Pride and Prejudice and All These Great Expectaions.

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“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (2). It is clear that Jane Austen was very much ahead of her time. Pride and Prejudice (1813) is a prime example of this. Based off her own life and experiences, Austen wrote directly from her heart. In this comedy of manners, she almost mocks her era’s view of courtship and marriage. In Longbourn, England during the late 1700’s, a woman’s sole purpose in life was to marry a fortunate man. For the two eldest Bennet girls, Elizabeth and Jane, they need not only a fortunate man, but to be in love with this man. Jane quickly falls for Mr. Bingley. His close and much respected friend, Mr. Darcy often butts heads with Elizabeth. A few complications arise when Mr. Darcy’s reputation is put to shame. Mr. Wickham, a good-looking militia officer, spreads ill rumors of his and Mr. Darcy’s acquaintance. On top of that, Mr. Darcy tricks his friend into leaving Jane Bennet and adds disgust to Elizabeth’s already very negative opinion of him. Throughout the journeys of the novel, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy meet often, only to Elizabeth’s dismay.
The climax of the novel is when Mr. Darcy surprisingly proposes to Elizabeth and her brutal refusal, “I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed to marry” (254-255). The climax further continues to their meeting in the park where he gives her a letter explaining the rumor and his wrong doings. While reading this, Elizabeth comes to realize how blind, partial, prejudiced, and absurd she had been against him. “Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind! But vanity, not love, has been my foll...

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... Mr. Darcy and their resistance to love one another creates the powerful love, “in vain I have struggles. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow my to tell you how ardently I admire and love you” (249). Throughout the novel, their pride and prejudice slowly decreases. “Such a change in a man of so much pride exciting not only astonishment but gratitude- for love, ardent love, it must be attributed,” (344) Elizabeth finally sees how his pride towards her and her family has changed. Soon afterwards she realizes her understanding of him was all along ridiculous, “and how gradually all her former prejudices had been removed” (480) when explaining to Mr. Darcy her past thoughts and actions.
This is a story of overcoming not only society’s high expectations of marriage and love, but overcoming your own ideas to find true, romantic happiness.

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