Elizabeth Bennet's Proposals In Pride And Prejudice

From the beginning Elizabeth Bennet knew that she is destined to marry one of the gentry from her suitors. However, when proposed by Darcy and Collins, there are some properties for each of the far-fetched proposals can be contradictory and revealing about the characters involved. The first of Elizabeth’s suitors who confessed his dream of togetherness was Mr. Collins. It is obvious that Lady Catherine planned the marriage not for the sake of personal endearment, but for the benefits of each party. If the lady accepted, the inheritance would circulate within the family and would not be lost when Mr. Bennet expires. In spite of the benefits however, they proved meaningless in action. At first glance, Elizabeth could not take the suitor seriously as she though the whole proposal was a jest as proven by, “The idea of Mr. Collins, with all his solemn composure, being run away with by his feelings, made Elizabeth so near laughing that she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him further” (Austen 100). When proposing, the height disadvantage Collins bore compared to Elizabeth as well as his lack of emotion in his proposal made him insignificant. Adding to the uneasy environment was the fact that the two were cousins, and Elizabeth did not seem comfortable with an incest marriage with Collins.

In the early stages of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth, their connection was nearly nonexistent. Elizabeth was all but normal when she saw him declare his feelings. Unfortunately, the conversation went downhill after the proposal. As an attempt to reinforce his proposition, Darcy recited Elizabeth’s current status in terms of “ her sense of inferiority… degradation…the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination.” (Austen 170). These reasons humiliated Elizabeth and her family and the topic turned to the release of anger caused by unanswered