While I was reading Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, I found myself analyzing the male and female attitudes towards love and marriage. For example, Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's friend, views marriage as a practical way to secure her future. When discussing her future marriage with Mr. Collins to Elizabeth (Lizzy), she says, "I am not a romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state" (Austen 123). Here, Charlotte shows no real feelings of love for Mr. Collins as a person. She believes her happiness in life depends on what her partner can provide for her. Therefore, since Mr. Collins is known to be a decent person and has a nice home (and a good amount of money), she agrees to marry him. Charlotte does not consider if Mr. Collins will be a suitable person for her to spend the rest of her life with based on his personality alone. She doesn't even care that her soon-to-be husband proposes to Lizzy just a few days before he proposes to her. She aspires to live a comfortable life in a nice home, and ends up marrying him (even though she isn't truly in love). In the end, she attains that level of security, which is what she has always hoped for.
Next, a different attitude on marriage is presented by Mr. Collins. Before Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte, he asks Lizzy to marry him not one, but two times. When he finally understands that she denies his request for her hand in marriage, he calls her "headstrong and foolish" (Austen 108). Collins goes on to say, "...I know not whether she would altogether be a very desirable wife to a man in my situation, who naturally looks for happiness in the marriage state. If therefore she actually persists in rejecting my suit, perhaps it would be better not to force her into accepting me, because if liable to such defects of temper, she could not contribute much to my felicity" (Austen 108-109). Mr. Collins's opinion on marriage differs from Charlotte's because overall, he wants someone to simply make him happy. She is "not a romantic" and believes that a comfortable home is all that she needs. Her first priority is not love, because she doesn't see love as a means to being content. Mr. Collins does not want a "headstrong" wife, because that's too much trouble for him. It also stuck out to me that all he talks about is his felicity and happiness, and not his future wife's. Ultimately, that's the probable reason why he chose Charlotte to be his wife, because she is willing to listen to his long talks without complaint and put up with his self-centered nature. Lizzy is not as submissive as Charlotte, and she is more willing to stand up for what she believes in. It was typical for a man in that time period to desire a docile woman. However, it is evident in this example and throughout the rest of the novel that Mr. Collins views marriage as something that exists to solely make him happy, and believes it should not inconvenience him in any way.
To complicate things even further, it can be said that Charlotte and Mr. Collins are both using each other to get what they want in life. Mr. Collins "needs" a wife to make him happy and because he wants to set a good example of marriage (so that he can show everyone he's a good clergyman). Charlotte wants to increase her standing in society and live in a better home. In a way, they are benefiting off one another in this sense. Collins can have his one-sided happiness, and Charlotte can have a nice home. It is evident to readers that they do not really love each other.
Lastly, it was interesting to me to read Mr. Darcy's and Lizzy's interactions after they become engaged. As they're discussing their complicated relationship, Lizzy says, "To be sure, you knew no actual good of me–but nobody thinks of that when they fall in love" (Austen 359). She always made a point of being rude to Darcy whenever she saw him, so her dislike was evident. Therefore, it may have been hard for Darcy to see the good part of her character, because she does not readily display that him at first. The fact that Darcy still loves her, after seeing her bad side, is notable to Lizzy. She says that "nobody thinks of that when they fall in love", because true love isn't as shallow as it's portrayed in other parts of the novel. Charlotte married to simply secure better living conditions for herself, while Mr. Collins just wants a wife to make him happy. Lizzy recognizes that Darcy was still willing to pursue her, even before she opened up to him. Darcy and Lizzy both could have settled for a spouse that was more convenient and easier to pursue, but they both chose not to forget each other.
I think that you have perfectly analyzed Charlotte Lucas, who has mostly been overlooked compared to the other characters. I agree that their relationship is essentially transactional in an almost cold and detached way. Jane Austen wrote the book to create a commentary on the importance of the status of women during the 18th century. Charlotte Lucas' character is defined as a foil to the irregular Elizabeth Bennet. Her decision to prioritize security over happiness is a significant factor that separates her values from Elizabeth’s values, “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance...and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life” (Austen 29). Her hopes for the future reflect the ones that most women possess: marriage as a way to live comfortably and possibly even gain a higher status. Charlotte’s life is what Elizabeth could have ended up as: content but not happy. Austen’s inclusion of this character allows us to dig into the societal pressure that women go through to marry the next man that proposes to them and allows us to understand the importance of Elizabeth’s commitment to stay true to herself.
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