Zheng Jiayin (10) 5E

Pride and Prejudice --- Theme Analysis

Pride

One of the principal themes explored in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is ‘pride’ itself.

Pride is defined as one’s high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance,

abilities, or superiority, whether as cherished in one’s mind or as displayed in social

conduct. Personal pride usually lends a natural self-assuredness to an individual

when manoeuvring himself around in society.

Another form of pride is known as class pride, which is caused by

preconceived, generalised notions about people in different social classes. The upper

class consists of affluent aristocrats, the middle class is made up of slightly wealthier

workers, and the lower class comprises of workers. Class pride stems from society’s

attitudes and believes, of which belonging to the upper class is considered

advantageous for one in every respect, while members of the lower class are widely

regarded as inferior. There is an overpowering sense of class-consciousness in the

novel, though it is not often stated explicitly, but mostly implied through fashion,

lifestyle, domiciles, possessions, travel experiences and “conversational skills”.

The characters that are shown to be guilty of class pride in ‘Pride and

Prejudice’ belong to the high class society, and among them are Lady Catherine de

Bourgh, Miss Bingley, Mrs Hurst and also Mr Darcy. All of them are well aware of the

distinction of classes in the society, and pride themselves on their social superiority.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh, for example, thinks that her high social ranking

entitles her to an overbearing “self-importance” and “dignified impertinence”, and

that it justifies her dictation to other people. She believes herself to be doing others a

favour and honouring them by simply showing her presence. Being assured of her

social prowess, she is “not used to have her judgment controverted”, and “have not

been in the habit of brooking disappointment” and “submit (submitting) to any

person’s whims”. She expects others to be “reasonable” by being completely

deferential to her, and thoroughly relishes their “excessive admiration”. Also, she

prefers others to maintain their inferiority (“Lady Catherine is far from requiring that

elegance of dress in us”) as “she likes to have the distinction of rank preserved”.

Furthermore, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is guilty of personal pride; she

perceives her self-absorbed impertinence as “the genuine frankness of her

character”, when she sends “abusive” language in way of reply to her nephew’s letter

that announced his marriage to Elizabeth. Due to her prideful thinking, she does not

see her insolence as a defect of her character, but rather as her strength, as she

believes that she possesses the right to display impertinence.

Mr Darcy, too, is guilty of class pride, as well as personal pride. In his first

proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, his strong sense of class-consciousness is

manifested in his “language”. He emphasises on the lack of “reason” in his love for

her, due to her “inferiority of connections” and “family obstacles” which “had long

prevented my (his) forming any serious design”. Due to his pride in his social

superiority, he is confident that these feelings are “natural” and “just”, and does not

see the need to “disguise” them. Also, when he asks for the acceptance of

Elizabeth’s hand, he readily expects a “favourable answer” (“he spoke of

apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security”). Mr Darcy’s

class pride leads him to strongly believe that his higher social status provides him

with the right to impose his own conjecture of Elizabeth responding in the role of a

passive grateful female to his lordly proposal on her. This causes him to react to

Elizabeth’s unanticipated rejection of his proposal and proclamation of his flaws with

indignity and outrage.

However, Mr Darcy does not possess personal pride in a conventional manner.

He projects an appearance of “arrogance” due to his declination to participate in

most social activities, which stems from his refusal to conform to many of society’s

views and personal contempt towards most social rituals and conventions. Even

when he does participate, it is without any inclination of the heart and merely a

“sacrifice to propriety”. It is not surprising then that a society borne of superficial

values would regard him almost immediately as “disagreeable”, “proud” and “above

his company” based on his seeming lack of gentility and display of condescension

towards the middle class. However, Mr Darcy does possess open-mindedness and

humility such that he is able to learn from his mistakes and engage in self-reflection

and evaluation. Although he is proud of his accomplishments, he does not reject

criticism and is capable of change for self-improvement. It is thus evident that Mr

Darcy’s ‘personal pride’ is partially defined by society’s perception of his character,

due to the “forbidding” image he projects.

On the other hand, Mr Collins truly exhibits personal pride through association.

He is proud of his socially advantageous connection to Lady Catherine de Bourgh,

and always peppers his conversations with references to members of the high class

society whom he is associated with. Although his behaviour does not manifest his

arrogance, unlike Mr Darcy, he often compares others to socially superior people

whom he knows, which is a demonstration of true pride. Therefore, Mr Collins’

personal pride is extracted from his socially advantageous connections, and he takes

pride in basking in reflected glory.

