If Pride and Prejudice hinged around the theme of marriage, Mrs. Bennett was its most loyal proponent. Her sole concern throughout the story remained the marriage of her daughters to eligible gentlemen. To further this end she attended private balls, hosted in-house dinners and was always on the lookout for promising bachelors.
Mrs. Bennett in a nutshell
Austen sketches Mrs. Bennett as 'a woman as mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper'. She's a caricature of over-zealous mothers who are always on the hunt for suitable husbands for their daughters.
She took her daughters to Meryton Ball, and invited Mr. Bingley and Darcy over to her place for dinner. When Jane was sick with cold and fever, she couldn't contain her elation at the fact that she would be staying at Netherfield Park with the Bingley family. Charles Bingley had showered sufficient attention on her eldest daughter Jane, to excite her hopes of a wedding in the family. After Lydia's marriage to Wickham was brought about through Darcy's intervention, all she could think about was 'fine muslin' and 'new carriages' in spite of the defamation her family went through. Even though she detested Darcy on account of his pride, she forgot everything in a trice once he was married to Elizabeth.
At the end of the novel, she was a relaxed woman with three married daughters especially so since her husband, for all his wit and sarcasm, turned out to be a poor father.
The Eighteenth Century Society- The Pride and Prejudice Milieu
Women's Education:
Women in the eighteenth century did not receive the same education as the men in the society. Young girls were not sent to public schools. In fact, there was no properly structured government education system operational in England at the time Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice.
While men were taught mathematics, science and commerce, women had a different syllabus to follow. Women were made efficient in housework. Domestic chores, knitting, sewing, and cooking were given prime importance.
Women's Profession:
Women belonging to the 'genteel' section of the society couldn't earn their own living. Firstly, such an act would require her to overstep the bounds of 'decorum'. Secondly, any working women, generally belonging to the economically and socially inferior class, couldn't earn enough to support herself and her family. Those who were employed mostly played governesses to children of wealthy families or companions to older, unmarried females.
Women's Achievements:
It was customary for women to be good at Music and the Arts. Playing the Piano in tune and being well conversant in the Classical languages (Latin or Greek) as well as Modern languages like French or Italian was seen as a sign of accomplishment. Mary Bennett was always impatient to display her skills in playing the piano.
Women's Legal Rights:
Women were not entitled to inherit paternal property- either money or estate. After death, anything belonging to the father went to the next male relative. In this case, Mr. Collins, nephew to Mr. Bennett was the legal heir and this was sufficient cause of concern for Mrs. Bennett. She was convinced that Mr. Collins wouldn't allow her to stay in her house or bound them in servitude as 'dependants' unless one of the Bennett girls was married to him.
"Who will maintain you when your father's gone?"
Thus she almost pressurized Elizabeth in accepting his proposal. Plus, he enjoyed the patronage of Lady Catherine.
Marriage
In such a context it is easy to understand that marriage was a secure establishment. In many cases it was the only way to ensure survival. For example, the Bennett girls and Charlotte Lucas neither had much dowry nor customary accomplishments to attract suitor. Besides, a woman had to be beautiful and young to be eligible for marriage.
It was imperative that eighteenth century aristocratic women 'acquire' husbands to lead a secure life. through marriage they could have a home and family of their own, money, social prestige, class and also get 'pin money' from their husbands to spend as they liked. Whether or not that marriage worked was of little consequence.
Conclusion
Although Mrs. Bennett can be termed as the tireless crusader in the matchmaking war, her motives remain her daughters' welfare. She does appear to be 'vulgar' and 'inferior' with no decent connections. She lacks proper judgment and is the mirror opposite to Elizabeth. Yet she is a concerned mother, perhaps, too concerned at times. Nevertheless, she strives to provide stability to her daughters' lives through marriage to young men 'in possession of a large fortune'.
As much as she is ridiculed, one cannot shake her off. Through the character of Mrs. Bennett, Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice shows the extremely insecure position of women during the time she lived and wrote. The character of Mrs. Bennett is portrayed with humor and sarcasm, in Austen's vein of criticizing such fanatical search for a suitable bachelor. However, the prevailing socio-economic conditions of Victorian England couldn't be ignored.
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