The Bennets attend the ball hosted by Bingley; who is introduced to the sisters, but takes distinct interest in Jane Bennet. This is noticed when Bingley dances with Jane twice. Darcy is introduced by his friend Bingley at the Netherfield ball. He catches Elizabeth’s eye straight away as he is good looking and also because he possesses a large fortune. Bingley persuades Darcy to dance, but as Darcy is not fond of dancing unless he is fully acquainted with his partner he says no. Bingley mentions Elizabeth and asks Darcy to dance with her, but Darcy replies “she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.”(page 11). Darcy also says that Bingley “you are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room” (page 11). Bingley adds to that “Oh! she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld!..”(page 11).
The ball is the main event in the story, as the conversation between Darcy and Bingley in which they speak of Elizabeth is over heard by Elizabeth. Elisa feels that she has been judged and her pride which has been hurt then goes on to judge Darcy.
“PREJUDICE” the word means preconceived opinion. It is an assumption; in this case of what a person is like, it is a negative judgement against someone.
Elizabeth is prejudice against Darcy, as he spoke wrong of her behind her back. The fact that Wickham and Darcy are not really the best of friends escalates her hatred for Darcy, due to the fact Wickham proves him self a better person than Darcy. This hatred of hers forces her to like Wickham, as she thinks that he is the better man.
Chapter 15 is when Lizzy is introduced to Wickham and all the women around him give him a lot of attention, as he is good looking (Wickham is fond of female attention). He meets Lizzy when he has just bought commissions in the militia to gain a higher status, this is where Darcy comes and Elisa notices the tension between the two. Wickham later explains the reason for the enmity between them. Wickhams explanation is that Darcy made him forfeit all the money and property that late Mr Darcy gave to him, as he was jealous of the relationship between late Mr Darcy and Wickham. Elizabeth has remembered something in Darcy and that is that if some one offends or hurts him in any way, he can be very unforgiving (Lizzy brings this up at the second Netherfield ball)
At the second Netherfield ball Lizzy cannot find Wickham and Darcy asks her for a dance. Elizabeth agrees only because she wants to find put more on Darcy and Wickhams not so great relationship. Darcy is drawn to Elizabeth every time he sees her and Elizabeth hates him even more. When dancing very little words are spoken. “For I have always seen a great similarity in the return of our minds” (page 74). By saying this Elisa is being ironic and sarcastic, she is criticising Darcy, but Darcy does not realize and is drawn to “her fine eyes”. She also says to him “and never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice.” She is trying to say that you make mistakes by making judgement on first impressions. In my opinion it is very easy to see someone else’s faults before our own. This is exactly what Elisa is doing, but ironically as she later admits this is her fault to. Elizabeth begins to talk about Wickham she notices a sudden change in Darcy’s body language and his facial impressions. Darcy makes a comment on how Wickham can make friends, but can’t keep them “Mr Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friend - whether he may be equally capable of retaining them is less certain” (page 74). Darcy does not give any other reasons for thing Wickham.
Mr Collins is the cousin of Mr Bennet and all the Bennet’s property will be his when Mr Bennet dies as he is the closest male relative. Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth as Jane is likely to be engaged to Mr Bingley, as hinted by Mrs Bennet. He makes this proposal in chapter 19. Mr Collins at breakfast asks for a private audience with Elizabeth and Mrs Bennet agrees even though Elizabeth doesn’t want to. Mrs Bennet “Oh dear!-Yes-certainly. I am sure Lizzy will be very happy-I am sure she can have no objection.” (page 84). As soon as everyone leaves the room he compliments Elizabeth “your modesty, so far from doing you any disservice, rather adds your other perfections.” I feel that he starts off with this line, so Elisa emotionally breaks down, and accepts his proposal. She is silent after this speech as she finds it comical and she feels that if she says something she might laugh “…his feelings, made Elizabeth so near laughing” (page 84). Mr Collins understands her silence to be a convincing yes and he carries on explaining his reasons for marrying. However after his speech, Elisa rejects his proposal. He is shocked as he considered her silence to be an act “playing hard to get.”
Elizabeth “You are to hasty sir. You forget have made no answer let me do it further loss of time. Accept thanks for the complements you are paying me. I am sensible to do other wise decline them. “Through out the whole of the proposal he did not mention love for Elizabeth. He mentions his reason for this proposal – Miss Jenkinson, who advises him to marry someone with a higher status, so he is not alone. “Mr Collins, You must marry.” – “Chuse properly, chuse a gentlewoman for my sake: and for your own” This relates to Charlotte Lucas’s speech on marriage for love and marriage and just to have a partner. Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth’s decision and her father tells her that “your mother will never see you again do not marry Mr. Collins and I will never see you again if do.” (page 90) Her father supports her decision.