Furthermore, Mr Collins prides himself on his display of genteel manners and

etiquette. He boastfully proclaims that he “sometimes amuses myself (himself) with

suggesting and arranging such little elegant compliments as may be adapted to

ordinary occasions”. He believes that his ability to “offer those little delicate

compliments” is a “talent” and a particular of strength of his own. Mr Collins is

exceedingly pompous and delights in listening to his own speeches. The only person

whom he deigns to listen to other than himself is, expectedly, Lady Catherine de

Bourgh. His “very good opinion of himself”, of his “situation in life” and his

“connections with the family of De Bourgh”, as well as his relationship with the

Bennet family, leads him to believe that Elizabeth would undoubtedly accept his offer

of marriage. Even after it has dawned upon Mr Collins that Elizabeth would not have

him, he is still unaware of the misguided nature of his personal pride, and will thus

continue to be guilty of it.

Elizabeth, even with her virtues, is a fallible character who is plagued by moral

frailties, such as pride. She is fully aware of her intellectual superiority to most people

in her society, which fuels her strong conviction in her own judgment of character.

She prides herself on her “discernment” and views herself as having a “more

quickness of observation” as compared to Jane. Also, as she realised about her own

character after reading Mr Darcy’s letter, she has often “disdained the generous

candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity, in useless or blameable distrust”. Being

utterly confident of her assessment of the characters of both Mr Darcy and Mr

Wickham, she is not convinced when Jane attempts to defend the conduct of the

former, and proudly declares, “I beg your pardon; ---one knows exactly what to think.”

Moreover, even though Elizabeth takes pride in her sharpness and reasoning ability,

she fails to observe that Charlotte’s “opinion of matrimony” is very unlike her own;

even after Charlotte remarks that one should put prudence before passion when

securing a marriage, Elizabeth professes that “you (Charlotte) would never act in this

way yourself”. Also, after knowing of Charlotte’s immediate acceptance of Mr Collin’s

proposal of marriage and her active encouragement of it, Elizabeth’s “distressing

conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she

had chosen” demonstrates her pride in her own judgments and views of marriage.

Prejudice

The initial title Jane Austen chose for ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was ‘First

Impressions’, which I believe provides an essential indication of a central concern of

the novel. Many characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ base their judgments of others

solely on first impressions, which can undoubtedly lead to personal prejudice.

Prejudice refers to any baseless or unjustified opinion or feeling, whether favourable

or unfavourable. Personal prejudice may also be reinforced by the mass judgments of

an individual by society.

Another form of prejudice is known as class prejudice, where the overbearing

class pride of people having higher social standing and prowess is founded upon.

Unlike personal prejudice, the collective values of class prejudice are shared by a

group of people, against another group of people. Members of a high class society

would very likely have condescending views of people belonging to lower classes due

to the inferior nature attached to them.

The characters who very clearly exhibit class prejudice in ‘Pride and Prejudice’

are Miss Bingley, Mrs Hurst, Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr Darcy. Their values of

class prejudice can be latched onto an individual as standards of measurement. For

example, all four of them have, at one point, judged either Elizabeth or Jane based on

values of class prejudice.

When Mr Darcy reveals that the very object of his affections is Elizabeth, Miss

Bingley reacts with “astonishment” and makes references to Elizabeth’s “vulgar

relations”. In Netherfield, Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley observe that Jane’s “low

connections” make her less agreeable in the eyes of a potential suitor; a sentiment

which Mr Darcy also heartily grants his assent. Initially, Mr Darcy refuses even to

consider Elizabeth as a dance partner at the Hertfordshire Ball due to his pride and

extreme class-consciousness, which are both founded on class prejudice. Even

though Mr Darcy is gradually “bewitched” by Elizabeth’s personality, he

acknowledges that the “inferiority of her connections” would affect his judgment of

her to some extent and effectively curb his affections. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, too,

believes that Elizabeth’s lack of “family, connections, or fortune” and “importance in

the world” would “disgrace him (Mr Darcy) in the eyes of everybody”, were she to

marry him. Thus, when Elizabeth refuses to yield to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s

imperious demands of her giving promise never to enter an engagement with Mr

Darcy, the latter sees it as a breach of “duty, honour, and gratitude” on Elizabeth’s

part.

