Mr Darcy Proposal Essay

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In Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice there are two characters that are in love with each other, but do not realize their love or show their love to the other. Mr. Darcy is well aware of his love for Elizabeth, but does not let it be known. On the other hand Elizabeth is not aware of her love for Mr. Darcy and even shows contempt towards him. When Mr. Darcy initially proposes to Elizabeth his approach is prideful and insulting while Elizabeth’s response is through an angry monologue. Neither of these tactics lead to a successful proposal or even a successful conversation that leads to a mutual understanding. Opposite of Mr. Darcy’s first proposal to Elizabeth is his second one. His second proposal is crafted with much more sincerity and …show more content…

Darcy discloses his sense of pride, conceited judgement, and obsession with status, which from the get go create a hindrance in Darcy’s plan to marry Elizabeth. Although Darcy is complimenting Elizabeth by asking for her hand in marriage, he describes his decision as a “vain… struggle”(185) and that his “feelings will not be repressed”(185). Darcy’s word choice is offensive, degrading, and implies that he not only attempted to subdue is feelings towards Elizabeth, but also that those attempts were a failure, and that is the only reason he is asking for her hand in marriage. By opening his proposal with reasons why he does not want to marry Elizabeth Darcy immediately sets himself up for failure and heartbreak. Later in his poorly crafted proposal, Darcy is forceful and expects only a yes to his marriage proposal, leaving no room to learn what Elizabeth thinks or how she feels on the subject. Darcy proclaims “you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”(185). The word “must” does not enable Elizabeth to make any other decision than listening to Darcy and even implies that he already knows Elizabeth will accept his hand in marriage. Darcy’s preconceived notions of Elizabeth’s reactions to his request and his forcefulness in telling her how he feels, do not create an environment that supports a productive conversation between Darcy and …show more content…

Darcy approaches the proposal in a manner that shows his regard for Elizabeth, and he also asks about her feelings rather than expecting an acceptance. In telling Elizabeth his thoughts for helping out her family Darcy professes “I thought only of you”(346), and shows a change in character when he humbly admits “you are too generous to trifle with me”(346). Rather than demanding and expecting marriage, Darcy reveals to Elizabeth that his actions stem from a desire to please her, but that he also understands why Elizabeth might reject him. As a result, Darcy initiates a conversation about getting married, as opposed to his initial proposal where he went in expecting an acceptance. To further the ability for conversation between Darcy and Elizabeth, Darcy says to Elizabeth “if your feelings are what they are last April, tell me so at once. My feelings and wishes are unchanged”(346). Although Darcy mentions his proposal for marriage, he does not directly address it and is more concerned with Elizabeth’s feelings for him than receiving a yes to his proposal. Not only does Darcy’s approach to the proposal allow for one that turns out successfully, but Elizabeth shows remorse for her words and she and Darcy talk about large events that have had an effect on their relationship. While discussing the words

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