In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, almost every character displays an opinion about the values ​​and desires that should influence marriage. For some, marriage is simply about money and title, while others believe that marriage should be motivated by love and the desire to be with another. For Elizabeth Bennet, love is the first and most important influence in marriage: money, title, and placement in one's family all come second. Jane Bennet, whose opinion is somewhat close to Elizabeth's, believes that love should be a factor in marriage, but she feels that she must marry to improve her family's situation. There are many different influences that determine marriage between two people, but it is easy to see that love is sometimes not the main or sole factor in two people's marriage. Charlotte Lucas's view on marriage, which concerns other characters, is that she wants to be in a good situation and maybe love develops later. Therefore, Charlotte Lucas' view of marriage, although cynical, is similar to that of the other characters, suggesting a common opinion among the characters that marriage does not necessarily have to be influenced by love. Charlotte Lucas decides to marry Mr. Collins for a chance at happiness. without the element of love between the two, showing that she believes that marriage does not need to be sparked by affection. In chapter 22, when Charlotte explains her engagement to Mr. Collins to Elizabeth, she explains that she is not a "romantic" (p. 123) and that she only asks for a "comfortable house" (p. 123). . Charlotte Lucas is a simple girl. All she really wants is to be in a good place in life, and she believes that her “luck to be happy with [Mr. Collins] is right” (p. 123). Charlotte knows that M...... middle of paper ...... is lying. If multiple characters and now the narrator all have this common opinion that love doesn't need to be in a marriage, then that sets a theme throughout the novel and the time period in which it was set. Through the views and opinions of certain characters and the narrator, Austen creates a theme in Pride and Prejudice that presents the argument that love need not be a condition of commitment. Through Charlotte Lucas's engagement to Mr. Collins, we can see how one can marry for a chance at happiness, through Mrs. Bennet's intentions, we can see how one can marry for a better situation for oneself and one's family, and through the In the narrators' comments, we can see how socially acceptable it is to marry without love. Love does not need to be present in engagement because, from a social point of view, marriage is a necessity, while love is not...