Comparing the Three Proposals that Elizabeth Receives in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, contains many opinions given
by the narrator about the characters, but the true personalities are
shown in the way their feelings and words are portrayed. Austen uses
dramatic irony to allow the reader to appreciate the hidden feelings
of the characters. The unseen feelings of Elizabeth, Mr Darcy and Mr
Collins are revealed to others in the novel during the three proposals
that occur.
There are a number of similarities between the first two proposals
that Elizabeth receives. When Mr Collins made his "declaration of
form" he expects Elizabeth to say yes, as did Mr Darcy. He "had no
doubt of a favourable answer." This shows that they are both bad
judges of character, because Elizabeth has no intention of marrying
either of them. In fact, at the point in the novel when Mr Darcy
proposes, she holds the biggest grudge against him.
In both proposals they do not respect Elizabeth's feelings and insult
her and her family. Mr Collins believes that "it is by no means
certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made to her". He
thinks this will make her want to marry him, but it has the opposite
affect. Austen uses irony to make what Mr Collins says more effective.
He emphasizes the fact that she is poor and that nobody else will want
to marry her because of it, when actually he has said previously that
he will be "uniformly silent" about how much money she will inherit.
Mr Collins reminds her that he is "to inherit her estate after the
death of her honourable father." He tries to make what he is saying
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resulting in the acceptance from Elizabeth.
Austen uses irony throughout the novel but it is very clearly
noticeable during Mr Collins' proposal to Elizabeth. Austen satirizes
Mr Collins during the novel, and informs the reader of his character
prior to the proposal to let the reader appreciate his language and
actions. On the other hand when Mr Darcy proposes for the second time
Austen uses the way in which Mr Darcy and Elizabeth act to let the
reader be aware of his, and Elizabeth's feelings. After the proposals
the reader is not made to feel sorry for Mr Collins, but is made to
feel pleased for Mr Darcy. Throughout the novel Austen satirizes the
characters that marry for money, and uses the marriage of Elizabeth
and Mr Darcy to show that she thinks the most successful marriage is
when they marry for love.
Shakespeare’s “Richard III” portrays a ‘serious’ yet passionate declaration of love to Anne greatly contrasting with the more solemn and composed confession given by Mr Collins in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Where Richard III seems to be unable to hold back his feelings Mr Collins appears to quite calmly lay out his reasoning for his proposed match to Elizabeth Bennet. Thus both extracts could be said to be giving us very different depictions of the idea of a ‘declaration of love’.
In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen used the character of Elizabeth Bennet to epitomize the harmonious balance between reason and emotion in a woman, making her a truly admirable and attractive character.
little, if nothing at all based on a good love match. This can be seen
Thinking that he truly has lost Elizabeth brings out a more sensitive and sympathetic side of Darcy, and he proposes a second time. This proposal however, marks the real release of his prideful ways, and as Austin put it “was as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do"(Austin 157). This proposal marks Darcy giving up his pride about social class, and Elizabeth being hurt by him and his judgments. She accepts, and they finally allow themselves to be happy.
Darcy’s proposals help to manifest his personal growth by showing the difference in his manner, rationale, and result. His haughty words and actions are the crux of his indifference towards the feelings of others in the beginning of the novel. Although Mr. Darcy is ignorant of his own highfalutin attitude at first, the rejection of his proposal by Elizabeth is just the tocsin he needs to salvage the small amount of respect she still had for him. Through her rejection, he comes to terms with his own pride and prejudice against Elizabeth and her family. Also, he realizes that she is not one to marry for money or social status, but she wants to marry a man that she truly loves, which is a surprise to him. This radical modification of his attitude results in a second marriage proposal for Elizabeth, where he genuinely expresses his feelings. Although he is uncertain of her answer, he simply wants to make his love for her known. The slightly astonished Elizabeth immediately recognizes how much the tone and motive in his second proposal have changed from his first and also reveals her love for him. Mr. Darcy’s two proposals do not simply act as means to communicating his feeling to Elizabeth, but as a documentation of his significant change in
Elizabeth's lively, straightforward, daring character and her disregard for considerations of rank show through clearly in her reaction to Darcy's proposal. Her pride is also evident, for the lack of civility in her refusal is due primarily to injured pride resulting from Darcy's frank explanation of his reservations about proposing to her because of her inferior connections.
