pride and prejudice傲慢与偏见.docx

英语138 叶霜艳I finished reading “Pride and Prejudice”, written by Jane Austen, during my summer holiday. “Pride and Prejudice” is about four couples marriage and the main character, Elizabeth Bennets marriage is the plot line of the novel. For this novel, I want to explore the love view and marriage view of Elizabeth.For Elisabeth, love and marriage go together. In the novel, when Mr. Bennets nephew, Mr. Collins proposes marriage to Eliza, she declines him without hesitation. But Mr. Collins ridiculously thinks that her rejection is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept. But she said, “I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second timeYou could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who would make you so(98).” She knows clearly that she will not make Mr. Collins happy if they get married, neither will him because she does not love him at all, which is the reason why she refuses him. What is ridiculous is that, after several days, her good friend Charlotte should accept Mr. Collinss marriage! Eliza had always felt that Charlottes opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she could not have supposed it she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage (114). In Elizas marriage view, ones own feeling of love is superior to fortune, family and situation. She agrees to marriage based on love, rather than other worldly advantages. If one man whom she does not love proposes to her, she will not accept it even though he is in possession of the whole world. She believes in true love and always goes for it. She will never submit to a marriage without mutual love. Love is her motivation to get married, and happiness is her goal in her marriage. Later, Eliza gets along well with Wickham, and she thinks highly of him (actually he is a greedy and false man). But her aunt Mrs. Gardiner said, “Do not involve yourself, or endeavour to involve him in an affection which the want of fortune would make so very imprudent (129).” And Eliza answered, “At present I am not in love with Mr. Wickham; no, I certainly am notall that I can promise you, therefore is not to be in a hurry.” So Eliza is very calm, sane and reasonable towards love and marriage.Comparatively speaking, her younger sister Lydias behavior of getting married with Mr. Wickham after their elopement is hasty, humiliating and impulsive. Elisa thinks that Wickhams affection for Lydia is not equal to Lydias for him and their elopement had been brought on by her strength, not his (270). And she cannot conjecture how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions are stronger than their virtue. So Elizas thinking tells us that this kind of marriage without enough mutual love and reasonable judgment will not be happy, which does not accord with Elizas marriage view.What is more, an ideal marriage in Elizas eyes also contains equality and esteem. When Mr. Darcy cannot repress his feelings and confess his love to Eliza, he expresses his sense of her inferiority of the family obstacles which judgment have always opposed to inclination(164). Not surprisingly, Elisa refuses him and asks him back: “I might as well enquire, why, with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil (165)? ” This forcefully respond suggests that Eliza hates the inequality between husband and wife and she owns strong self-esteem. In addition, she refuses Mr. Darcy not only for his arrogance and conceit, but for his ruining the happiness of her most beloved sister. Eliza cannot tolerate a lover who hurts her families. Similarly, later Mr. Darcy corrects his conceit and uncivil habits and helps Mr. Bennet deal with Lydias marriage, which facilitates Elizas approving of him. So, in my opinion, Elisa insists Perfectionism on her lover to some degree. She cannot stand her lover to hurt herself or to her family and she hates evil as her enemy.Moreover, Elisa sticks to her own thoughts towards love and marriage all the time. Her braveness and insistence are showed when dealing with Lady Catherines provoking and compelling. Lady Catherine asks her to promise never marrying Darcy in an angry tone. I have ever imagined that if the one who faces this unreasonable power were other woman, not Eliza, she might have made a compromise to Lady Catherine. But she replied, “You have certainly no right to concern yourself in mine” and “Supposing him to be attached to me, would my refusing to accept his hand making him wish to bestow it on his cousin (306)?” Eliza always persists on protect her own love and maintains ones freedom for love and marriage. Lady Catherine is a lady whose position is superior to hers and she behaves very toughly to Mr. Darcys marriage. But Eliza is never frightened by her and holds on to her own thoughts. The scene which she makes conversation with Lady Catherine is one of the scenes which move me most. I think it is just her persistence and braveness in front of Lady Catherine that push the development of love between her and Mr. Darcy.However, it has to be mentioned that there are vanity and material hunting contained in Elizas love view and marriage view. When Mr. Wickham loves someone else, her heart has been but slightly touched, and her vanity was satisfied with the believing that she would have been his only choice, had fortune permitted it (133). And she thinks the sudden acquisition of ten thousand pounds is the most remarkable charm of the young lady to whom is now rendering himself agreeable (133). Eliza also has her own vanity and arrogance. Similarly, Mr. Darcys continuous love for her after her rejection also makes her feel satisfied and delight. Additionally, Eliza is attracted by Mr. Darcys home and admire it and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberly might be something(208)! But I think it is common for a girl grows in a rich and comfortable environment to have vanity