Favourite PnP Passage - Elithea 08s303

Volume 1 chapter 19
``You are too hasty, Sir,'' she cried. ``You forget that I have made no answer. Let me do it without farther loss of time. Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me, I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them.''
``I am not now to learn,'' replied Mr. Collins, with a formal wave of the hand, ``that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second or even a third time. I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long.'' ….
``You must give me leave to flatter myself, my dear cousin, that your refusal of my addresses is merely words of course. My reasons for believing it are briefly these: -- It does not appear to me that my hand is unworthy your acceptance, or that the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable. My situation in life, my connections with the family of De Bourgh, and my relationship to your own, are circumstances highly in its favor; and you should take it into farther consideration that in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made you. Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications. As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall chuse to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females.''
``I do assure you, Sir, that I have no pretension whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man. I would rather be paid the compliment of being believed sincere. I thank you again and again for the honour you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it. Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.''

This passage of the book narrates the process of Mr Collin's proposal to Elizabeth and the comic effect his proposal brings to readers. This passage is significant in the book as it shows Elizabeth's view on marriage and how it differs from that of her society. The character of Elizabeth and Mr.Collins can be seen from this passage as well.

The theme on marriage is clearly depicted here with Mr.Collin's proposal to Elizabeth. As both Mr.Collins and Elizabeth are of marriagable age, it only seemed natural for them to get married to each other sice Mr.Collins would inherit Longbourne when Mr.Bennet dies. Elizabeth and Mr.Collins however have very different views about marriage. Mr. Collins' reasons for marriage are to fufill his duty as a clergyman and beacause Lady Catherine urged him to find as wife soon as well. To Mr. Collins, marriage is merely an act of fufilling his duty and a desperate attempt to please Lady Catherine whom he reveres. Elizabeth on the other hand, wants to get married for love, rather than to fufill society archaic view on women, that women must be married so as not to bring shame to the family. Mr. Collins holds a very traditional view on marriage as he feels that finanicial stability is reason enough for two people to get married.

However, Elizabeth's view on marriage is very different from that of society as she believes in finding someone she loves and esteems rather than marrying for financial stability, hence explaining her absolute shock and horror when Mr.Collins proposed to her. As she is certain that he is unable to make her happy,neither can she, so marriage between them would just be a mistake.

This passage also highlights the character of Mr. Collins and Elizabeth. Mr.Collins can be perceived as being "a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility." He often make long and unnecessary speeches in an attempt to impress other people with his knowledge and ,as seen in this passage on how he tries to find reasons for Elizabeth's refusal for his proposal gives us the impress that his is a man full of pride as he tries to find excuses for his rejection. He is pompous too as he thinks that no woman would refuse him because of his "wealth" and connections to Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Mr. Collins does not have a mind of his own as he listens to whatever Lady Catherine De Bourgh asks him to do, even if it meant marrying someone he does not love just to please her.

Elizabeth, has a romantic nature and a firm image of her own value as a human being as she wants to marry someone she loves instead of just marrying a man for his wealth and status as many of the women of her time tend to do. She believed that love should be the basis of marriage, hence she rejected Mr. Collins proposal as she recognised that the marriage proposal was without love and even bereft of "mutal esteem". From Elizabeth's retort to Mr. Collins, ".... as a rational creature speaking truth from her heart" it implies that she views herself as equal to man as she is saying she is unlike many other "elegant ladies" that mean to torment man with the marriage proposal the first time round. Due to her firm image of herself as a human being, she cannot bring herself to marry someone she cannot stand even though she stand to gain from the marriage.

In conclusion, this passage highlights the different views on marriage from two different characters, and how Elizabeth is a woman with a view on marriage different from her time. This passage also sheds some light on how the people during that time view marriage.