Dating Advice-- Charlotte and Mr. Collins

     All throughout Austen's novel, relationships failed and succeeded, all at their own rates, and in their own ways. Some progressed much too quickly, while others blossomed over a longer period of time. Either way it's looked at though, the relationships had pros and cons. Mr. Collins and Charlotte moved into their marriage rather abruptly, and this in and of itself has some lessons for modern day singles to learn from.
     In the 21st century, it's a lot more 'normal' or 'accepted' to jump into a marriage quicker than one would back in Austen's times. In some regards, this is a great thing because it gives you more courage. One just thinks to themselves that it can't hurt, so why not go for it. This could end really well and turn into the biggest surprise of your life. The forever talked about love at first sight plays a key role in this. If you really believe in love at first sight, then you should just go for it, it could make you eternally happy. This wasn't the case for Charlotte and Collins however, they just rushed into the marriage because of financial reasons and to ensure a secure future.
     Unfortunately, a lot of people find themselves marrying for financial reasons in modern times as well. Although it may seem like the couple is in love and that's why they're marrying, they may find that that's not the reason down the road. My advice for you out there who find themselves in this sticky situation, is to see if you can look past the money and the happy future. This happy future that you have seemly procured for yourself may not be so happy. Marrying for money often supplies a sense false of happiness and fulfillment because you don't think about the long term, only the short term. Charlotte and Collins for example, rushed into their marriage for money, but even Charlotte told Lizzy that she wasn't marrying for love; that was the least of her concerns.
     The last question that arises from Charlotte's and Collins' relationship, is how much should you know about your significant other before you commit to them? Sure in today's times, if you find out some dark secret that you don't like about your husband or wife, many people will just divorce them and call it a day. However in the 19th century, divorce wasn't common or accepted. If you ended up marrying someone you despised, most of the time you just had to suck it up, because your marriage was a business deal first. I believe that today people need to get to know nearly everything about their significant other. They have to not only be in love with everything that's good in them, but also in their bad, and ugly and accept all that they are. Being friends, family, and a soulmate is what is expected in a marriage, and if you don't get to know them before hand, you could find yourself in a miserable marriage.