Love is more than a warm and fuzzy feeling. Love is also more than a first impression. One of the most popular phrases we hear regarding first impressions is that we never have a second chance to make them. This passage indicates that all first impressions must be on the mark but, in reality, they are not. In Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, first impressions guide Elizabeth and Darcy terribly as Mary alludes to in the opening pages when she observes, how pride "is a very common failing" (13-4) Her remarks sets the mood and tone for Elizabeth and Darcy's revelations about themselves and each other. Only through the pain of wounded pride, can Elizabeth see her own arrogance but in the end, it humbles her. Similarly, Darcy undergoes a series of changes that begin with himself. His first impression of Darcy is based solely on her looks, as he states she is "not handsome enough to tempt me" (7). Here, we see his prejudice toward others and his apparent satisfaction with this attitude. His lesson also starts with the self when he realizes he could be wrong. Love might be a crazy little thing but it is rarely simple and easy. First impressions are rarely limited to those first moments when they are experienced. Whatever we conjure up with first impressions we take with...
This taints perspectives and leads to more misgivings because of a wrong first impression. Elizabeth rejects Darcy's proposal, pointing out he has much to learn. She tells him, "You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it" (145). Wit this remark, Darcy is "astonished"(145) with "an expression of mingled incredibility and mortification" (145). Her claim that he is not gentleman-like stays with him for some time until he realizes it is true. He does realize this and becomes a better person because of it. He even admits, "I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit . . . You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you I was properly humbled. . . You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased" (276-7). Both characters must abandon their first impressions to move on to the better part of their relationship, love.
Bingley's wealth did not hurt the relationship either. He was "a young man of large fortune" (1) with an income of four or five thousand pounds per year. His wealth made him a suitable marriage partner because he could provide financial security for Jane. One of the first comments Mrs. Bennet makes after hearing about the impending marriage is, "Why, he has four or five thousand a year, and likely
Chapter 50 shows this in the gossip and the interest people partake in of the relationship of Mr. Wickham and Lydia. "How Wickham and Lydia were to be supported in tolerable independence, she could not imagine. But how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue, she could easily conjecture." (Austen, 596) Good marriages, at least
A discussion between friends casts a light on the issue of pride, which appears to be Darcy's main enemy in his relationship with the society outside his most intimate acquaintances. Miss Lucas, one of the friends of the Bennet girls finds an excuse for Darcy's overflow of pride through his social status, fortune and image. Elisabeth agrees with her, but she also admits that her pride is even bigger than
223) a person without a condition of some kind, was cruelly marginalized by society, as even the well-meaning people would avoid the connection with someone who was not seen well by the others, so as not to be marginalized in his or her turn. The situation of the woman is again entirely dependent on the man, since the society would not accept a woman who did not perform her
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is set in rural England, in Longbourn, during the Napoleonic Wars, 1797-1815. The novel centers around the Bennet family, which includes five daughters of marrying age, Jane, the oldest, then Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. It is a story of romance, manners and a comedy of misunderstandings, in 19th century England. The protagonist of the story is the second daughter, Elizabeth, regarded as
Collins provides for her, she'll be pleased. To put a finer point on her situation, one can argue that Charlotte won't be happy per se; she'll be content. Our heroine, however, gets to have her cake and eat it too. Elizabeth winds up with Mr. Darcy who is both wealthy and the man she ends up falling in love with. This is a woman's narrative about weddings after all, and
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now