Love is Complicated

I found this story to be a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be. In my mind I was picturing a story that would be stuffy and boring but I was pleasantly surprised.

Marriage is a theme that carries on throughout the chapters. Mrs. Bennet seems all but obsessed with the idea of having her daughters married off. I found it a bit sad how this has essentially become her life’s purpose. It was kind of funny but also kind of sad when Mrs. Bennet was happy that her daughter Jane was sick because it meant that she would get to spend extra time with Mr. Bingely. She is very dedicated to the cause.

"Now you have more time with him!"-Mrs. Bennet

When Mr. Bingely comes to town, I found it funny how everyone (at least the parents) were excited to go over and visit him to see if he would make a good match for one of their daughters. It created a funny scene in my mind where there’s a line of people standing outside of his door, just waiting for their chance to get in. It also seemed kind of cut throat in the sense that there is only one Mr. Bingely so the families have to present their daughter as the best of them all. It also reminded me of a Black Friday sale how everyone lines up outside of the store to hopefully get the best deal on that new toaster. In that sense, I guess the scene ends up kind of sad. 

I really like Elizabeth as a character. I thought it was smart when she was discussing how Jane barely knows Mr. Bingely and therefore doesn’t (and really shouldn’t) know how to feel about him for sure. It’s definitely a change from Romeo and Juliet. It seems like so many of the adults in this story are just pushing their daughters into marrying these potential suitors just for a sense of security, and not actual love. I also liked Elizabeth’s initial apprehensiveness toward the Bingely family. It shows that she doesn’t just jump into unknown situations without thinking it through first.

On a side note, I know how it was common to describe women as handsome during these times, but when (or why) exactly did people stop using that term?