While Darcy attempts to resist his love for Elizabeth because of his superior social class, Mr. Collins oppositely desires to take advantage of his social power by essentially forcing Elizabeth to marry him. Collins understandingly knew that he was going to inherit the Bennet's household once Mr. Bennet passes away; thus, Collins feels that marriage between him and Elizabeth would "add very greatly to [his] happiness" (Austen 76). Even though Collins and Elizabeth feel no love for each other, Collins perceives that Elizabeth would be foolish to deny his proposal, as she will not only marry to a 'higher class', but this proposal evidently could be the only one that Elizabeth ever receives. During the proposal scene, Collins fails to express his love and emotion for her. Rather, he is oblivious to the situation and can only list reasons as to why the marriage would be beneficial to him. Elizabeth, while in the most polite manner, frequently rejects his proposal because she values love and happiness over materialism and class. Elizabeth understood that this could be her last hope for marriage; however, she was willing to take the chance of having no social power in her quest for love. Austen evidently illustrates the dependency women have on men in the proposal scene as it is “for Elizabeth, a taste of the fantastic nightmare in which economic and social institutions have such powers over the values of personal relationships” (Harding 298). Elizabeth is an intelligent woman and understands her inferiority to men, but she desires marital love and happiness more than inheriting Collins’ social power.
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