Relationship Between Mr Collins And Charlotte example essay topic

Throughout history, artists, especially writers and musicians, have sought to portray those things in society that they deemed intolerable. Sometimes it was an issue of social conscience, or a political issue that was being kept from the general public. Whatever the catalyst, Jane Austen's reason for writing the novel, Pride and Prejudice, may well have been to rail against the injustices that women were having to endure during her time. Her vehicle of choice was biting satire and carefully constructed comedy. "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?" (Austen, Ch. 57).

This statement by Mr. Bennet seems to be shared by Jane Austen in many respects. Her use of comedy belies at times the serious issue which she addresses, which is that of the oppression of women. This line subtlety reemphasizes one of her major themes, which is that of prejudice. Everyone is too busy making fun of the 'other guy' that they fail to see their own shortcomings and failures. The fact that women were expected to be seen and not heard was scathing to Austen. there are several different types of marriages depicted in the novel. For instance, there is the relationship between Mr. Collins and Charlotte.

On several occasions Elizabeth mentions that Mr. Collins embarrasses Charlotte, but Charlotte does not say anything to address the matter. Then, there is the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. They are bent on being the 'perfect' family in that the father deals with the money issues and the mother deals with marrying the daughters off to wealthy husbands. There is little affection shown between the couple and one gets the distinct impression that there's was a marriage of convenience as well.

It is all they know and the issue of generation gap comes into play. Most of the sisters seem to want to marry for love, which seems to be a totally foreign concept to their mother. The other type of affair of the heart is Wickham and Lydia. Both are involved with one another strictly, it is hinted, because of physical looks, sex and money. The only half way normal relationship is that of Elizabeth and Darcy which does not happen until the end of the book. And even this type of relationship has had to evolve from that of a man expecting a woman to immediately succumb to his charms and money, to that of a man truly realizing the worth of the woman he is about to marry.

This is evidenced by Emma's statement to him after his first proposal. It is this declaration that she makes that ultimately makes for a character change in him. "You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner" (Austen, 224). Comedy as social criticism is rampant throughout Austen's work. Comedy as social commentary is a finely woven garment, one might state. Woven roughly and with too heavy a hand the story quickly comes unraveled and the social commentary shines through.

However, Jane Austen skillfully manages to weave a tight plot line which utilizes comedy to expose a very serious inadequacy in her day and time. She exposes, with the misconceptions of Darcy and Elizabeth how off track men and women can be about one another. To this extent, she is not male bashing, but rather showing how both male and female can be blind to what is right before them. Many times what cannot be said directly is more easily accepted in the form of social banter and flirtatious behavior between characters. For example, one of the Bingley sisters lists the various qualities of the 'perfect' woman, which is laughable since no one could hope to meet these standards. She says, "A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner or walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved (Austen 35)".

Austen's novels incorporate her observations on the manners of her time and class, and while they often relate courtship, love, and marriage, Austen herself never married. One could state that she was an astute student of human behavior and as such knew that comedy would be the only way in which she could adequately expose the social wrongs which she saw. Laughing at one's neighbors may be balm for the soul, but according to Austen, they in turn laugh at their own neighbors.

Bibliography

Austen, Jane Pride and Prejudice Bantam 1984.