The Significance of Chapter 34 in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

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The Significance of Chapter 34 in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

'Pride And Prejudice' is a 19th Century romantic novel written by Jane

Austen in 1813, it presents a true representation of society's

expectations towards marriage and love at the time. It focuses on two

central characters Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy and their

love-hate relationship.

Elizabeth the second eldest daughter of five sisters is an intelligent

woman with a lively disposition, strong-minded determination and a

woman who religiously sticks to her principles. As Mr Bennet says

describing his daughter, "'Lizzy has something more of a quickness

then her sisters.'"

Mr Darcy on the other hand is an extremely handsome man but

unfortunately very proud and detached and his character is considered

rather aloof and disagreeable. "He was the proudest most disagreeable

man in the whole world."

In 'Pride And Prejudice' Jane Austen shows the reader how Elizabeth

overcomes her prejudice of Mr Darcy's pride.

Marriage at the time when the novel was written was perceived very

differently to how it is thought of today. Getting married was seen as

a necessity to gain financial security for the female, it was more of

an arrangement, a business proposal to benefit both sides of the

party. Love was not a prerequisite and nor was being in love a

suitable reason to get married. As in the marriage talks with

Elizabeth and her friend Charlotte Lucas, Charlotte sums up her view

and every other woman's view on marriage. "'Happiness in marriage is

purely a matter of chance.'"

The reason for this being is that after a father died in the family

the house and the land were meant to go to the oldest son, or in Mrs

Bennet's case Mr Bennet's cou...

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is the incentive for Mr Darcy to write the letter to Elizabeth to try

and change her opinion of him. "'Did it soon make you think better of

me?'" Even at the end of the novel Elizabeth admits the profound

effect that the letters had on her. "She explained what its effect had

on her had been, and how gradually all her former prejudices had been

removed."

After the events of chapter 34 Mr Darcy's character changes

significantly, because of Elizabeth he has overcome all his selfish

and overbearing character traits which prevented her from loving him

which was what he truly wanted as he was attracted to the

"'liveliness'" of her mind. "'You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at

first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled.'" This

lesson he would have never learnt or experienced if it weren't for her

refusal in the proposal of Chapter 34.

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