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The real problem that lies with Darcy and Elizabeth is the fact that they allow their own pride and prejudice to blind their true feelings for one another. Both of them, though they are, in essence, perfect for one another; allow the difference in their social class and status to challenge their love for one another. In essence Darcy and Elizabeth are kept apart by the belief that a deep social rift lies between them (Monaghan 80). Although it takes time for them to discover their true love for one another, and look beyond the social barriers, they ultimately find true happiness and an intellectual match in one another.

However, it is Jane and Bingley that illustrate how mistaken they are. Although Bingley, who inherited property to the amount of nearly an hundred thousand pounds from his father (Austen 16) is much wealthier than Jane is, he on the other hand, does not regard himself as her social superior. The marriage between Jane Bennet and Bingley is also an example of successful marriage. Jane Austen, through Elizabeth, expresses her opinion of this in the novel:”…. really believed all his [Bingley] expectations of felicity, to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a general similarity of feeling and taste between her and himself.” (Austen 282). However, unlike Darcy and Elizabeth, there is a flaw in their relationship. The flaw is that both characters are too gullible and too good-hearted to ever act strongly against external forces that may attempt to separate them:” You [Jane and Bingley] are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your income.” (Austen 281)

The marriage between Mr. Collins and Charlotte is based on economics rather than on love or appearance. It was a common practice during Austen s time for women to marry a husband to save her from spinsterhood or to gain financial security. However, Jane Austen viewed this as a type of prostitution and disapproved of it. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen dramatizes this form of women s inequality and show that women who submit themselves to this type of marriage will have to suffer in tormenting silence as Charlotte does: ” When Mr. Collins said any thing of which his wife might reasonably be ashamed, which certainly was not unseldom, she [Elizabeth] would involuntarily turned her eye on Charlotte. Once or twice she could discern a faint blush; but in general Charlotte wisely did not hear.” (Austen 138) In fact when Charlotte was talking to Elizabeth about the possibility of Jane and Bingley getting married Charlotte said, happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the partiers are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least (Austen 22)

These marriages contribute to the theme that a happy and strong marriage takes time to build and must be based on mutual feeling, understanding, and respect. Hasty marriages acting on impulse, and based on superficial qualities will not survive and will lead to inevitable unhappiness. It is evident that Austen did not believe that social class should play a role in marriage, and that in order for true happiness to be achieved you must overlook extraneous circumstances.

In Great Expectations the theme of courtship seems to be expressed in a much different manner. A young boy, Pip, who tells the story in his words, introduces the novel to us, and his perceptions utterly define the events and characters of the book. As the novel progresses Pip is hired by the mysterious Miss Havisham, a wealth, elderly recluse, as a playmate for her beautiful, haughty, adopted daughter, Estella, whom he immediately falls in love. Miss Havisham had her heart broken at the altar and has vowed to turn Estella into a cold-hearted benefactress to seek revenge on all men.

For example, when Pip goes to Miss Havisham s house and is told to play for her she calls upon Estella to join him. As Estella walked down the dark hallway her light came along the long dark passage like a star (Dickens 72). When Miss Havisham tells her to play cards with him she complains, Why, he is a common labouring boy! (Dickens 73). Miss Havisham replies, Well? You can break his heart. (Dickens 73). Despite the fact that Estella treats Pip as beneath him socially and constantly refers to him as boy and Jacks (a lower-class name for servants or laborers) he becomes infatuated with her. Miss Havisham and Estella both taunt Pip, leading him on. For example Miss Havisham asks Pip what he thinks of her because she says many hard things of him and he never says anything. Pip says that he thinks she is very proud and very pretty (Dickens 74). One day when Estella and Pip are playing Estella tells Pip Come here! You may kiss me if you like (Dickens 101). Their nonchalant ways of leading Pip on are part of what makes Pip believe that Miss Havisham is actually Pip s secret benefactor.

Pip never seems to enjoy home much and his life at home has never been pleasant for Pip, even though Joe has done his best to make it so, but now it seems all coarse and common thanks to Miss Havisham and Estella. Pip would like to run away, but he doesn t because Joe has always been good to him. At this time, Pip s greatest fear is that Estella may see him work and jeer at him. Joe s standards of living and his occupation were measurements of his manhood for Pip. Now those standards have been scoffed at, ridiculed and rejected by a girl whom Pip admires.

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