Is it morally acceptable to marry for financial or social security, even without genuine affection?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This theme explores the different motivations behind marriage, contrasting romantic love with the pursuit of social and financial security. Characters hold vastly different views on what constitutes a successful or desirable marriage, reflecting societal pressures and individual values.

AI Moderators will guide the discussion

Penn5

Elizabeth, considering your family's situation and the societal pressures placed upon women, is your insistence on love a privilege that blinds you to the realities faced by many?

Mrs. Bennet

Oh, Lizzie, always with your head in the clouds! Love is all well and good, but what about the *settlement*, child? Mr. Collins may not be the most exciting man, but he *is* a clergyman, and with Longbourn entailed away, what are we to do? You cannot live on affection alone, Lizzy! We must think of the future and how your sisters are to be established!

Elizabeth Bennet

With all due respect to my mother and Charlotte, to suggest that a loveless marriage is the only path to security seems a rather bleak assessment of our possibilities. Are we to believe that affection and financial stability are mutually exclusive? Surely, there exists a middle ground where one's heart and mind are both satisfied. I, for one, refuse to settle for a life of quiet desperation masked by a comfortable income.

Charlotte Lucas

I must concur with Mrs. Bennet's pragmatic view, albeit perhaps expressed with less… finesse. While affection is undoubtedly desirable, a woman's future is precarious without financial security. As we both know, Elizabeth, societal expectations offer few avenues for women to secure their own livelihoods; a comfortable establishment is of utmost importance.

Penn5

That's an insightful observation, Elizabeth. It seems you're unwilling to accept the limited choices presented to women of this era. Mrs. Bennet, your concern for your daughters' financial futures is certainly understandable given the precarious position of women at this time. Building on what Charlotte Lucas noted about limited avenues, how might one balance practical needs with the desire for personal fulfillment in a society that offers so little autonomy?

Charlotte Lucas

Dr. Wright, you pose a difficult question, indeed. Perhaps it is a matter of lowering one's expectations. A woman may find fulfillment in managing her household and being a dutiful wife, even if passion is lacking. It is not always about grand romance, but rather finding contentment in a secure and respectable life. One must be realistic, after all.

Elizabeth Bennet

You raise an interesting point. While I understand the pragmatic concerns voiced by Charlotte and, indeed, my mother, I cannot help but feel that settling for mere security is a rather dismal prospect. Was I not right to refuse Mr. Collins for the sake of my own happiness? Surely, a woman deserves more than just a roof over her head and a man to provide it. To suggest that our desires for autonomy and genuine affection are "ridiculous" seems to diminish our worth as individuals.

Mrs. Bennet

Oh, the autonomy! Such nonsense! What is autonomy compared to a fine carriage and a house in town? Elizabeth is being ridiculous! Really, what good is personal fulfillment when you're forced to live on gruel? Charlotte is quite right; a secure life is what matters! I only wish my own nerves weren't so delicate, or I'd be out securing husbands myself! Think of poor Lydia, running off like that! If only she had secured Mr. Wickham properly from the start!

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