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Marriage and the Bennets and Mr Collins   Written by Annette J (1/18/2004 4:35 p.m.) in consequence of the missive, Something I realized, penned by Christiana
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I think you have raised some excellent points & agree with most of your conclusions. It is obvious from the beginning that Mr B is very unhappy with the woman he selected for his wife & obtains most of his happiness in the union from his relationship with his two eldest daughters - the ones who are the least like Mrs B (Mary is like no one else in the family). It would be natural for him to think of the side of marriage that he seems to have missed the most. Mrs B wants financial security for her daughters and for herself; I think we can assume that at least Jane (and perhaps Lizzy as well) would provide for Mrs B if Mr B were to die first. However, when Darcy slights Lizzy, Mrs B writes him off as a prospective son-in-law due to what she sees as his disagreeable attitude to her daughter. Under those circumstances, his money doesn't seem to mean that much to her -- after all, she doesn't encourage Lizzy to try a different tactic to entice him.

But, to Mrs B Mr Collins must seem a God-send. He is the relative who has the futures of the female members of the family in his hands. That he is more than a bit of a ninny, and a toady to boot, doesn't mean he is not also an excellent marriage prospect for one of the Bennet girls in Mrs B's opinion! Jane was fortunate to be the object of Bingley's attention at the time Mr Collins arrived. But just because he is a ninny and a toady doesn't preclude an appreciation for feminine beauty. His desire to be united by marriage to the side of the family from which he has been estranged for so long will only go so far -- Mary is not in the running! I actually feel a little sorry for Mr Collins -- he must have had a very dreary childhood, and since only the father is mentioned, he may have had a mother who died young.


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