Foreshadowing In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in a want of a wife.” (Austen, 2). Pride and Prejudice demonstrates an expert use of foreshadowing. At the beginning it seems that Darcy and Elizabeth will never be together but as the book goes on there is an obvious change in how they interact. Throughout the novel, they learn from one another, perhaps one of the most important lessons in life: to be humble. They swallow their pride, and begin to see each other for who they truly are, and not just who they appear to be.
Being the second child out of five is hard enough, but Elizabeth also has many other things pressing on her. Elizabeth does not really fit the mold of a typical girl living in that era. She would rather curl up with a good book than worry about going to a ball. This kind of characteristic probably made her feel like an outcast, automatically creating a defensive wall

to go up anytime someone tries to get close. Elizabeth has to struggle with her family as well. For instance, her mother is just short of being completely psychotic. On the flip side of things, she can always rely on her dad for support, she is his favorite. The majority of her family is an embarrassment and it makes her look bad. She tries to keep them contained but it is hard to run a zoo on your own. Elizabeth is a graceful character. She takes the rude behavior of others in stride, but remains a lady of integrity and poise. For example, the first time she meets Mr. Darcy she asks him to dance. Darcy tells her that he doesn’t like to dance with people he doesn’t know. Elizabeth overhears Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley talking. Mr. Darcy is asked how he felt about Elizabeth and his response is “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me,” (Austen, 21). Elizabeth keeps her cool about this on the outside but on the inside she is insulted. This is revealed later in the book when speaking with Miss Lucas. Elizabeth says “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”(Austen, 39). This is the first moment when she admits that she is just as prideful as him. This event at the ball causes her to have strong feelings of disgust toward him.
Darcy is a man that at first is consumed with his place in society, or so it would seem. If he were a real person, he would probably feel as though he had a reputation to maintain because of the high social status of his family. He appears to be a man unchanging, stubborn and seemingly hard-hearted. The latter characteristic probably stems from the fact that Darcy is written as such a blunt fellow; it gives him an almost cold demeanor. Darcy thinks too highly of himself. However, as unexpected as it was, Darcy also later shows some humility. This new humble attitude probably came from the fact that despite his social status, Elizabeth turned down his proposal. He had to prove to her that he was capable of changing his arrogant ways before she would even consider. For example: “You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are what they were last April, tell me so at once.”(Austen, 798). This is the first instance that you notice Darcy admitting his initial judgements were wrong. In turning him down, Elizabeth unknowingly affected Darcy’s mindset, and kind of molded him into a better human being, while simultaneously changing her own mind about her preconceived notions about him.
I believe that Jane Austen is trying to convey that judgements should not be cast based on one's exterior or their circumstances. Darcy initially judges Elizabeth based off of her appearance and the fact that she dresses in an understated manner. Elizabeth judges Darcy because he is rich. She jumps to the conclusion that he is selfish and pompous. However, as the story progresses we learn that neither of these judgements are true. The moral here is that a person is not merely a body dressed in clothes. A person is so much more complex and interesting than their appearance or titles could ever possibly let on. The author is trying to demonstrate that in order to become a more selfless person; one must put aside preconceived opinions about others and entertain the idea that there may be more to the person than they originally believed.
This book teaches a wonderful life lesson while also telling a beautiful love story.

Elizabeth and Darcy allowed pride and outside forces to get in the way of their love. Even though Darcy is a kind hearted individual, Elizabeth let one bad encounter shape her whole opinion of him. Darcy allows the actions of Elizabeth's family to influence his opinion that she is also an ill-behaved person. "We will not quarrel for the greater share of blame annexed to that evening," (Austen, 801). One should take away from this novel, that nothing is ever really what it seems, and the only way to really experience life is to dig in and see things for yourself. Life is not black and white, nor prim and proper. Life is messy, and loud. Life, and people, are full of mystery and detail that one cannot even fathom. You can never really know the entire story, because life is a story that never stops writing itself. At the start of this novel, narrow- mindedness and judgmental feelings reigned supreme, but in the end love conquered

all.