Analysis of Darcy and Elizabeth’s Relationship Obstacles
“Love isn’t practical. It isn’t meant to be easy. It doesn’t appear on command. It doesn’t let you fall for whomever you’d like. It surfaces neither at the most opportune moment nor in the most convenient. It’ll pair you with someone you might never have expected. It’ll put you face to face with endless obstacles. But in the end, none of that will matter because it’s how you overcome its obstacles that will define your love. It may not be practical, but love is ultimately the best thing that will ever happen to you.” ~ Anonymous. Upon reading this quote it instantly reminds me of Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship. It describes everything they went through in the book perfectly, from
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the struggles they faced, the absolute certainty they would never “intrigue” each other, the timing of certain events and of course the obstacles that they faced. An analysis of obstacles in Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship shows that the obstacles can be categorized in three different ways: society, themselves, and relations. The grouping: society deals with Darcy’s upbringing and both Elizabeth and Darcy’s social status. Darcy’s upbringing discourages him from marrying a woman of lower class, especially one without a formal education or skill in basic needle work, painting, music, or reading. “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved. All this she must possess, and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.” (Austen) Elizabeth was born into a middle class family, and her father never gave her a proper education, nor did he save up money to increase her social status for increased marriage eligibility. Darcy on the other hand was overly qualified for marriage. He had money, status, and owned an estate. However, what made Darcy ineligible to Elizabeth was his Prejudice.
This brings us to our second category: themselves. This category is how Darcy and Elizabeth let their first impressions and judgements become obstacles. Darcy thinks of Elizabeth as inept. He sees her as a common girl with hardly anything interesting to make him in anyway feel obligated to acquaint himself with her. “Perfectly tolerable, I dare say, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” (Darcy, Pride and Prejudice) This is his first impression of her, and he allows it to remain that way for quite some time. Darcy was brought up to speak only to the rich and high in class, so speaking to a middle class lady was of no concern to him. However, this same phrase was also Elizabeth’s first impression of Darcy aside from seeing him not interact, nor dance with anyone at the ball. She immediately judges Darcy, just as he did her. She pegs him as an uninteresting, cruel, and condescending individual, who has no social skills at all. Elizabeth believes she is always right about people, and that people’s first impressions are their whole character. She foolishly and stubbornly sticks by this judgement until given evidence otherwise just as she did with Darcy. She allows her pride to consume her usually accurate judgement. "Your defect is a propensity to hate everybody. And yours, is willfully to misunderstand them.”
(Austen) Along with completely misjudging each other, they allow other individuals to define them as well. Elizabeth allows Darcy’s involvement with Jane and Bingley’s break up influence her view of him. Instead of seeing it for what it was, which was Darcy trying to protect his friend from heartbreak, she viewed it as Darcy breaking her sister’s heart and ruining her chances for marriage and happiness. In Darcy’s eye Jane seemed uninterested in Bingley, but from context clues and Elizabeth’s own thoughts on the matter we know this was not the case. It was a common case of the wrong action taken for the right reasons. Elizabeth also allowed herself to judge Darcy off Wickham’s deceit of Darcy’s actions against him. She believed that Darcy was a heartless and jealous person, without stopping to question Wickham’s character or ask Darcy of the matter. In the end, Elizabeth realizes that she was wrong about both Darcy and Wickham, because it was not Darcy who was of bad character but Mr. Wickham. Darcy also judged Elizabeth based on other people, mostly her family. He saw most of her family as silly and incompetent; the only exceptions after getting to know them were Elizabeth and Jane. Her whole family was focused on marriage, and monetary gain. Mrs. Bennet was also an obstacle for the relationship with her constant meddling and trying to mar off her daughters. She nearly forced Elizabeth to marry a man, who not only was her cousin, but also only chose her after learning Jane was to be engaged. Mr. Collins was also very persistent as well; he had the audacity to believe Elizabeth would never reject his proposal. The last obstacle which in the end brought them together was Lady Catherine. She is Darcy’s aunt, whom completely insulted Elizabeth. “Oh obstinate girl! This union has been planned since their infancy. Do you think it can be prevented by a young woman of inferior birth, of no importance in the world and wholly unallied to his family? Whose own sister's elopement resulted in the scandalously patched-up marriage only achieved at the expense of your uncle? Heaven and earth, are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted? Now tell me once and for all, are you engaged to him?” (Lady Catherine, Pride and Prejudice) This once again throws up the fact of Elizabeth’s social status compared to Darcy, but it also makes her see that she has changed, and so has he. Especially, when she realizes how much he has done for her family. So, instead of Lady Catherine breaking them apart for good she thrust them towards each other. Although they had many obstacles, could hardly stand each other, and let only accept the fact they had feelings for one another Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship blossomed. The relationship also shows the importance of getting to know someone before you jump into a relationship. In order to have a successful marriage, relationship, or friendship you must get to know someone for who they truly are. You must not let appearance, status, or impressions influence your decisions. “People search for love based on appearance, but they forgot about attitude and personality.” ~ Aleksandr Sebryakov
