Pride And Prejudice :: essays research papers

Elizabeth&8217s Pride and Darcy&8217s mischief?Jane Austen&8217s Pride and Prejudice is a timeless social comedy which is both satirical and across-the-board of sentiment. The title refers to the personalities of the two main characters and cues the reader to Austen&8217s broader thematic purport to satirize nineteenth century manners and morals, especially as they stir to courtship and manners. Although both characters contain both these traits, it is mainly Mr. Darcy who exemplifies &8216 self-conceit&8217 turn Elizabeth Bennet exemplifies &8216prejudice.&8217 However, i of the book&8217s many ironies is that the prejudiced Elizabeth thinks it is Mr. Darcy who has the boilersuit prejudiced disposition. Likewise, proud Darcy thinks it is Elizabeth who is most often proud. Through the course of the novel, these characters advance and through each other, discover their own foibles-- Elizabeth is thusly prejudiced and Darcy is indeed proud. Armed with this put upth and height ened moral insight, the couple is rewarded with happiness and fulfillment at the end of the novel. But what if their initial beliefs were correct? Let&8217s imagine that Mr. Darcy&8217s pride and Elizabeth&8217s prejudice were switched within the context of Austen&8217s plot and narrative structure. Could a proud Elizabeth and a prejudice Darcy grow in self-awareness through the circumstances of the novel and gain a demote understanding of human condition? Before Austen allows her characters to have a &8216fairy-tale&8217 ending, they mustiness undergo self-growth. Given Austen&8217s overall view of English sort structure and her empathy towards independent and spirited young women, it would be unlikely that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy would part their differences and grow as human beings.It is Mary, Elizabeth Bennet&8217s younger infant who seems to pinpoint a working definition of &8220pride as it is portrayed in the novel. She says &8220Pride is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convince that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not encourage a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some fibre or other, real or imaginary... Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves... (67) two Elizabeth and Darcy&8217s characters show evidence of pride, yet Austen clearly takes Darcy&8217s pride to an extreme. His character is first introduced at Netherfield Ball-- he quietly keeps to himself, occasionally speaks to one of the upper class, and declines all introductions to any young ladies.