Conflicts Between Darcy and Wickham

• This adds to the drama of the novel as Elizabeth is greatly affected by Darcy’s affair and also this story adds to Elizabeth’s prejudice.  Elizabeth was blinded by her prejudice and takes Wickhams word for what had happened.  She is determined to hate Darcy.

Later on, in Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth in chapter 35 we find out the truth about Wickham.

• Darcy’s father had paid for Wickham to go to Cambridge University and hoped to provide him with a career in the church.
• Darcy had to give Wickham a living and a legacy of £1000
• Wickham wrote to Darcy and informed him that he had no intention of following a career in the church.
• Darcy gave him a further £1000
• Then Darcy gives Wickham a further £3000 and he spends it on unworthy things.
• They don’t see each other for 3 years and Wickham returns wanting his career in the church. Darcy refuses.
• Money is a big issue as Darcy pays off all of Wickhams debts.

• This adds to the novel as Elizabeth has now realised her prejudice towards Darcy and is now ashamed of what she felt.  From this point Elizabeth’s attitudes towards Darcy begin to change.

Wickham’s relationship with Georgiana Darcy.

• Wickham had persuaded Georgiana to elope with him thinking she was in love with him.  
• This was Wickhams way of getting revenge on Darcy
• Wickham would have exploited her as her income was £30,000
• Before they could elope Georgiana tells Darcy of the elopement and Darcy puts an end to the relationship.

• This adds to the novel as we see Wickham is greedy for money and corrupts young girls.  This is a contrast to the fact that he was going to elope with Georgiana and does elope with Lydia.
• Also the fact that Elizabeth doesn’t warn her family about Wickhams character earlier on, she feels distressed about this.

Pride and Prejudice is a comic novel; the marvelous ironic opening sentence sets the tone, outlines the plot and states the underlying theme of social criticism: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." A blunt restatement of this sentence would read, "it is an acknowledged truth in our particular society that a single woman without a fortune must need a husband who has one." In the world of this novel, marriage is a market, and the young women are its merchandise