In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen presents the reader with a very good idea of how people during this time period viewed marriage through the characters in the novel. Marriage in the 18th century was the most important thing in a person’s life, especially a woman’s because she had no other way to support herself other than to have a husband. Various characters in the novel married their spouses for money or other reasons but not for love . In our society, most people marry for love rather than money and marriage outside a persons economic class is not frowned upon. Also, today divorce is an option and women can support themse