However, Elizabeth is guilty of personal prejudice herself. As pride and

prejudice are intimately related in the novel, Elizabeth’s prejudices are rooted in

pride of her own quick perceptions. Elizabeth has an inherent tendency to judge

others hastily and often erroneously based on first impressions, and although her

judgments of figures like Miss Bingley, Mr Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh are

accurate, she has misconstrued impressions of both Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham.

After merely one evening of seeing Mr Darcy, Elizabeth has already passed

judgment on his character as being “haughty” and “forbidding” due to her first

impression of him as “the man who made himself agreeable no where, and who had

not thought her handsome enough to dance with”. Her judgment is also affected by

society’s general sentiments; “His character was decided. He was the proudest, most

disagreeable man in the world”.

Towards Mr Wickham, however, Elizabeth harbours an unfounded favouritism.

Mr Wickham strikes Elizabeth immediately at acquaintance as having a “fine

countenance”, charismatic behaviour and “very pleasing address”. Due to her

favourable first impression of Mr Wickham and his delightful conversational skills

(“the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by

the skill of the speaker”), she believes him to be trustworthy and readily accepts

everything he says. Mr Wickham’s castigation of Mr Darcy’s character serves to

augment her personal prejudice against the latter, as it fortifies her own judgment of

Mr Darcy’s character, though she “had not thought Mr Darcy so bad as this”

previously. After asking Mr Wickham about Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Elizabeth

“allowed that he had given a very rational account”, which also contributes to her

absolute belief in his account of his treatment by Mr Darcy. She is thus “resolved”

against Mr Darcy and for a while takes pleasure in Mr Wickham who is temporarily

“universally liked”.

Mr Wickham is instrumental in Elizabeth’s personal prejudice against Mr

Darcy, as her prejudice towards Mr Wickham serves to further reinforce her deeply

rooted prejudice against Mr Darcy. She questions Mr Darcy harshly whether he has

never allowed himself “to be blinded by prejudice”, without thinking that she may at

that very moment be guilty of prejudging Mr Darcy and allowing prejudice against him

to cloud her judgment. Elizabeth has formed a fixed ‘idea’ of the whole Mr Darcy on

insufficient data, and in believing Mr Wickham’s account of the former --- a pure

verbal fabrication --- she is putting too much confidence in unverified and, as it turns

out, completely false, evidence. Elizabeth’s strong prejudice against Mr Darcy is also

an overriding force which partially results in her rejection of his first proposal of

marriage.

Marriage

In the society of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the need for an “establishment” for

women through marriage is pervasive, and it hinges on social and economic

considerations. Words that suggest number or money, physical size or material value

are used throughout the novel, and when moral and emotional situations are

persistently expressed in economic figures, it is implied that ‘Pride and Prejudice’

portrays marriage as a market. To ensure social elevation and financial security,

society dictates that a woman should always marry up. A potential spouse’s worth is

judged upon first sight by women according to their own mercenary values (“the

report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his

having ten thousand a year”), and he should also abide by the social conventions

which govern every social relation. Most of the men in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ stress on

social “propriety”, “decorum” and “prudence” in their choice of partner for marriage

as well.

However, hypocrisy and conflicting views are present in society’s attitudes

towards marriage. Members of the high class society look down upon the attempts to

marry up by people belonging to lower classes, yet seek to secure matrimonial

partners of higher social status and wealth themselves. Miss Bingley is one such

example; her vested interest in Mr Darcy stems from her own preoccupation with

marrying up. She attempts to gain his attention through feminine wiles, compliance

with all his believes and further dissuasion of Mr Darcy’s burgeoning affection for

Elizabeth (“She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their

supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.”).

Although Mrs Bennet fully adheres to the society’s attitudes towards marriage,

she is at least unabashed and upfront about her desires to marry off her daughters

(“the business of her life was to get her daughters married”), unlike the members of

high class society. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, for example, harbours a strong intent of

marrying her sickly daughter off to Mr Darcy, due to the former’s unlikelihood of being

“presented” to society. She tries to achieve this through dishonourable means of

dictating to Elizabeth, who is a member of middle class society, and stressing on how

it is decorous for Elizabeth to “honour” the engagement between Mr Darcy and her

daughter. Yet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh also demonstrates hypocrisy by despising

Elizabeth whom she perceives as trying to marry up (“upstart pretensions of a young

woman without family, connections, or fortune”).

In the novel, three main types of marriage are presented to the reader ---

marriage for establishment, marriage of passion and marriage of love.

