Mrs. Bennet's Advice to Young Ladies: A Mother's View of Pride & Prejudice by Victoria Grossack

Author:Victoria Grossack [Grossack, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so.

I put down the text and returned to the laundry. “Elizabeth was most adamant in her dislike.”

“She was. So young! So foolish! And, I suppose, a romantic – something I had not realized before,” said Mrs. Bennet.

I continued. “I’m not sure Elizabeth’s refusal was due to girlish caprice. Mr. Bennet was also against the marriage.”

“Oh! Mr. Bennet! Why should his judgment have so much weight in the matter? Of course, I come from a time when husbands and fathers had the last word. It is most unfair.”

I opened the washer and started loading dirty clothes. In this, I agreed with Mrs. Bennet. Men, at least in the past, had held too much power over women. I asked her what I should learn from her experience.

“Oh! my dear Young Lady, you must realize that sometimes those you love will work against you. Sometimes you must give in with good grace.”

My lips twisted as I reached for the detergent. Mrs. Bennet had not given in with good grace.

“No, perhaps not,” she conceded. “I just said that sometimes you must give in with good grace. Considering what I knew at the time, I could not think well of Lizzy’s refusal. So, other times you must persist in working for those you care about, even when they resist.”

Adding detergent to the machine, I considered her words. In my own life I could think of several examples where her advice applied. When we first married, my husband had objected to my habit of walking, but eventually he joined me, experiencing a significant improvement in his health and stamina. Then, back in my twenties, I had compelled an acquaintance to stop cutting class – if I had not done so, he might not have graduated.

As I closed the washer and chose a setting, Mrs. Bennet continued. “A mother persists – it is what she, or any concerned lady – or rational being – would do.”

I hit the start button, then waited a moment to make sure the washer was working.

“Perhaps I was wrong about Mr. Collins,” Mrs. Bennet said. “But at the time, I was convinced I was right. And as I was convinced, I could not stop working to prevent my daughters from being ruined.”

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