Darcy and Lizzie’s relationship is the strongest, one based on opposites, where he is rich but she is poor, he is reserved with his feelings where as she is open to tell them, he is intense and serious, and Lizzie has a “lively, playful disposition”. But within this there is an understanding of themselves and each other. Her feelings for Mr Darcy are more based on physical attraction along with a mutual chemistry. This shows an alternative view to Lizzie’s sister Lydia and her good friend Charlotte Lucas, which is rather superficial.
By: Nick Thorogood
At first Lizzie does not want to fall at his feet just because he is rich. Early on Darcy knows he is attracted to Lizzie but this goes against everything he wants to feel. He does not want to like her because he feels she is beneath him, because her family has no money and “low connections”. This became obvious at the scene of the party where he refused to dance with her stating “She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me…” His biggest critic is Mrs Bennet who “Quite detests him”.
When Darcy, fascinated and attracted to Lizzie in spite of his “better judgement”, chooses to propose, he makes clear to her that he is battling with his feelings. He tells Lizzie that he finds crossing the class divide difficult, and tells her he doesn’t want to like her, but cannot help himself or stop himself from wanting to propose. She refuses his proposal at first believing him preposterous. And Darcy realises that there are factors in male – female relationships that class and fortune cannot dictate.
When Jane falls ill at Netherfield Lizzie visits hr traipsing through muddy fields and rainy weather to get there. She is ridiculed by the Bingley sisters for being in such a state but receives added attention from Darcy making the Bingley sisters jealous. Lizzie somewhat brushes off this attention.
Whilst at first Lizzie believes Darcy encouraged Bingley to break his relationship with Jane. She comes to realise gradually that he didn’t do this and he is not all bad. She realises that her first impression of Darcy’s “Pride” was, well “Prejudiced” because her judgement was clouded by his superior status. However, when she visited his Pemberley Estate in Derbyshire, she fell in love with it and began to find even more that Darcy was a good man. Her opinion of him changes from “…I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine” to a similar opinion of his maid - “The best man I have ever known.” Mr and Mrs Gardener regard him highly after meeting him a few times describing him “all ease and Friendliness” with “no false dignity”.
Jane and Bingley have a love relationship based on a genuine, true affection. They are very stable, although Bingley has some problems with Jane’s low connections. They are similar in character and mannerisms. The indifference they display is mutual and neither of them want to rush into marriage. Throughout the novel Lizzie urges Jane to stay with Bingley but not be too forward. After all they had only met a few times. This contradicts Charlotte Lucas’s who criticises Jane on being “too guarded and self-controlled, and believes she will risk losing Bingley if she doesn’t encourage him more.”
Mr Collins proposal to Lizzie tells a factual point about how hard it was for women of the Bennet sisters’ class, with low connections to find a good husband. Although this was a serious matter Mr Collins comes off as being rather comical. Mr Collins is the man who was entailed to receive Longbourn Manor. This is because Mr and Mrs Bennet have no sons, and the estate would go to the next male in the family, which was Mr Collins.
Mr Collins is somewhat strange, and undesirable. His views on marriage are rather ironically like Charlotte Lucas’s – That a woman with no connections wouldn’t get
By: Nick Thorogood
another chance at a rich husband. Which is why he doesn’t believe Lizzie when she turns his marriage proposal down. He believed Lizzie was jokingly rejecting him saying, “that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes a refusal is repeated a second or even a third time.” Lizzie soon shoots this remark down by telling him “You could not make me happy, and I am convinced I am the last woman in the world who could make you so”.
When Mrs Bennet got new of the refusal went to her husband for support in believing Lizzie stupid. Mr Bennet does not oblige to this support in fact she opposes her. He puts a choice before her – “An unhappy alternative is before you from this day, Elizabeth. From this day on you must be a stranger to one of your parents. – Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.” And that was the end of the matter.
The irony spoken of earlier, refers to the incident of the Mr Collins’ proposal to Charlotte Lucas, and her acceptance. It is Ironic because they have similar views on reasons for marriage. Charlotte’s to “show more affection than she feels…make the most of every half hour” to secure a good, rich husband, “ and there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses”. This coincides with Mr Collins in that he believes his “ Situation in life” and “connection with the family of de Bourgh” along with his general fortune he almost believes any young lady would find him irresistible. This was partially the case with Charlotte Lucas. No sooner has Mr Collins finished being rejected by Lizzie he proposes and gets accepted by Charlotte. She has done Lizzie a favour in accepting but also achieved her ultimate goal in securing a financial future, with good connections. This shows their different views on marriage. It became evident that Charlotte took a sacrifice for her friend, from the way she talked about being happy for Mr Collins’ interest in gardening, which got him out of the house.
Mr and Mrs Bennet’s marriage was one built on passion of the moment. This had fizzled out and doesn’t prove to be strong grounds for marriage. He has grown to lose all respect for her. Mrs Bennet comes off as quite fickle, and she will let anything she feels be known by everyone. And Mr Bennet takes every opportunity to ridicule this, in a sarcastic way. Mrs Bennet mentions in the novel that she had beauty in her youth but seems dismayed as she talks of this. This lustful, passion of the moment marriage didn’t seem very strong or stable, which drove Mr Bennet to his library. Austen flags this fact out quite obviously that she does not believe in these types of marriages and would prefer a marriage built on strong foundations herself.
Lydia and Wickham’s marriage is another lustful, passion of the moment marriage. They’re elopement brought shame to the Bennet family. Running away with a man was considered one of the worst things you could do. Wickham had no intention of marrying Lydia as she was not very attractive, not very rich and had low connections. This is the weakest relationship as Wickham is untrustworthy and a described by Darcy as a “scoundrel”. The marriage would not last, as Wickham had to be paid off to marry Lydia. Mr Gardener and Darcy paid off Wickham, a considerable amount, to bring Lydia some happiness but also to lift the shame of Lydia’s elopement.
By: Nick Thorogood
This book is a parody of the battle between the lower gentry of merry England and the slightly higher class as they each search for love, but each is hindered by pre-conceived Prides' and 'prejudices' of other social classes. The main protagonist, Lizzie Bennett, manages to overcome her mother's objections to the pomposity and design of her long-time adversary, Mr Darcy, and find true love. The book is full of minor characters that all marry for the wrong reasons. Charlotte for status; Lydia for sex and Mrs Hirst for money. But the Bennett sisters are manipulated by Austen to marry for the only thing worth marrying for ... love.