Charlotte demonstrates the complete triumph of conscious calculation over

spontaneous emotion by her decision to marry Mr Collins (“Without thinking highly

either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only

honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however

uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.”).

Charlotte readily admits that she is “not romantic” and asks only for “a comfortable

home” in a marriage. Mr Collins’ company is unequivocally “irksome”, but in her eyes,

the state of marriage, as a “preservative from want”, is much more important than

her actual partner in a marriage. As Elizabeth realises when she visits the couple’s

home, Charlotte will survive by deriving domestic pleasure from caring for the house

and having recourse to selective inattention, screening out as far as possible the

man who provided the house. In the society of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, women have to

obtain “establishment” through marriage, and in allowing social decorum to prevail

over love, Charlotte is only doing what the economic realities of her society --- as Jane

Austen makes abundantly clear --- all but force her to do.

Passion does not equal love, and it is hardly differentiated from folly in the

novel, as it is without reason and thought. Lydia’s elopement is seen as a thoughtless,

irresponsible and selfish act, rather than a grande passion; while Mr Bennet’s

premature captivation by Mrs Bennet’s youth and beauty is “imprudence”. It is only

through Mr Darcy’s efforts to resolve the affair between Lydia and Mr Wickham with

marriage that her virtue and the reputation of her family are precariously and

subsequently preserved. However, the novel shows that the felicity bliss of such a

marriage is unable to last (“His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; hers

lasted a little longer”), which parallels the fate of the marriage between Mr and Mrs

Bennet (“Her father…had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal

mind, had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her”).

In ‘Pride and Prejudice’, an ideal marriage is shown to be a marriage of love.

Love is indeed present in the marriage between Jane and Mr Bingley; however, the

progression of their relationship is not so much affected by their personal growth, but

by the wishes and whims of others. Had Mr Darcy not reassessed his judgment that

Jane is unsuitable for Mr Bingley (“I told him of all that had occurred to make my

former interference in his affairs, absurd and impertinent”), there is a possibility of

the pair not getting married in the end, even though they do have genuine

“attachment” to each other.

However, the marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy is based entirely on

free choice. Such a free choice is not dictated by economic pressure, as Elizabeth

would not settle for anything less than love in a marriage. It is a choice that is based

on more awareness, knowledge and intelligence than Charlotte brings to her calm

but emotionless calculations. Elizabeth comes to feel that the union of herself and

Mr Darcy would have been “to the advantage of both: by her ease and liveliness, his

mind might have softened, his manners improved; and from his judgment,

information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater

importance”. Elizabeth has an intellectual capacity, a dimension of complexity and a

probing awareness that almost make her a solitary figure confined within an

“unvarying” society of simple-minded people. Mr Darcy is capable of appreciating her

intricacy and can effectively rescue her from the constrictions of her life among less

complex people, by offering her more social and psychological space to move around

in through marriage. The beauty of the marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy

thus lies in its ability to demonstrate that it is still possible for individuals to make a

new connection of their own, one which is not made in response to society’s

restricting power but freely made according to the dictates of their judgment, their

reason, and their emotions.

.

Performance and Reflection

In ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the reader is introduced to the idea of ‘performance’.

In a society effectively held together by a series of tacitly acknowledged rituals, every

character has a social role to play, and this idea of the self as a performer is

reinforced by the “presentation” of women in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ to society at an

appropriate age, preferably after the elder siblings’ marriages have been settled. The

social rituals in the novel --- balls, dinners and evening entertainments --- are

ceremonies and celebrations of the values of the community.

While the social rituals and drama display the performing side of oneself, the

reading and writing of letters in retirement from the social scene show one’s

reflective side. In the case of Mr Darcy, his clarification of misconceptions about his

character to Elizabeth is in the form of a letter. The letter allows him to formulate his

thoughts and relate the “truth” in a way that would not be possible in a social setting

where private expressions are restricted by the public modes of communication (“I

was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed”).

A letter can also transmit action into words, which may then be thoroughly reflected

upon in solitude, in a way that is impossible when one is physically involved in the

action.

The novel effectively combines both dramatic and epistolary modes, hence

showing the reader that both performing and reflecting selves are present in the

characters. It is in social performance that Elizabeth reveals all her spirit, liveliness

and wit, as well as her physical attractiveness, whereas it is in private reflection that

she reconsiders her first impressions and resulting judgments of others, re-evaluates

herself and matures mentally and emotionally. As Elizabeth affirms, “reflection must

be reserved for solitary hours”.

