P&P

Marriage is a preoccupation or concern for many characters in Pride and Prejudice, who find themselves contemplating marriage for love and/or marriage for practical reasons. Mrs. Bennet, for instance, sees finding husbands for her daughters as a way of counteracting the potentially deleterious effects on her daughters of an entail that states that none of her daughters will inherit Longbourn, the Bennets' home. Elizabeth Bennet turns down a marriage proposal from Mr. Collins, whom she does not love, and, eventually, accepts a proposal from Mr. Darcy, once she realizes that she does, indeed, love him. Elizabeth's marriage also provides her with financial security, but she is not willing to marry someone for security alone. She turns down Mr. Darcy, despite his wealth, the first time that he proposes. Charlotte Lucas, on the other hand, accepts Mr. Collins' proposal for pragmatic reasons and ends up creating a comfortable life at the Parsonage.