Pride And Prejudice :: essays research papers

Elizabeth&8217s Pride and Darcy&8217s Prejudice?Jane Austen&8217s Pride and Prejudice is a timeless social comedy which is both sarcastic and full of sentiment. The title refers to the personalities of the two main characters and cues the reader to Austen&8217s broader thematic purpose to satirize nineteenth century manners and morals, especially as they interrelate to courtship and manners. Although both characters contain both these traits, it is mainly Mr. Darcy who exemplifies &8216pride&8217 while Elizabeth Bennet exemplifies &8216prejudice.&8217 However, one of the book&8217s many ironies is that the prejudiced Elizabeth thinks it is Mr. Darcy who has the overall prejudiced disposition. Likewise, proud Darcy thinks it is Elizabeth who is most often proud. Through the course of the novel, these characters grow and through each other, discover their own foibles-- Elizabeth is indeed prejudiced and Darcy is indeed proud. Armed with this development and heightened moral insigh t, the couple is rewarded with happiness and fulfillment at the end of the novel. But what if their initial beliefs were correct? Let&8217s say that Mr. Darcy&8217s pride and Elizabeth&8217s prejudice were switched within the context of Austen&8217s plot and narrative structure. Could a proud Elizabeth and a prejudice Darcy grow in self-awargonness through the circumstances of the novel and gain a better understanding of human condition? Before Austen allows her characters to have a &8216fairy-tale&8217 ending, they must undergo self-growth. Given Austen&8217s overall becharm of English class structure and her empathy towards independent and spirited young women, it would be unlikely that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy would resolve their differences and grow as human beings.It is Mary, Elizabeth Bennet&8217s younger sister who seems to pinpoint a working definition of &8220pride as it is portrayed in the novel. She says &8220Pride is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have e ver read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, significant or imaginary... Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves... (67) Both Elizabeth and Darcy&8217s characters show evidence of pride, yet Austen clearly takes Darcy&8217s pride to an extreme. His character is first introduced at Netherfield Ball-- he quietly keeps to himself, occasionally speaks to one of the upper class, and declines all introductions to any young ladies.