A clear example of what the state of a marriage reveals about the individuals in it is the case of Mrs. Smith.
On Chapter 17, when Anne goes to visit Bath, she encounters her good friend and former governess, Mrs Smith (nee Ms. Hamilton), in the worst and most hapless conditions imaginable for a woman.
Her misfortunes came as a result of one thing: Her husband's extravagances. When she was to be married to him, she had intended to make a "good marriage". In this sense, a good marriage entails the connection to someone of higher social status, which will give name, financial stability and possessions to his wife.
However, nothing good came out of what should have been a good union. His extravagances brought the marriage to ruin, he died young and broke, and she was childless and destitute. On top of it, she developed a form of debilitating...
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illness, and had nobody to care for her.
The conclusion of all this is that women entered marriage completely susceptible to the world, and their husbands would ultimately dictate their fates. Therefore, in the state of a marriage such as Smith's we see the master/servant, co-dependent and fruitless assumption that a man will provide and secure a home with this "gentleman's honor".
In Persuasion, what does a marriage reveal about the individuals involved?
The state of the marriage can reveal not only the individual's level of happiness, but the amount of effort and faith he or she is willing to put into it.
A peaceful marriage suggests happiness. In Austen's novel many marriages have to undergo familial approval in order to stay on the social ladder. Love was not the first thing anyone considered, which is why Anne was forced to turn Wentworth away in her youth. However, if a marriage is actually peaceful it demonstrates the individuals' ability to compromise, communicate, and learn to love each other.
On the other hand a turbulent marriage suggests that one or both individuals are unhappy or unsatisfied. This could be a common problem in an arranged marriage, especially where a young girl is concerned. When there was no such thing as divorce, all we saw was the unhappy people trapped in a marriage. Their levels of tenseness, resentment, and anger could be evident or we may just see unhappiness and loss of faith in love.
When marriageable people could be scarce in your social circle you could adapt to what is available and be happy, or spend your life pining. Marriage served a high social purpose in Austen's novels. It kept families of similar status together and maintained the wealth within the same circles. If the husband was good at using and maintaining money, chances are the wife lived very comfortably and would be happy. Because marriage had such a tie to finance, the state of the marriage also reveals how well that household manages money. Much like today, the better money was managed, the happier the marriage is likely to be.