Darcy is portrayed as a selfish, vain man at first and he is the second to propose to Elizabeth and swiftly denied. Mr. Darcy’s overbearing phrase “You must allow me to tell you,” has a dominant tone, implied by the demand: “you must” (Austen 185). Mr. Darcy’s superiority, even in confessing his love, cuts off the possibility of personal attachment by placing him and Elizabeth on two different levels and repels love for him by condescending her with dominance. Elizabeth being a character of independence and strong will, his superiority over her is an insult. Mr. Darcy’s high status gives him credibility as well as his brutal honesty: “In vain have I struggled” (Austen 185). He tells her outright that he has tried to resist his feelings for her, but he cannot, which tells one that he is not lying. Especially with his reputation of not associating outside his social group, the reader understands this must be outside his comfort zone to be “tempted” by one inferior to him. However, his credibility is trodden underfoot by his insulting language and lack of
In Pride and Prejudice, the main female character Elizabeth is shown to have extreme pride towards the main male character Darcy. This is because in their first meeting Elizabeth's pride is wounded by Darcy as he says She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humour to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.' This thoughtless and proud comment causes Elizabeth to take an instant dislike to Darcy. It also clouds her judgement of Darcy's true nature.
... action of the characters within the story, the requirements of love are nothing excessive or even difficult. The characters carry on normal everyday lives and it is these normal actions that constitute love. Consequently, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” (Miriam-Webster 253).
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has emphases on how characters are perceived by the world they live in. Mr. Darcy is an unpopular and misunderstood character who is the symbol of pride throughout the novel. Mr. Wickham is a charismatic soldier who is perceptive of those around him and capitalizes on his knowledge. Throughout the novel similarities and differences between characters are highlighted. Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy grew up together, yet Mr. Darcy is known for having a disagreeable countenance and a large sense of pride and Mr. Wickham is more charming, charismatic, and socially well-versed. In the fourth chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth says “It does not necessarily
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
Prejudice was also an issue for Darcy in that he disliked Elizabeth in the beginning because of her low social status, poverty, and socially inept family. I am a naive. Darcy was forced to deal with his prejudice when he fell in love with Elizabeth. This was not easy for him to do, but it was necessary. His snobbery was countered by his love for Elizabeth.
In the Regency Era, there were many molds that the woman had to fit in to. They had to be of a good social standing, and their wealth and class mattered very much in terms of a their reputation. Back then, your reputation equalled your worth, which meant that everyone tried to be rich in order to gain a respectable spouse. The model woman had to be “without vices and opinion. They were to be modest, dutiful and the prettier the better” (Jeffries). A woman’s worth was determined by how much money she had and how beautiful she was. Elizabeth Bennet was very beautiful, but because of her lower social status, the marriage between her and Darcy took a while to materialize. When Darcy first meets her at the Meryton ball, he describes her as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 11). Darcy continues to deny that he has any feelings for Elizabeth, and only does so when he overcomes his pride and genuinely proposes to her for the ‘second’ time. With the model of the perfect woman to live up to, Elizabeth is most certainly beautiful, having being described with handsome features and bright eyes. However, she does not have a quiet mouth, and always says what’s on her mind, whether it’s proper of her or not. This is what sets her apart from the ideal woman, because of her strong opinions. Her prejudice does lead to her making some bad
The reader is first acquainted with Mr. Darcy's arrogance at the Meryton Ball. Speaking of Elizabeth Bennet, he so snobbishly says that she was, " tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me" (Austen 9). His feelings of superiority to the people of the town lend Mr. Darcy to be judged as a man with a repulsive and cruel personality. The women, who had found him dashingly attractive at first glance, deemed him a man unworthy of marriage because he offered no positive qualities other than wealth. Not only did Darcy refuse to dance with Elizabeth, but he makes it clear that no woman in the room was worthy or met his standards of a suitable partner stating that, " there is not another woman in this room, whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with" (Austen 8). In the beginning of the novel, Mr. Darcy is only concerned with the wealth and social standing of the people in the town. Because of their lesser social rank, he feels they are un-deserving of his presence and refuses to communicate with them. As the novel progressed, however, Darcy became more and more accepting of the Bennet family. Growing most fond of Elizabeth Bennet, the straightforward, clever daughter, he finally breaks and confesses his true feelings of love for her. "In vain...
