Marriage is at the center of every Jane Austen novel, or, at least, at the end of them, as each of Austen's heroines finds herself 'The End' with a husband, fortune and lifelong happiness. In reality, however, women often had to make a choice between love and money and hope for lifelong happiness to follow, and while popular opinion favored "love and esteem", many conduct manuals of the time they taught that it would be “self-preservation above inclination.” ensure marital happiness (Jones, 2009, p. 1, 11). Marriage, therefore, was incredibly important to young women as it could destroy or guarantee future contentment, and for Austen the importance of marriage can be seen as threefold, in terms of its importance to society, to the individual and in terms of morality. and virtue. In Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, marriage is important as a means of socioeconomic mobility, exploration of morality and "proper" conduct, and as a social contract that affects the larger community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay"She found herself at nineteen, submitting to new attachments, taking on new duties, placed in a new home, a wife, the mistress of a family, and protector of a village." Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 50When Marianne Married Colonel Brandon, not only gained a husband and a fortune, but numerous social and domestic responsibilities and would have been expected and encouraged to adopt a new role within society, Elizabeth would have faced similar tasks in Derbyshire as Mrs Darcy ( Jones, 2009, p. 136). Interestingly, the liveliest heroines of these novels become the wives who happily take on the greatest social responsibility, thus Austen presents marriage in a realistic practical context and criticizes elopement as failing to meet the important demands of the wider community, in contrast, Lydia's decision to run away with Wickham is presented as foolish and irresponsible (Sundari, 2015). The practical and proper marriages of the heroines in these novels bring joy to both their families and the larger community, and for women of the period, marriage was a means of participating in society in a meaningful sense (Jones, 2009, p. 136 ). However, the legitimacy and rightness of Marianne's marriage in Sense and Sensibility is juxtaposed with the passionate attachment she had with Willoughby and the ill-fated marriage of Brandon's cousin Eliza, who succumbed to social expectations and thus faced ruin. Although Marianne's decision to marry Brandon and take concrete steps to contribute to society rather than uphold her previous ideals and remain unmarried may not seem like a 'happy ending' from an objective point of view, Austen describes Marianne as "as devoted to her husband as [she] had once been in Willoughby,” and as such prioritizes a socially beneficial and sociable approach to marriage (Galperin, 2003, p. 110). Importantly, Marianne chooses to enter society through the marriage, while Eliza is forced into a disastrous marriage to Brandon's brother with consequences seemingly taken straight from a moralistic pamphlet, here Austen makes a distinction between marriages that have the benefit of being socially beneficial and marriages that exist solely for this purpose (Jones , 2009, p. 139). Of course, not all of Austen's marriages that are purely socially or socioeconomically motivated fail so dramatically, theCharlotte's marriage to Collins is entirely contractual and operates without disastrous consequences for either party or their community, but, comparatively, is not as successful as Elizabeth's marriage. to Darcy. In this sense, Pride and Prejudice is a much more idealistic novel than Sense and Sensibility in its depiction of marriage as a union of the individual and society (Poovey, 1984, p.17). “Single women have a terrible propensity to be poor, which is a very strong argument in favor of marriage” Jane Austen, Letter to Fanny KnightSense and Sensibility is equally sincere when it comes to the importance of marrying for money, especially in the eyes of heroines who are acutely aware of the need to marry well to avoid poverty. With no relatives willing to support Elinor and Marianne, they are required to marry above their station as they have no means of earning money for themselves. Fortunately, Austen and the moralists of the time agreed that “inequality of wealth” is not an obstacle to marriage as long as the other party is mutual in character (Jones, 2009, p. 9). This is true of Elizabeth, Jane, Elinor and Marianne who are held in high esteem by their communities, but it is interesting to note that the mercenary men in these novels tend to be presented as anything but worthy of the wealthy women they prey on. These men, like Austen's heroines, need to marry to live a comfortable life, while single men in possession of good fortunes, although they may need a wife, do not need a wife. However, the heroines are not predatory and motivated solely by money as the men appear to be, in fact, Elizabeth's rejection of two wealthy suitors is the antithesis of Wickham's predation on two wealthy young women, and while Darcy earns 10,000 a year . it is not irrelevant, it is not as important to Austen as mutual respect and affection, even at the risk of a “downward existence” (Jones, 2009, p. 11). However, Austen is a realist, and perhaps also a cynic in that she is a romantic, and each of her heroines in need of socioeconomic mobility is endowed with it, and Mrs. Bennet's life goal of marrying off her daughters, while seemingly foolish, it is important to ensure the happiness of his family. “Oh, Lizzy! Do anything rather than marry without affection. ” – Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 59 Interestingly, Austen marriages are important as a means of rewarding and punishing behavior, and the happiest Austen marriages are symbiotic unions based on mutual strength of character and are earned after “hard work, perseverance, love and luck' (Sundari, 2015). The importance of marriage is most evident here, especially the importance of carefully searching for a complementary partner. Elizabeth and Jane's parents are very close, since her father does not respect the woman he married after being "dazzled by her youth, vivacity and beauty", their daughters are much more cautious, perhaps too cautious according to Charlotte , but still rewarded for their virtue and judgment (Jones, 2009, p. 21). Women in this period had little autonomy except in regards to marriage, and Austen wisely elevates this decision beyond mere physical compatibility, Lydia makes her choice too quickly, based on passion, and must endure a life of gambling and Wickham's womanizer (Jones, 2009, p. 157). Marianne's marriage to Brandon who she was not initially attracted to mirrors Lydia's elopement with Wickham and her feelings towards Willoughby, had she stayed with Willoughby would she have remained happy once the physical attraction wore off, or would Willoughby have followed Wickham's footsteps and searched1304048214