiness she can obtain from the matrimony is from his wealth. Mr. Collins is an irritating man, as called by Elizabeth, yet Charlotte is sensible and intelligent, although her marriage isn’t romantic, she knows she made the right choice and is happy with her decision, for it provides her with what she needs- stability and financial security. Charlotte believes that love isn’t essential for a successful marriage and it is proven in her marriage. Charlotte is quite content in her marriage, as stated before, provides what she needs, and in the final chapter is fairing well with her husband.

One may argue that Lydia and Mr. Wickham married for love and that there isn’t a correlation to having a lot of wealth in their unification. However, the love in the relationship is completely one-sided in that Lydia cares more for Wickham than he does for her. Mr. Wickham also conveniently marries Lydia sequentially, right after his debt is paid by Mr. Darcy. As opposed to the woman marrying for money, such as with Charlotte and Mr. Collins, which was more common than this case, Wickham is essentially doing the same and fixing a problem he created by marrying Lydia. Their relationship doesn’t benefit Lydia at all. It even hurts her. The two of them are poor and “moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation” (Volume 3 Chapter 22). Wickham is known as a deceitful man and Lydia finds herself staying at the Darcy’s home when her husband has “gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath” (Volume 3 Chapter 19). Wickham doesn’t care about his marriage and just acknowledges the fact that it gives him some money, and Lydia’s affection toward her husband can’t be described as love since before eloping with him she would flirt with any soldier she found attractive and was roped into a marriage with Wickham. 

In today’s society, people have more of an option to marry for love, as opposed to financial convenience. Yet despite cases of convenient marriages occurring, the novel should not make a direct correlation with wealth, marriage, and its state. One example being Elizabeth who marries the wealthy Mr. Darcy for love, is in a happy, loving marriage. Charlotte who married for wealth is happy and confident in her decision as it provides for her. In addition, Lydia who loved and married the poor Mr. Wickham is now poor herself and in an unsuccessful and unhappy marriage. The difference between Lydia and Mr. Wickham’s marriage versus Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s despite the large financial gap is the love between them. Both Lydia and Mr. Darcy married someone socially beneath them for love, yet, the prior had a one-sided, unrequited love and the latter truly loved each other and were incredibly happy. Life also has its ups, downs, and unexpected turns. If something were to happen to your financial stability, would you rather bear it with someone you love who loves you just as much or someone you could care less for and want for their money?