middlemarchvpride and prejudice: women in the novels Middlemarch clearly defines the expectations and functions of middle and upper class women in nineteenth century England. It becomes immediately obvious that the woman is inferior in every way to the man and that the function of the wife is that described in the words of the marriage ceremony; "to love, honour and obey", with emphasis on obedience. "A woman dictates before marriage in order that she might …showed first 75 words of 1974 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1974 total…novel so that she may achieve happiness. In the case of Dorothea, it is the sacrifice of her social standing, and Causabon's materialistic legacy, which leads her to find happiness through marriage with Will Ladislaw. The novels are different in that Will Ladislaw is not embedded in social structures like Darcy. Unlike Darcy, he does not have the wealth or assumed social position, which has the power to influence or dictate his way of life.