Wednesday, September 23, 2009

As they are presented in the novel, Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins seem well matched. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

I very much agree with this statement.  Charlotte admits that "'[she] is not romantic,'" and she has really only hoped for marriage because it is the most socially-acceptable way for an upper-class woman of small income to dispose of herself.  At twenty seven years old, a plain woman like Charlotte has relatively few prospects, and it is unlikely that she will be asked to marry anyone else.  She only really wants "an establishment," a life of her own where she will not be a burden on or embarrassment to her family.


Mr. Collins's reasons for wanting to marry are as unromantic as Charlotte's: he believes it is the right thing for a clergyman to do, his patroness -- Lady Catherine de Bourgh -- thinks he should, and he believes that it will make him happy.  When he proposes to Elizabeth, he says nothing about love, and Charlotte doesn't require love in a relationship either.  On the contrary, she believes that it is better to know one's marriage partner as little as possible before actually getting married.  Mr. Collins must not disagree with this position since he asks Charlotte to marry him after spending just one evening alone with her family. 


Once they are married, Charlotte encourages him to spend as much as in his garden as possible, and he prefers to sit in a room that overlooks the road so that he can see when anyone is coming while she prefers a sitting room at the back of the house.  It sometimes happens that they go an entire day without seeing each other, except at meals, and they seem to get along perfectly well.  Each seems happy with their choice, and this leads me to believe that they are well-matched.

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