Can Money Determine Everything?

張貼日期：Jul 04, 2014 1:43:11 PM

Nikki Shih

Pride and prejudice is one of my favorite stories. When I was in high school, I thought it was a very romantic love story. But after becoming an adult and thinking more, I find out this book is an illustration of the society both at author’s time and in modern time.

Pride and prejudice perfectly reflects the relations between the money and marriage. In this book, Mrs. Bennet is a mother who is so eager to marry off her five daughters. Lydia Bennet is her youngest daughter. Before she married Wickham, she was the apple in Mrs. Bennet’s eyes. But Wickham was just an officer who had no social position and few possessions. So, Mrs. Bennet transferred her love to Jane Bennet, who was in a relationship with a wealthy man, Bingley. Mrs. Bennet got comforts from Jane, because in her opinion, her lovely daughter followed her with one heart. Her son-in-law would bring her others’ jealousies and recognition. She got the psychological satisfaction.

The first sentence in this book is impressive; it reads: “It is a truth well known to all over the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of wife.” The undertone is very clear: the foundation of the marriage at that time is not emotion but possession. It is obvious in Charlotte Lucas and Collins’ marriage. At that time, only the eldest son had rights to inherit his father’s possessions. Unfortunately for the Bennets, if Mr. Bennet died, their house would be inherited by a distant cousin, Collins, who they had never met. For benefits, Charlotte married Collins without love, which resulted in Elizabeth’s troubles. Mrs. Bennet wanted Elizabeth to be Collins’s wife for the properties at first. But things changed. So, Mrs. Bennet felt angry and she was impolite when she stayed with Elizabeth. She couldn’t believe that Elizabeth became Darcy’s wife at the end. Darcy was the richest man she had ever seen. You can imagine how ecstatic she was. What a snobbish mother!

Although there is true love in this book, the essence can’t be changed. The marriage is not the result of love, but the result of economic needs. In modern society, the marriages of economic needs have de creased rapidly, but the concept of “money determines everything” is still rooted in some people’s mind. A lot of parents try hard to interfere their children’s marriages. As I know, many mothers do not allow their daughters to marry men without a car and a house. It’s so ridiculous but thought-provoking. We can’t help thinking why this society becomes so. I think the depth of Pride and prejudice is the reason that makes this book prominent and classic. It’s a good guide to tell us the economic relationships in marriages.