The Symbolism of Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice [pic] 李秀红 商务英语

Outline
I. Abstract
II. The reasons for Charlotte’s marriage
Personal reasons
Social reasons
III. The author’s value of marriage & Charlotte’s marriage
IV. The symbolism of Charlotte V. Conclusion
VI. References

I. Abstract In Jane Austen’s novel pride and prejudice, charlotte is a sad woman, and her marriage has been used as contrary materials to illustrate the author's value of marriage. Charlotte's tragedy has personal reasons, but more social reasons at that time. She was submissive, and resistant. Her marriage symbolizes the unfortunate fate of British women at that time. Key words: Charlotte, marriage, middle-class women, symbolism

II. The reasons for Charlotte’s marriage
Personal reasons The personal reasons for Charlotte married to Collins are quite embarrassing. First of all, Charlotte was far from beautiful and wealthy. Without wealth, women could not be independent. Thus, she was forced to get married and got a support. Secondly, she has already reached the age of marriage. She was too old to wait for very romantic and wealthy gentlemen. Thus, she had no way to go but seized the chance to marry Collins, who was willing to marry her and gave her economic support. That was what Charlotte needed most.
B. Social reasons In Britain of early 19th century, women have no independent economic status and income. Their property inheritance is limited by law. On the other hand, women were not supposed to work outside because men and women worked together would do harm to women’s moral. Under the influence, if women did try to work outside, they will be looked down upon, “because of the stigma attached to women who earn money through working.” (Swords 77)Thus marriage is the only means they get life safeguard. Class and the social status of family, on the other hand, were layered curing. Personal identity was attached to the family and the marriage between different classes is unacceptable. As a result, men’s and women’s choice of marriage is very limited and it was more difficult Charlotte to choose a suitable man. Wang Jun once wrote in his book, the appreciation of British and American women writers and works ( 2004: 24), “ the only way for women without any possession to live in the money society was to be born in a rich family, which was of little chance. For most women, they were born in a common family......Women in the late 18th and the early 19th were just like vases, without rights. What they could wish was that one day they will be bought by some rich men and then could live a better life. No wonder Mrs. Bonnet had always wanted her five daughters to marry rich men, not to mention Charlotte, a woman poorer than Elizabeth. After all, marriage is a shortcut for a better life.

III. The author’s value of marriage & Charlotte’s marriage Through the description and discuss of the four marriages in the novel, we can see that
Austin, fully expressed her view of love and marriage that arriage, property and social status are interconnected. However, marriage can not only rely on the property and social status. A happy marriage should be based on mutual respect and mutual appreciation. She was against the marriage based on money, and also against hasty marriage. However, Charlotte and Collins's relationship is not built on a foundation of love. Instead, it is based on the economy factor. After Mr. Collins’proposal to Elizabeth was rejected, he quickly married Elizabeth's best friend charlotte.In order to obtain financial security, Charlotte was a woman who needed to a man who she did not love. Silly and vulgar, Collins never had his own value of love. He was going to get married just because Catherine had given her special advice and Suggestions. The combination of charlotte and Collins reflected an accepted truth that every woman without property must be need a rich husband.

IV. The symbolism of Charlotte It can be easily seen that there is a total contradiction between the author’s value of marriage & Charlotte’s marriage. In Pride and Prejudice, the author did not spend a lot of trouble to depict the female image of Charlotte, but it was this woman who was fully symbolized the following aspects:
Charlotte was the symbol of British middle-class women in the late 18th century and the early 19th. Through the image of charlotte, whose fate represented the fate of British middle-class women at the end of the 18th century and in the early 19th century. Due to traditional inheritance system that the property was passed down to the eldest, at that time, many middle-class women could only have a few ways of living. The first one was to get marry, to find the economic security; second one was that if women received education and was talented, they could choose to be a tutor for rich families; The Third one was women who did not get marry not, could just stay at home until getting old, which would be teased or discriminated by people around. Thus, Charlotte, as most middle-class women did, had to find their economic support.
Charlotte was the symbol of women who have to give in to the reality. Charlotte was a both an rebellious and obedient person. On the one hand, the author emphasized her spirit of superiority and initiative by the fact that Charlotte pursued her marriage with Collins but not just waited for it to come. Her action was totally different with that of Elizabeth and Jane. Simone de Beauvoir once said in his book, The Secondary Sex (1949), “in the patriarchal society, men are regarded as the main and the exceeding part, while women are thought as the appreciation for men which proved that the existence of the male secondary sexual, and it is a kind of object and continuity.” Though, Charlotte had few right of choice but was to be chosen by men, she did show her full initiative before and after marring to Collins regardless of the social convention. On the other hand, Charlotte is obedient. Though Charlotte had her own ideal for romantic marriage, conforming to what the author thought about marriage, she had to surrender to the reality where women were forced to choose a marriage based on economic support or social status. This also reflected the contradiction in the author’s heart.

V. Conclusion In Pride and Prejudice, by the image of Charlotte——both submissive and resistant,
The author tried to show the fate of the British middle-class women in the late18th century and the early 19th, who were suffering from social oppression and pain. Charlotte’s contradictory life o some extent, was a reflection of Austin’s own contradiction thought.

VI. References
[1]. Brown, Ivor. Jane Austin and Her World. New York: Henry Z. Walck. Inc, 1967.
[2]. Swords, Barbara, W. Woman’s place in Jane Austen’s England. Jane Austen’s Society of North America, 10, 1988:76-82.
[3]. Tomalin, Claire. Jane Austen: A Life. New York: Random House, 1997.

[4]. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice. Shanghai World Books Press, 2007.
[5]. Gao Jiayong. Today’s Most Popular Study Guides: Pride and Prejudice. Tianjin:Tianjin Technology Translation Press, 2003.
[6]. 王秋月.傲慢与偏见中的婚姻与爱情[J].科技信息，2008（3）
[7]. 陈谦红、曾朝国，人文社会科学专辑，《被结婚的夏洛特》一析《傲慢与偏见》， 2010.P307-308
[8]. 王军主编，《英美女性作家与作品赏析》。北京：新华出版社，2007.
[9]. 梁晓辉，从女主人公的性格矛盾看《傲慢与偏见》的自我解构 [J]. 天津外国语学院学报，2006.1, (1).
[10]. 解静丽，魏金龙，叶青 .简·奥斯丁《傲慢与偏见》作品赏析 [J].科教文汇，2007（2）.