The first half of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ provides a series of dramatic

‘performance’ by the characters, but after the scene at Rosings, when the perusal of

Mr Darcy’s letter begins Elizabeth’s movement towards self-recognition (“Till this

moment, I never knew myself”), the novel gradually progresses from performance to

reflection.

However, although all the characters in the novel are role players for much of

the time they spend with other people, there are some who are unaware of this fact

and disappear into their roles, and others who are quite aware that the certain role

they are playing in any particular situation does not mirror their whole self, that they

have layers and facets of character which cannot be shown to society on every

occasion. The former is often incapable of reflection and detachment from his social

roles, while the latter may sometimes wish to disassociate himself with his roles, to

signify his reluctance to be mindlessly confined within those roles.

One such example, Mr Bennet, has become disillusioned about the social

roles he is supposed to perform, and bitterly revels in engaging in ‘role distance’, as a

form of compensation for his familial unhappiness brought about by his unthinking

folly of marrying a physically attractive but intellectually dull woman. He fails to

perform his role as a father, and takes refuge in the ridicule of his wife and in the

library (“I shall be glad to have the library to myself as soon as may be”), detaching

himself completely from the necessary rituals of family and society.

On the other hand, Mrs Bennet, who is incapable of reflection, disappears

completely into her performance. Unfortunately, she does not fully comprehend the

requirements of that performance, and although she values propriety, she fails to

practise it herself. Having “little information”, “mean understanding” and lacking

insight, she is unable to relate to the feelings of others, which is clearly evident when

she berates Elizabeth for not accepting Mr Collin’s marriage proposal. Also, she is

borne of superficiality, being only aware of material objects and her self-imposed duty

of marrying her daughters off. Thus, it does not come as a surprise that all of Mrs

Bennet’s “thoughts” can be “plainly saw (seen)” by Elizabeth.

Mr Collins, preoccupied with every little detail of social decorum, is thoroughly

consumed by performance, and lacks any introspective tendencies. Grotesquely

pompous and polite, Mr Collins does not merely follow social conventions but almost

obsessively draws attention to the fact that he is following them. A grateful guest may

send his host a letter expressing gratitude upon returning to his abode, but Mr Collins

makes a point of telling Mr Bennet explicitly that “you (he) will speedily receive a

letter of thanks”.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh, too, is incapable of reflection, and has never given

thought to the whole significance of her performance. Instead, she thinks that her

social superiority gives her the right to dictate to other people of lower social rank

and impose her “schemes” upon them. As Elizabeth puts it, Lady Catherine de

Bourgh possesses “the mere stateliness of money and rank”. She is wholly absorbed

in her social performance and revels in it.

On the other hand, Mary Bennet views herself as a sage ‘reflector’ before she

has had any social experiences, but when ‘reflection’ greatly precedes performance

in this manner, it is shown to be absurd and pointless for an individual. Being “plain”

in appearance, Mary “worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments” to set

herself apart from her sisters, but her reflection is only superficial, as her interest in

music and morality is shallow. Despite reading extensively, she is only able to recite

moral quotations mechanically without truly gaining human understanding, as she

reads literally without active interpretation. Mary is incapable of understanding her

role in society, and engages in performances which go against social propriety; she is

“always impatient for display” of her imagined accomplishments and snatches at any

opportunity to perform.

Mr Darcy is a truly reflective individual, and is aware of all the implications of

his role in society, at least by the end of the novel. Being contemptuous of most

social rituals and conventions, he distances himself from his role initially, as seen at

the Hertfordshire ball when he slights Elizabeth (“She is tolerable; but not handsome

enough to tempt me”) and only “speaks occasionally to one of his own party”, to

display his scornful disengagement from the social ritual of the moment. However,

unlike Mr Bennet, Mr Darcy is not completely cynical about role-playing, and he is

shown to be able to balance his performing and reflecting selves impeccably by the

end of the novel.

Jane Bennet has a generous perception of and places much importance on

the social roles she has to take on --- daughter, sister, lover, wife --- hence making her

incapable of ‘role distance’. Like Jane, Mr Bingley also strikes one as being both

sensitive and sincere, and his innate good nature extends to a willingness to perform

the roles which are required of him.

