Pride and Prejudice: conflict on views of marriage

Views of marriage in the society of the 19th century England were very different from views in modern American society today. In 19th century England there were two main concerns about marriage, to marry for wealth and social class for stability. Jane Austin shows that marriage was not an act of love for most people in that day and age but an act of survival, high ranking, and a place in society. The values of people in the 19th century England were mostly the same. Women married for wealth and stability and men married for comfort and companionship. However, like everywhere, there were exceptions. Not all women and men married for those reason.

Most women married for wealth. The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice states, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” In the 19th century, women usually only wanted to marry men if they were rich. This was the guys’ way of getting a wife, if...