Austen's view of true love is clearly evident in the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bennet is an unfailingly attractive character, but what everybody notices about her is her spirited wit and good sense. She has a keen, critical mind when expressing her opinions and is unwilling to believe only the best of everyone. It is this intelligence that brings Mr. Darcy's admiration of her and her sense that she can rely on both mind and heart. Darcy carries the persona of a snobbish, arrogant, and self-assured man who assumes that he can get everything he wants. He explains his attitude by stating, " I was spoiled by my parents, who though good themselves … allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing." However, his arrogance is challenged when he is faced to deal with the fact that ...
Elizabeth Bennet developed a negative first impression of Fitzwilliam Darcy quite early on in the novel. When they meet at a ball for the first time, he says “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me." This quotation is very significant to the novel, as it is the one that triggers Elizabeth’s first impression of Darcy- and marks the beginning of her unfair prejudice towards him. This prejudice was kind of ironic, as the aspects of Darcy’s personality that Elizabeth didn’t like were ones that she also pertained to. For example, like Darcy, Elizabeth has a sharp tongue and doesn’t always think before she speaks. It was that sharp tongue that caused him to speak of Elizabeth in that manner- therefore it is not fair for Elizabeth to shame him for that. Later on, when Darcy proposes to her, she says: “...From the moment I met you your arrogance and conceit and your selfish disdain for the feelings of other made me realize that you are the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed
In chapter 13, Elizabeth tries to recollect any “trait of integrity or benevolence” in Darcy but, “no recollection befriended her” Elizabeth’s prejudice blinds her from changing her perspective of Mr. Darcy and her pride blinds and puts her in denial of believing that there is some good within Mr.Darcy. In contrast, others may argue that there is an understandable and just reason for Elizabeth to be prejudice against Mr.Darcy because he had previously insulted her. Elizabeth’s prejudice is then enhanced when the handsome Mr. Wickham flatters her and tells Elizabeth a pretense of the relationship he and Darcy had with each other in the past. To continue, Chapter 16 further proves that Elizabeth believes anything negative that she hears of Darcy and sees it as the truth without knowing both sides of the story. While Mr.Wickham tells her of the tale he shares with her of Darcy, she responds “but how could that be?”
Darcy’s feelings towards Lizzie begin to change at the second ball, and again when she visits Jane at Netherfield. It is almost as if the hatred has sparked an interest, one that turns to love. Due to social norms, Darcy believes he cannot be with Elizabeth. He refers to it as a “handicap,” she does not belong to the aristocratic class of society and wealth as to which Darcy belongs. This social pressure puts a strain on the possible relationship. Despite this obstacle, the two continue to get to know one another. Darcy admits to avoiding weakness, which includes vanity but no pride. This is another problem in the relationship, Darcy is a prideful man and sees nothing wrong with it. They continue to feel drawn to each other, no matter the differences in
Both characters develop throughout the novel, and their first impressions of each other gradually change. Darcy’s pride diminishes, as does Elizabeth’s prejudice.
Darcy is widely perceived as the “proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (13). In the beginning of the novel, Darcy exhibits bad pride by putting his reputation in front of Elizabeth’s feelings. For instance, Darcy says to Bingley at the Netherfield ball, “[Elizabeth is] not handsome enough to tempt me” (13). Darcy does not only unveil his arrogance, but he also offends Elizabeth by calling her too ugly for his satisfaction. Although Elizabeth “remained with no very cordial feelings towards [Darcy]” (14) after his rude remark, Darcy’s comment holds the potential to lower Elizabeth’s self-esteem and pride in her beauty. In this example, Darcy favors his pride, consequently revealing a harmful trait that can negatively affect Elizabeth, or in fact anybody, which ultimately makes Darcy seem narcissistic and vain. Although Darcy originally shows bad pride, his character reveals later that he, as a matter of fact, obtains mostly good pride. In a conversation between Elizabeth and Wickham, Elizabeth asks, ‘“can such abominable pride as [Darcy’s], have ever done him good?”’ (80). Wickham responds, ‘“Yes... brotherly pride, which with some brotherly affection, makes him a very kind
Jane Austen is very clear in her writing about class distinction and she uses the novel to look beyond the widely stratified community divided by social classes experienced in the 18th century in England. This distinction shows that class snootiness is simply but an illusion rather than a real obstruction to marriage, given that Elizabeth, though socially inferior to Darcy, she is not in any way academically inferior to him. In this sense, Darcy realizes that his class pretentiousness is mislaid toward Elizabeth, since she also finds out that her prejudice towards Darcy’s snobbish and superior manner is misplaced when he rescues Elizabeth’s family from a scandal and disgrace. In this context, the writer uses Darcy and Elizabeth to show that class distinction does not guarantee one’s happiness in life, neither does it allow him or her to own every good thing desired. For instance, Darcy is brought out as a haughty character, who initially fails to think that Elizabeth is worth him for she originates from an unrecognized family; a middle class girl not so beautiful enough to suit him. However, as the...