Psychologist Robert Sternberg developed the "Triangular Theory of Love" which defines the three components of love needed for a "perfect" relationship as commitment, passion, and intimacy (companionship) (Wikipedia). "The amount of love one experiences depends on the absolute strength of these three components, and the type of love one experiences depends on their strengths relative to each other" (Wikipedia). In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, she introduces five couples which enter into marriages in all different types of love. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have an infatuated love that fades to no love at all, Charlotte and Mr. Collins enter into an empty love, Lydia and Mr. Wickham fall into a fatuous love, Jane and Mr. Bingley focus on a companionate love, and finally, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy find an all consummate love for each other. Throughout the novel, Austen uses these five variations of love to employ characters and define their futures.
Throughout Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett faces many challenges to realize that she was in the wrong and her prejudice against Mr. Darcy was misguided. Austen emphasizes the importance of wisdom through Elizabeth who faces the challenge of overcoming her prejudiced judgement to reach maturity and recognize the man she loves.
Austen disapproves of Mr. Collins and that is why she attacks and satirizes him. Mr. Collins is a "suck-up." His living with Lady Catherine has caused him to demoralize himself. He thinks and talks highly of people higher than himself, such as, Lady Catherine DeBourgh. An example of this is when they were invited to dine with Lady Catherine DeBourgh and Mr. Collins then tells Elizabeth,
During this time period, men are expected to marry accomplished women who are on the same intellectual level as them, but it is almost impossible for women to be on the same intellectual level as men because they do not receive the same level of education as the men do. Also, women are expected to marry man whose family has a high social status, whether he is accomplished or not. Darcy and Elizabeth disobey this social value at the end of Pride and Prejudice where they get married to each other. Darcy is looked down on for getting married to someone of a lower social status, while Elizabeth is seen as someone who has married up into a higher social standing. Their marriage is seen as an untraditional one because instead of getting married because of society’s social values, they were getting married because of their love for each other. This is an example of how Darcy’s horrible first impression on Elizabeth was turned around by his ability to change his manners because of his love for
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy both go through dramatic changes in their attitude towards each other. Darcy is devoted to Elizabeth, but denies it because of her family and her lower status. Elizabeth believes Darcy to be arrogant and interfering. Through conversations these characters have, their true regard for each other is discovered. Austen effectively uses dialogue to develop the change in the principal characters’ moral temperament, and also to advance significant concerns in the novel such as marriage and wealth-based status.
The reader notices Austen’s use of satire at the beginning of the novel when she introduces Mrs. Bennet, the mother of a middle class English family in the 19th century. Mrs. Bennet makes it her life goal to get all five of her daughters married to upper class, wealthy men such as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. You notice that Mrs. Bennet’s aspiration of finding husbands for her daughters becomes a fixation. This is best seen when Mrs. Bennet is thrilled to hear about Lydia and Wickham’s marriage, that she forgets about the fact that her daughter’s elopement with Wickham nearly endangered her sisters’ chances of ever finding a spouse that would take care of them when their father dies. Another reason why we should question the sanity of Mrs. Bennet can be seen when she puts Jane, her eldest daughter’s health at risk by sending her to Netherfield on horseback with a storm impending....
Mr. Darcy is very proud and vain man. Darcy’s pride occurs because his family allows him to follow his principles “in pride and conceit” (Austen 310). Elizabeth decides soon after meeting him that he is a despicable man, much too abrupt and overweening, and obsequious to be liked by anyone, and lacking even the most basic social skills of the time he is very laconic with everyone
I suppose I shall have to follow suit in the beginning of an essay of
While this is going on, Mr. Darcy realizes he has feelings for Elizabeth and proposes to her, this is the climax of the novel. She is astonished by his actions, and turns him flat. She explains that she feels he is arrogant, and feels he stood in the way of Jane and Mr. Bingley marrying, and also feels he is a cruel man, especially in his treating of Mr. Wickham, she is expressing her prejudice towards him. He leaves and they part very angry with each other. Mr. Darcy then writes Elizabeth a letter, explaining his feelings, defending his actions, and revealing the true nature of Mr. Wickham.