Mr Collins Pride And Prejudice Matrimony Analysis

There is an old saying that claims individuals not only marry their future spouse, but also their family. This saying is as true today as it was in Victorian England where the aristocracy made many matches based upon what a family had to offer. Young people searched for spouses that not necessarily brought love, but instead brought power, prestige or even just security by way of the family, the connections they possessed, and the possibility of inheriting fortunes depending on the family. Jane Austen explores this world of matrimony and the relationships people in a well-off station of life have with one another in her novel Pride and Prejudice as her characters navigate the social etiquette that they all abide by as they, and their families, …show more content…
Collins emphasizes his relationship with Lady Catherine as he attempts to propose to Elizabeth. Like a jester in a king’s court, Collins’s role is almost comical as his appearance is seemingly important, but without his connection to Lady Catherine, he is not in such a favorable position and is at her mercy. However, where Darcy spoke of the idea of becoming family with the Bennets like it was physically painful, Collins makes it a point to show how he was being charitable to not only Elizabeth, but also her family by marrying her. In his speech to Elizabeth about his reasoning for searching for a wife, particularly in the Bennet household, was to serve his church as an example, bring him happiness, but also because of the advice of Lady Catherine. These statements are an interesting juxtaposition to the first line of the novel, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife,” (1). Though Collins fits this description, it is like an illusion as his position in society is given to him by his patroness and his inheritance comes from an ancient family rule that takes away the Bennet’s estate. Collins frequent mentioning of his patroness in his proposal establishes that like Darcy, he was above her in position and connections saying, “To fortune I am perfectly indifferent, and shall make no demand of that nature on your father, since I am well aware that it could not be complied with,” (45). Though this match would have been beneficial for the Bennets so that Longbourn would not be totally lost after the death of Mr. Bennet, there was little reasoning that Collins had anything to lose socially or financially. If anything it would have increased his status as socially, the match would not be odd. Although the Bennet’s do not have much to offer financially, their status is still a respectable one. Collins’s proposal fits his