"Pride and Prejudice"

Book Review # 91375

English > Analysis
Literature > English

An analysis of the themes of first impressions, marriage and manipulation in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice".

828 words () | 0 sources | 2006 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how characters such as Wickham and Darcy are focal points of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". It attempts to summarize the value of the marriages in the novel and to compare the different social classes in the story. It also shows how first impressions are of utmost importance and how they are a revealing component of the unravelling of the novel.

From the Paper:

"Marriage takes different forms in "Pride and Prejudice." Some of the characters marry for the money, others for appearance and first impressions and others for love. Wickham and Lydia's marriage is the worst form of marriage. Wickham runs away with her even though she is much younger than him. She wants to be with him for the thrill of being with an officer and with the handsomness and false sincerity that took even Elizabeth by surprise. "Elizabeth went away with her head full of him,"(64) shows how powerful Wickham can be to females. Wickham's marriage with Lydia makes other marriages seem much more meaningful, even if they are still for the wrong reasons. Charlotte and Mr. Collins represent a form of marriage where they merely live together, they do not even have to talk to each other on a day to day basis if they choose not to. Charlotte needs money to keep up her lifestyle and she is not good looking and is getting older. "