At the end of the novel, Elizabeth is the happy heroine, the centre of everything. She has not only changed herself through her newly found love for Darcy, but she equally has changed Darcy through his love for her.
Mr Darcy is the hero of Pride and Prejudice. He is entitled to be considered a hero because he has the capacity to change and mature and because he is a true partner for our heroine, Elizabeth Bennet.
When we meet him first, however, he seems to be the villain of the book. He appears at the Meryton ball and is immediately disliked by everyone because he so obviously disapproves of the evening, will not mix, and seems above himself, particularly to Elizabeth. By the end of Chapter 33 we, like Elizabeth, have come to form a clear but negative view of Darcy. Then he proposes, but patronisingly, and they quarrel, gaining self-awareness shortly afterwards.
From this point on, Darcy ceases to be an anti-hero and begins to change. We also begin to view him differently. The business with Wickham was, of course, a slander.
Darcy seems to have done all that could have been asked of him and more: to have judged Wickham correctly and to have been generous enough not to seek revenge for the planned elopement with his sister. We, like Elizabeth, begin to see things in a new light and to reconsider our own opinion of Darcy.
We learnt too that he was intelligent and clear-sighted, and his conversations with Elizabeth certainly showed his thought and intelligence.
He is an affectionate brother, trusted by Georgiana, a wise and generous landlord and a good friend to Bingley. His free use of money to help first Wickham, then Lydia, is admirable. His is the pride in the title of the novel. He was brought up to be proud, almost trained to it.
At the start of the novel, he triumphantly defends it, though he realises the importance of controlling it, which he feels he can do. However, he is wrong. His pride does lead him to behave wrongly — on three occasions. He is totally convinced of his own good judgement over the matter of Jane and so influences Bingley accordingly. Over Elizabeth, his pride causes him to despise her family connections, and though at first he resists, the attraction remains; he sees his own proposal as demeaning, without realising the implications of this for his relationship with Elizabeth.
This is, of course, the point of change for Darcy. He later tells Elizabeth that it took him some time to begin to alter, but in fact, by the next morning, he has understood enough to want to justify himself in a letter.
By the time we reach Pemberley, he is eager to show his new persona. His outward manner, unlike so many in the novel, is a sign of his inward change. His final proposal expresses his hopes, but not expectations, of being accepted, and he admits his pride, with gratitude to Elizabeth for humbling him.
We must not, however, judge Darcy too harshly. He is neither vain nor self-centred. Much of his pride is valid, the natural result of being master of Pemberley, affording him a self-confidence that allows him to help others. Equally, Elizabeth has coloured our view!
Although he represents pride in the novel, he is not without prejudice. He sees beyond superficial appearance more quickly than Elizabeth but nevertheless dismisses her at first glance on her looks alone.
He soon changes his mind but is still put off by her inferior connections and does not consider her on her true merits. Darcy is, however, generally more clear-sighted than Elizabeth, and points out to her that she is prejudiced. It is evident that as Darcy develops and matures so too does his love for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth in turn stuns Darcy by refusing his proposal, stating, "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 on to marry. He accepts these accusations without apology, even with contempt. However, he flinches when she accuses him of not behaving like a gentleman and when Elizabeth finishes her denunciation of him, Darcy angrily departs. Overwhelmed with emotion, Elizabeth cries for a half hour afterward and retreats to her room when everyone returns home.
As Elizabeth is walking the next morning, Darcy approaches her, gives her a letter, and leaves her alone to read it. In the letter, Darcy does not renew his marriage proposal, but instead addresses Elizabeth's two main objections to him: his involvement in Jane and Bingley's breakup and his treatment of Wickham.
Regarding Jane and Bingley, Darcy states that he believed that Jane did not love Bingley, and he consequently persuaded Bingley that it was so, as well. He admits that he wanted to save Bingley from an imprudent marriage, but he stresses that he felt that Jane's feelings were not deeply involved because her calm nature never displayed any indication of her strong attachment.
Darcy adds that Jane's mother, her three younger sisters, and even her father act improperly in public and create a spectacle of themselves. As for Wickham, Darcy states that he is a pleasant but unprincipled man who is greedy and vengeful.
Contrary to Wickham's account, Darcy asserts that he did not deprive Wickham of the clergyman position without compensation.
Instead, as Wickham's request, Darcy gave him 3, pounds to use to study law. Wickham squandered the money, tried to get more from Darcy, and when that failed, tried to elope with Darcy's sister. Darcy directs Elizabeth to ask Colonel Fitzwilliam for confirmation of anything she questions in his letter. At first, Elizabeth refuses to believe the letter, but after rereading it and thinking back on the circumstances Darcy recounts, she soon realizes, with a great deal of shock and chagrin, that it is completely true.
Reflecting upon her former behavior and views, she is horrified and ashamed and exclaims, "I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment, I never knew myself. These chapters are among the most important of the novel. They present the plot's climax — the turning point of the action of the novel — and the beginning of the denouement — the resolution of the plot.
Here, Elizabeth experiences her great self-revelation about her prejudices, and Darcy receives a similar blow to his own expectations and perceptions of the world. My feelings will not be repressed. Elizabeth is much more stubborn in overcoming her prejudice.
Because she is also proud, and does not like to be treated as inferior, she is offended when Darcy says insulting things about her family when he proposes to her. She is also still prejudiced by the way she believes Darcy has treated Jane and Wickham. Elizabeth does not start to rethink her assumptions until Darcy explains what actually happened between himself and Wickham.
Once her prejudice has been challenged, she becomes more open to wondering if she might have been wrong about Darcy. When she visits Pemberley, she hears different perspectives about who Darcy is and sees a new side of him. By bribing Wickham to marry Lydia and protect her reputation, Darcy shows his integrity and generosity. Elizabeth realizes that her prideful and prejudiced attitude has led her to be totally mistaken about the characters of both men.
Ace your assignments with our guide to Pride and Prejudice! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Bennet Mrs. Bennet Lydia Bennet Charlotte Lucas. Why does Charlotte Lucas marry Mr. Why is Lizzy Mr. Why does Darcy dislike Wickham? Why does Lizzy form a negative first impression of Darcy?
According to Mr. What role do letters play in the novel? What is revealed about the characters after Elizabeth rejects Mr.
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