Elizabeth is also capable of performing the roles that her familial and social

situations require of her, but she performs many of them satirically, revealing some

aspects of her own personality while implying that there is more to her character that

can ever be expressed in a single role. She is able to distance herself from her role

as a manifestation of her own determined independence, unlike her father’s

skepticism. She is capable of reflection, does not submit blindly to social conventions,

and puts truth to self above truth to role. In two scenes, Elizabeth asserts her free-

choosing self and blatantly refuses to perform the roles which the socially superior

attempt to impose upon her. She refuses to take on the role of a submissive

consenting female in response to Mr Darcy’s first condescending marriage proposal,

which he clearly expects she will, given the “real security” expressed in his

“countenance”. Later, she refuses to play the role of the obliging socially inferior and

give in to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s imperious demands for her to “never to enter

into such an engagement” to Mr Darcy.

It is thus evident that there are at least two different types of characters in

‘Pride and Prejudice’ --- one who is fully defined by and submerged into his role, and

one who is able to see round his role and not lose awareness of himself and what he

is doing.

Personal Growth

As Elizabeth plainly puts it, “People themselves alter so much, that there is

something new to be observed in them forever”. Indeed, personal growth can be

witnessed in some of the more “intricate” characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, but

unfortunately, others are not capable of change.

Mr and Mrs Bennet, for example, are both confined within timeless,

changeless routines --- Mrs Bennet has committed her entire life to endless social

rituals and the task of marrying all her daughters off (“The business of her life was to

get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news”), while Mr Bennet

perpetually detaches himself from society by retreating to his library.

Mrs Bennet, having little intellectual capacity, rationality and borne of “little

information”, is only able to grasp the superficial value of things. Her infantilism and

stubbornness makes her incapable of moral reflection and learning from experiences.

Mrs Bennet’s abrupt swing from extravagant grief when Lydia is discovered to have

eloped with Mr Wickham, to wild happiness when Lydia’s marriage to Mr Wickham is

secured, underlines the instability of a character which can only apprehend the

present moment and accept things at surface value. Being thoroughly unaware of

her own shallowness and shortcomings, Mrs Bennet is incapable of personal

development, and remains “occasionally nervous and invariably silly” at the end of

the novel.

However, Mr Bennet possesses a high intellect and a self-awareness that his

wife lacks, and shows slight repentance towards his negligence as a paternal

authority, after Elizabeth tells him not to be too severe upon himself for the

elopement of Lydia with Mr Wickham. He replies, “No, Lizzy, let me once in my life

feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the

impression. It will pass away soon enough.”

At the same time, however, Mr Bennet is effectively admitting that he has no

intention of changing. Having accurate self-knowledge, his sense of guilt indeed

dissipates soon enough (“When the first transports of rage which had produced his

activity in seeking her were over, he naturally returned to all his former indolence”).

His experiences do not cause a mental change in him, instead, he returns to his

former attitude of indifference. Unlike Mrs Bennet, he is aware of his problem, and

understands what is required of him, but does not possess the moral discipline to

make the necessary exertion. Therefore, like his wife, Mr Bennet is incapable of

personal growth.

Any signification of personal development is not witnessed in Lady Catherine

de Bourgh as well. Her condescending attitude towards people of lower social status

does not undergo any change throughout the novel. After knowing of the marriage

between her nephew and Elizabeth, which contradicted her own wishes of him

abiding by his “planned” engagement at “infancy” to her daughter, Lady Catherine de

Bourgh “gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character”, and in her reply to

Mr Darcy’s letter which “announced its arrangement”, “she sent him language so

very abusive, especially of Elizabeth”.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh is unable to look beyond the class prejudice that

blinds her to the beauty in character of Elizabeth and others of lower social classes,

and is perpetually confined in this restrictive mindset. Although “her resentment gave

way” at the end of the novel, her attitude still remains, and she merely

“condescended” to wait on the couple at Pemberley, “in spite of that pollution which

its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the

visits of her uncle and aunt from the city”. Thus, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is

thoroughly incapable of adjusting her flawed mindset and achieving personal growth.

On the other hand, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are both able to fulfill Elizabeth’s

observation that “people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to

be observed in them forever”, as they, the more “intricate characters” in ‘Pride and

Prejudice’, are capable of change and personal growth. Their progressing relationship

in the novel serves as a learning process for both --- painful and at times humiliating.

