In Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet, the mother of the protagonist, Elizabeth, is generally portrayed as a buffoon who is an adversary to her daughter who is trying to force her into a marriage she doesn't want. You might wonder how she can be justified in any way, considering she is known for embarrassing her family members and acting idiotic. However, in the period in which they live, marriage is necessary for the whole family to avoid a terrible fate. Mrs. Bennet, although she often behaves inappropriately, tries to do what is best for her daughters based on the world she lives in. Elizabeth Bennet's rejection of Mr. Collins puts her family at risk of homelessness. In landowning England, according to Professor Naomi Tadmor of Lancaster University, “primogeniture existed in both law and custom” (Tadmor, Eighteenth-Century England 109). Therefore, only one person can acquire the inheritance. Only males can inherit, as Mr. Bennet, after receiving a letter, tells his family: "It comes from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases" ( Austen 60). Mr. Bennet alludes to how Mr. Collins's distance from the family would justify the action he describes, even though Mr. Bennet has never previously met Mr. Collins and therefore cannot account for his strange personality in this If Mr. Collins were to chase them away, as he is expected to do, the family would be left homeless after hearing the news of Elizabeth's refusal, Mrs. Bennet, "was beyond the reach of reason and continued to inveigh bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate... middle of paper... g." Np, nd Web. March 28, 2014. “Education, Women's Education, and “Achievements”.” Pemberley Republic, n.d. Web. 28 March 2014. Elizabeth. "Courtship and Marriage in the Eighteenth Century." England: Cambridge UP, 2001. Question School 28 March 2014. “Women's Suffrage Movement.” BBC. Np, nd Web. March 28, 2014. Wojtczak, Helena. “The Status of Women in Mid-19th-Century England.” History of English women. Np, nd Web. March 19, 2014. Youngs, Frederic A., Jr., Roger B. Manning, Henry L. Snyder, and E. A. Reitan 3rd ed. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, 1999. Question School. Network. March 28. 2014.