After this Mr Collins marries Charlotte (Lizzy’s friend) and Charlotte invites Elisa to stay at her house in Kent. Jane writes a letter to in which she states that she does not meet Mr Bingley in town. For this Elizabeth suspects Darcy. She suspects Darcy because of Colonel Fitz William (Darcy’s cousin). Fitz William to Elisa “what he told me was merely this that he congratulated himself on having lately saving a friend from the inconvenience of a most imprudent marriage” (page ). In chapter 34 Elizabeth is at home, reading that particular letter from Jane. This is when Darcy enters the room and paces up and down the room, he eventually proposes “… you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire you and love you” (page 147). The anger for Darcy In Elisa suddenly fades away “she lost all compassion in anger” (page 148). But when he comments on the Bennet her anger returns e.g. when Mrs Bennet and Lydia were made at the second Netherfield ball. Mrs Bennet says “what is Mr Darcy o me that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe him no particular civility as to oblige to say anything, he may not hear.” Mrs Bennet thought Mr Darcy would have not heard what she said, but she was wrong. Mr Darcy also comments on Lydia and Kitty’s behaviour. When Elisa asks her mother to lower her voice, Mrs Bennet points out that there is no reason to offend Mr Darcy as she will get no advantage, “you will never recommend yourself to his friend, by doing so.” What she is trying to say is that he will tell Bingley to marry Jane, because the family are bad mannered, so are not suitable. The irony is prophetic, because it is very close to what happens in the chapter. Elizabeth makes it clear that she knows that it was Darcy’s fault Jane did not meet Bingley when she went town. Darcy “I have been good to Bingley more than I have been to myself.” Darcy is saying that he has been good to Bingley as he will not get married in a bad family, whereas if Lizzy accepts the proposal he will be getting married in a bad mannered family. Darcy in my point of view is being a hypocrite. Elizabeth is patiently listening and both are not trying to shoe their feelings e.g. Elisa is furious “She tried however to compose herself to answer him with patience” (page 148). (As Jane Austen is a woman she can write down exactly how Elisa would react in situations, but as Darcy is a man, Jane Austen is not acquainted to his feelings, so she judges him by describing his body language). Elizabeth rejects Darcy’s proposal and he is shocked “Mr Darcy changed colour” (page 149). She made her reasons not to go unnoticed. The first reason was for insulting her at the first Netherfield ball “…insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will…” (page 149). And the words he spoke at the ball which mortified her pride “she is tolerable, but she is not handsome enough to tempt me” (page 11). The second reason being, the interference that took place in Bingley and Jane’s relationship. Darcy did not tell Bingley Jane had come to town to visit him, so the relationship between Bingley and Jane came to an end. Elisa Believes that Darcy had no right to ruin her sister’s love life “…to accept the man who has been the means of ruining, perhaps for ever happiness of a most beloved sister?” (page 149). The third reason Elisa gave was on the injustice done to Wickham “you have deprived the best years of his life of that independence which was no less his due than his desert” (page 150). She also mentions on page 149 that thanks to Wickham she found out what the real Darcy was like “your character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from Mr Wickham.” She says this due to the explanation Wickham gave her about his “misfortunes”. She tells Darcy about these so called “misfortunes” of Wickham, and blames it all on him. Darcy replies contemptuously “his misfortunes!”-“yes, his misfortunes have been great indeed.”(page 150). After Elizabeth’s speech Darcy cried “and this,” “is your opinion of me.”
Darcy had been shocked by Elizabeth’s view and after apologising “he hastily left the room” (page 151). After leaving Darcy goes home and writes a letter to Elisa explaining “his faults” and everything else that he has done so far according to Elizabeth. Elizabeth receives the letter and “With no expectation of pleasure, but with the strongest curiosity” (page 152) she opens it. “This cannot be! This must be the grossest false hood!” (page 159). This is the reaction of Elisa after reading Darcy’s letter. She can’t believe she trusted Wickham and his phoney explanation. She realised that Wickham is such a shrewd man, he tried to elope with Darcy’s sister, Georgina, just to get her £32,000 and she was just 15 years of age. In my opinion Darcy was right to hate Wickham. “She perfectly remembered everything that passed in the conversation between Wickham and herself” (page 161). This means that many of the expressions were still fresh in her mind. After reading Darcy’s letter Elisa changes her attitude towards Darcy in a positive way and towards Wickham in a negative way, as she now knows the truth. “How differently did everything now appear in which he was concerned” (page 161). Now Elizabeth sees everything clearly, it is like the clouds have moved away and the clear sky is visible. Everything seems different as the curtains have risen revealing the real Wickham and his lies. “She grew absolutely ashamed of her self of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think without feeling had been blinded; partial prejudice, absurd” (page 162). She is thinking of her first response to the letter, which in actual was resentment and anger. She now understood that she was quick to judge others, she saw their errors, before her own. She is ashamed of herself for being prejudice against Darcy. “He declared himself to have been totally unsuspicious of her sister’s attachment; and she could not help remembering what Charlotte’s opinion had always been”. It was not Darcy’s fault, Jane did not give any signs that she liked Bingley; Darcy was just trying to save his friend from pain. Charlotte had said that a woman should not conceal her affections “Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on.” She remembered Charlotte saying to he that Jane should show Bingley that she likes him too. “Yet merited reproach, her sense of shame was severe. The justice of the charge struck her too forcibly for denial” (page 162-163), she realises that she and Darcy are exactly the same. “Till this moment I never knew myself”, she realizes the mistakes she has made.
Pride and prejudice affects Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship. Pride is the sense of superiority and satisfaction within a person and if a person is proved wrong or someone has said something about the too great opinion that they have of them selves, then it hurts their pride. And if their pride is hurt, their sense of superiority leads them to make a fast biased preconceived opinion against that someone. This is exactly how Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship is affected. Pride was the obstacle in their relationship, Elisa’s pride was hurt and she became prejudice against Darcy. Prejudice emotionally blinded Elisa; therefore she couldn’t see the real Darcy.
After reading Darcy’s letter, Elisa realises her mistakes and she now knows that she was quick to judge others. Since she is no more blinded by her pride, she can see the clear picture of Darcy, Darcy who is now the better man. After reading his letter she changes her opinion about Darcy in a positive way as she knows the truth.
Edition: Penguin Popular Classics – Pride and Prejudice
