Even if there had been any chance of Elizabeth agreeing to marry Mr Collins these chances were abolished by his next insulting comments on her and his reasons for proposing marriage, ‘… But before I am run away with by my feeling on this subject, perhaps it will be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying- and moreover for coming to Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife, as I certainly did.’ The narrative explains how Elizabeth is amused by this explanation of his proposition and he continues, thus explaining his reasons for marrying Elizabeth. Firstly that he ‘thinks it a right thing for every clergyman… to set the example of matrimony in his parish.’ Secondly that he was ‘convinced it will add very greatly’ to his happiness. His last reason for marrying which he makes obvious in his opinion the most important, ‘that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness.’ Elizabeth was far from flattered by his insulting proposal and she felt it ‘absolutely necessary to interrupt him now.’ Needless to say she goes on to reject his proposal, although Mr Collins does not accept it and makes the suggestion that she is merely teasing him and will accept if he asks again. She however assures him of her feelings and again refuses to marry him much to her mothers despair.
The second proposal from Mr Darcy is far more abrupt than that from Mr Collins and even more insulting to Elizabeth and her place in society. She this time is the one who is oblivious to Mr Darcy’s growing feelings toward her, ‘“In have I struggled it will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”’ Elizabeth’s astonishment ‘was beyond expression’, throughout the whole of the novel she had thought him cols and disagreeable, but now he was telling her of his affections for her. However, I think that it is the way that he not only tells Elizabeth how he has been trying not to love her, but also in his next speech insulting her status, ‘He spoke well but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed… His sense of inferiority- of its being degradation- of the family obstacles which judgement had always opposed his inclination…’ Elizabeth was shocked, however she realised what marrying a man of such consequence would do for both her and her family, ‘In spite of deeply-rooted dislike, she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man’s affection… till, roused to resentment by his subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger.’ Elizabeth, unlike many other women of the time, was only ever going to marry for love, however any small affection she had for Mr Darcy was wiped out by this comment- she hated being made to feel inferior and of a lower social class, which is exactly what Darcy does best.
Mr Darcy goes on talk of his ‘apprehension’ and ‘anxiety’ over his feelings fore Lizzy, which again shows how he did not want to love her, simply because of her connections. Elizabeth then stops him by starting her refusal. It is clear to me as a reader how insulting it must be to hear what Darcy was saying about her, however for a woman in her financial position in life she would be expected to accept any proposal she was given but to be asked to marry a man who is so much higher than her social status would have been a huge compliment in those times. Anyone that the extremely eligible Mr Darcy had proposed to would have been expected to accept, ‘As he said this, she could easily see that he had no doubt of a favourable answer… Mr Darcy… seemed to catch her words with no less resentment than surprise.’ I can see that Mr Darcy should have been surprised when Elizabeth did not accept his proposal simply because of his wealth, not because of her feeling toward him. After her refusal Lizzy clearly feels an obligation to find out what truly happened when Mr Bingley left Netherfield and also of his dealings with Mr Wickham. Both of there behaviours in this scene would have been unacceptable for the times; both Mr Darcy’s rudeness and Lizzy’s forthright attitude would have been very uncommon in those socially restrained days.
In both of these proposals Elizabeth acts in a way that is wholly improper considering the social etiquette of those times and how a woman ‘should behave’. Women were ‘supposed’ to be meek, gentle and passive creatures, which is everything opposite to how lizzy behaves during both of these proposals. Both of these refusals would have been surprising replies to two very eligible men. As a reader I never had any doubt that Lizzy would refuse any proposal from Mr Collins, however I can see the sense of the times in marrying for financial gain considering women’s rights and constraints. The two proposals are different in the fact that one could never be accepted and the other would be sensible financially. However, I think that they are both very similar in the way that neither emphasises their love or admiration of Elizabeth, but merely highlights her and her family’s social position and ends up insulting he far more than the compliment of a proposal.
