#11

     Lydia's marriage to Mr. Whickham is obviously capricious and ill thought out.  When Lydia comes home on her wedding day it is seen that she is still a very immature girl when she says, "Good gracious! when I went away, I am sure I had no more idea of being married till I came back again!  I thought it would be very good fun and it was!" (Austen 264).  Lydia only sees marriage as a game.  It is sad to see that she may only end up in this marriage due to poor thought.  She frivolously remarks that she ran off without the intention of marriage and capriciously came to the decision afterward.  Lydia's immaturity in such a serious matter leaves no room for veneration or approbation.  Rather one can only be vexed at the fact that Lydia does not see marriage as a serious issue.  She does not have the foresight to see that Wickham is only using her.  She does not realize that marrying Wickham is one of the biggest mistakes a female can make.  She is obviously too immature to be involved in a responsibility like marriage.  Unlike other marriages of the Victorian era Lydia's was not well thought out.  It was not an elopement born out of love, rather it was born out of a lust for adventure.  In Lydia's marriage to Wickham, her youthful immaturity is on full display. This immaturity is foolishness, and may lead to sadness in the end.