Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a story of courtship and marriage. In Austen's world, most matches were made based on circumstance and convenience. So it is with many of his young couples in the novel. The social sense of filial responsibility and financial prudence is so pervasive that Austen is, at times, questioned for her apparent lack of passion. In fact, more than half of the couples profiled in the book end up with mediocre marriages. The fact is, however, that Austen gives her reader an extremely accurate depiction of the way society persuades its citizens that love is secondary. This mood offset the romance by a large margin, but the author wants her readers to know that love is not an entirely lost cause. Austen's story is one in which passion and desire are the unexpected chivalry in the clash between head and heart. To that end, Pride and Prejudice is a brilliant novel in which love and desire, though treated with contempt by the socially minded, ultimately prove victorious. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The relationship between passion and desire is deeply intricate. The desire for something usually precedes the passion for that thing; however, there are times when an uncalculated fervor awakens some secret desire and begs it to reveal itself. Moreland Perkins points out that the mind takes part in the revelation of desire, however, because a given mindset has the potential to subjugate one's conscious feelings. As he puts it, “The emotions deeply felt by a normally socialized human being are, in general, richly imbued with thoughts that figure as a determining ingredient in emotion.” (Perkins 83). This may not be universally true of all Austenian characters, but the fact that Austen represents it in her most ardent lovers, the bewitching Elizabeth Bennet and her charming Mr. Darcy, indicates that she really wants her readers to be aware of this . struggle between the mind and one's emotions. The fact that a number of other characters in Pride and Prejudice share similar dilemmas is evidence that passion and desire face a formidable enemy in their confrontation with social mental structures. Austen's novel of manners has a plethora of characters to evaluate. Beginning with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, we meet a creature whose character is not inclined to make concessions to the heart. Her loyalty to aristocratic property is such that marriage is entirely a matter of duty. The protests of passion and desire, authors of love, have no importance for her when they bear the slightest hint of social degradation. Her desire for her daughter to marry Mr. Darcy, her nephew, is supported by her hegemonic ambitions to preserve class order in a society where such distinction is becoming increasingly less rigid. His indignation is forcefully expressed towards Elizabeth at Longbourn, when she demands submission to her own "claims of duty, honour, and gratitude". (288). Because she does not possess a fiber of romantic sensibility in her body, Lady Catherine is the embodiment of Austen's conservative ideology that sees marriage as both a social advantage and a familial responsibility. Another character who adopts a socially constructed role at the expense of passion and desire. she is Caroline Bingley, an elegant but callous woman whose sole purpose in life is to marry Mr. Darcy. That Miss Bingley is a miniature of Lady Catherine is obvious. Every woman has a superiority complexwhich makes her extremely vain and extremely insolent towards anyone she deems inferior. Miss Bingley's sensible assessment of connections makes her insensitive to the satisfaction her amiable brother finds in the company of country folk. Indeed, his prejudice towards this class is as unfounded as Elizabeth's contempt for Mr. Darcy. With such a mentality, therefore, Miss Bingley is immune to the pull of tender feelings on her firm will, which has decided to marry well. There is also no mercy for her dashed intentions with Mr. Darcy because she never grieves his loss; she simply envies her rival. Furthermore, Miss Bingley's jealousy truly craves the status and fortune that Mr. Darcy's wife will have, not her husband. Because of her hopes as a profiteer, Miss Bingley's chance at a happy marriage depends entirely on money. Transforming Miss Bingley into a passionate woman would jeopardize the verisimilitude that Austen strives to create in her characters. This profiteering mentality also manifests itself in George Wickham. The true scoundrel of the story, Wickham has a history of scandalous indiscretion in matters of both love and money. Wickham's current situation when he is first introduced to Austen's audience is truly desperate. Due to his circumstances (i.e. significant debts and an unclear reputation) he eventually elopes with Lydia Bennet, Elizabeth's younger sister. Confirmation that he neither values ​​nor loves Lydia comes when he suddenly wants to marry her as soon as it becomes essential to his material security to do so. The lust that sparked the relationship, however, quickly fades. The reader is told, “…his affection for her soon sank into indifference.” (311), and their marital state is one in which Lydia visits Pemberly on occasions when "her husband had gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath." (311). For both Lydia and Wickham, then, the fervor of youthful imagination proves to have little long-standing desire when tested by years of marriage. Although Lydia and Wickham are in the grip of a harsh ideology, Austen withholds pity from their relationships to preserve the integrity of her point of view. The failure of passion and lack of desire is sad, yes, but it is also realistic. As shown, Austen provides her readers with several examples of how society so easily degrades passion and desire. It's important to keep in mind, however, that he doesn't always despise caution games. If that were the case, the marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins would have been viewed more negatively, especially by Charlotte. How else could Austen design a character of general common sense and compassion, and yet allow her to espouse the most annoying character any author has ever put to paper? For a twenty-seven year old single woman, the proposal of a stable priest was more than welcome. It's also worth considering that Charlotte is conveniently indifferent to romance. His only requests are a comfortable home and a peaceful lifestyle, which fits perfectly with what Mr. Collins offers. It is no coincidence to Austen that Charlotte's desires are so simple. Rather, it reminds the reader that not all marriages necessarily unite passionate lovers. The fact that Charlotte is very happy with her married life attests to this as much as it supports the idea that Social Security is good enough to sustain Spartan complacency. Austen's material point with Charlotte is this: where the mind is satisfied with security, it will replace comfort with love. Here there is no desire above polite affection, therefore, little or no passion grips the heart...