Men are the Life Force

The Bennett daughters are leaving the fate of the family and lineage up in the air, or more specifically up in Mr. Collins’ air, by not being married. Yes, this is problematic. Yes, a man is needed in order to be married (there was no proposition whatever being proposed at this time for women to marry women), but Auerbach’s claim that a man is the substance for which a woman lives and dies for is largely correlational, especially in accordance to the application of it in Pride and Prejudice.

Auerbach’s point of the Bennett’s not being seen eating until an eligible man can come to dinner can be made, but only at a coincidental stance at best. Sure, that dinner is special, but the they have obviously had to do other things without a man present. They have made it this far, twenty something years with none of their daughters having met a fair suitor, so something is working for them, regardless of a male presence other than Mr. Bennett. 

Waiting for these men to come into their lives is all a woman needs to do. She grows up, learns skills that men will find redeeming, then find said man and her life goals, dreams, and aspirations all all completed, other than procreating to produce a male offspring so the whole cycle can start again. While this is a major theme across all of Pride and Prejudice, I feel like this is more causality than a predetermined gender induced life force. 

Discussion question:

When applied in today’s culture, could this claim still be made?