In coming to appreciate the hidden depths in Mr Darcy’s character, Elizabeth will

have to confront the superficialities in her own judgment which are unknown to her

before. In recognising Elizabeth’s “liveliness of mind” and her true worth, Mr Darcy

will have to acknowledge the limits of his own. In gaining self-awareness from their

experiences, both of them have to constantly engage in self-reflection and evaluation

before attaining personal growth. Thus, in changing their judgments of each other,

they are in fact changing themselves, and growing as a result.

In the novel, Mr Darcy shows that through his open-mindedness and

willingness to accept Elizabeth’s “reproof” of the flaws in his character, he is able to

reflect upon his faults and effectively undergo change. In the beginning, due to his

strong detestation of social rituals and conventions, Mr Darcy purposely distances

himself from the people at the Hertfordshire ball except for his “own party”, and thus

projects the appearance of “arrogance” and “incivility”. His class-consciousness and

contempt towards Elizabeth’s “inferiority of connections” also prevents him “forming

any serious design” of marrying her for a long period of time. However, he believes

these feelings to be “natural and just”, and refuses to “disguise” them in his first

proposal of marriage to Elizabeth.

After the proposal, Mr Darcy is alerted to the low “estimation” in which

Elizabeth holds him and her absolute abhorrence of his “abominable pride” and

“selfish disdain of the feelings of others”, among many things. It is the recognition of

her true “opinion” of him that sparks a change in Mr Darcy, though it does take some

time for him to be “reasonable enough to allow their (its) justice”. With her words

“had you behaved in a more gentleman like manner” etched deeply in his mind,

Elizabeth’s “reproof” of his uncivil manners has taught him self-awareness. He

begins to recognise the impropriety of his “conduct”, “manners” and “expression”

and the justness of Elizabeth’s criticism, hence bringing himself towards self-

evaluation, and finally a change in behaviour. At the Pemberley grounds where he

meets Elizabeth and her relatives unexpectedly, he is “perfectly well behaved”,

“polite”, “unassuming” and “attentive”, and during his second proposal to Elizabeth,

he admits to being ashamed of his past “behaviour”. Therefore, it is evident that Mr

Darcy is capable of change and personal growth.

Elizabeth, too, is capable of personal development. In the beginning, Elizabeth

has formed a hardened judgment of Mr Darcy as a “proud”, “disagreeable” man

merely based on his insult of her by declining a dance with her and putting her down

as “tolerable” and “not handsome enough to tempt me”, which added on to her

already-present dislike of him due to his lack of gentility displayed through his blatant

refusal to participate in any of the social activities. Elizabeth’s fixed ‘idea’ of the

whole Mr Darcy is also reinforced by Mr Wickham’s denunciation of the former’s

character, and this leads to her wrongly pointing out Mr Darcy’s “defect” as “a

propensity to hate every body” and accusing him of being “unwilling to speak, unless

we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to

posterity with all the éclat of a proverb”. It is thus evident that her coloured judgment

of Mr Darcy has blinded her to his growing “admiration” of her, and causes her to put

his every action and word in a bad light.

However, by an intelligent and just reading of Mr Darcy’s letter, Elizabeth not

only changes her judgment of him, but more importantly, comes to a moment of

intense realisation about herself. ‘How differently did everything now appear in which

he was concerned! ... She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor

Wickham could she think without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced,

absurd. “How despicably have I acted!” she cried; “I, who have prided myself on my

discernment! … Till this moment I never knew myself (my own emphasis).” ‘ The

important thing to note in her speech is that in perceiving her own pride and

prejudice --- notice that she uses both words of herself --- Elizabeth is now beginning

to be free of them. Such an act of recognition about oneself marks the evolution of a

human consciousness. Having shown the capacity to acknowledge her own

fallibilities and misjudgements, Elizabeth is able to take the first step towards self-

evaluation and personal growth. She starts to readjust her previously flawed mindset

by “giving way to every variety of thought --- re-considering events, determining

probabilities”.

However, Elizabeth’s act of recognition is only complete when she has

penetrated Mr Darcy’s house and contemplated the qualities in the face of his

portrait (qualities imparted to some extent by the housekeeper). Her changed

impression of Mr Darcy is reaffirmed by his behaviour when Elizabeth meets him

unexpectedly in Pemberley, and it is at this moment where she thoroughly recognises

his true worth. Therefore, Elizabeth is now able to fully appreciate the interior

qualities of Mr Darcy which had previously been obscured by her coloured judgment,

and has in effect completed her journey of personal growth.