Pride and Prejudice Essay

Both pride and prejudice are flaws, which are easily contracted. In November of 1797 Jane Austen’s novel titled First Impressions was rejected from being published. In 1812 she revised the novel, and accurately titled it Pride and Prejudice. This title better suited the book because the two protagonists of the novel are affected by these qualities. Elizabeth Bennet, the main female protagonist, judges her acquaintances based upon selective information, and she is proud when these judgments are correct. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the main male protagonist, is disliked because of his proud behavior. As the novel progresses the love between these to characters becomes what cures them of these bad habits. Pride and Prejudice is the most suitable title for this novel because it directly relates to the relationship between the two most important characters, whereas First Impressions only connects to Elizabeth’s prejudiced attitude towards others.

            Pride is the major fault of Mr. Darcy’s character, and it is this pride that initiates Elizabeth’s prejudice towards him. At the ball in the opening scene of the novel Darcy establishes his character with this rude comment, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 13). This is Mr. Darcy’s first interaction with Elizabeth, and it establishes his pride. He dances very little at the ball, and this offends most of the people attending it. This instance is what makes Elizabeth then think of Darcy as “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (15).

            Elizabeth’s prejudice develops further as the novel progresses. She selectively chooses to believe only the information that supports her initial judgments. When Elizabeth first meets Mr. Wickham, she is attracted to his handsome features and agreeable attitude. She becomes inclined to believe his story about Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth searches for negative information on Mr. Darcy, and she is pleased whenever she acquires any. When Mr. Wickham tells his false tale that ruins Mr. Darcy’s name, she believes all that he says because Elizabeth is prejudiced against Mr. Darcy. She is entertained and fascinated by this rumor because Elizabeth takes pride in the accuracy of her initial prejudice. C. S. Lewis describes the situation that is occurring with Elizabeth in Mere Christianity: “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others” (Lewis 121). Elizabeth does not recognize the pride she has within herself because she is too occupied noticing it in Mr. Darcy as a result of her prejudice towards him.                                                                                                                                                                         Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s feelings change after his proposal to her. Darcy states that it was hard for his love to overcome the many obstacles it had to face, such as his love would result in a very imprudent marriage on his part. Elizabeth, though offended that he insulted her family “could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man’s affection” (Austen 179). This shows that Elizabeth yet again has pride in the fact that she has inspired love in Mr. Darcy, despite her hatred for him. Elizabeth states that she would still deny him even if Mr. Darcy had “behaved in a more gentleman-like manner” (182). This phrase stays with Mr. Darcy and causes him to realize how they way he acted came across as proud. Elizabeth denies Mr. Darcy on the grounds that he ruined the happiness of Jane and Mr. Wickham.                                                In order to set the situation straight, Mr. Darcy writes a letter to Elizabeth. He justifies his motives for both offences that Elizabeth accuses him of. It is from this point on that these two characters begin to fall in love. It is ironically Elizabeth’s prejudice that causes her to fall in love with Mr. Darcy. This is because after reading the letter, Elizabeth realizes the error of her judgment, and she feels guilty for having judged him unfairly. This also takes away Elizabeth’s pride in her prejudice, because she realizes it was not as precise as she thought. Now that the other issues have been resolved, the only quality in Mr. Darcy, which Elizabeth dislikes, is his pride, and this issue is too resolved.                                                                                                                        After Elizabeth’s comment regarding Mr. Darcy’s behavior, he begins to change. She no longer sees him as the arrogant man she initially thought him to be. By the end of the novel Darcy states that Elizabeth is the cause for this change in him: “You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased” (343). Mr. Darcy is made aware of his pride by Elizabeth’s prejudice towards him, and once he is aware of it he is able to end it. Mr. Darcy’s pride was the last fault that Elizabeth could find in him, and now that he has been freed of it, she falls in love with him. The two protagonists exhibited pride and prejudice, and they were cured of these qualities by each other, thus resulting in their love.

            It is apparent that the title of this novel should indeed be Pride and Prejudice. Had the title of this book been First Impressions it would only be half as effective as the book’s current title. The first impressions that are made upon Elizabeth do not incorporate what is occurring with Mr. Darcy, the main mail protagonist, or any of the other characters. Nowhere in the novel does it describe the first impressions of Elizabeth on the other characters. This title lacks in comparison to Pride and Prejudice, which tells the story of the two main characters, and how their love grew, all within two main qualities.

            Both pride and prejudice play large roles in the novel, which is why they are the only two suitable words for the title. Mr. Darcy’s initial pride inspires the prejudice of Elizabeth. Whenever Elizabeth’s prejudice is correct, she takes pride in it. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth in a proud manner offending her family, she rejects him, and this makes Darcy aware of his pride. Then, when Elizabeth realizes that her prejudice is incorrect because of the letter from Mr. Darcy, she no longer takes pride in it, and stops being prejudice. Elizabeth falls in love with Darcy because he was able to eliminate his proud mannerisms, and Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth because she treated him differently then all of the other women who attempted to court him, through her prejudice. These two qualities flow through the novel between the two main characters, and they cure each other of them. Pride and Prejudice is the correct title because it encompasses how their love came to be with only three words.

Wickham

Mr. Wickham is the lying gambler, whose only goal in marriage is to acquire a fortune.

            Wickham lies constantly through out the novel. His most prominent lie involves the evils that he claims Mr. Darcy has done to him. Wickham begins his lying from the moment he first speaks to Elizabeth about this matter by saying, “I have no right to give my opinion” (Austen 75). Wickham then goes on to explicitly give his opinion on Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth fell victim to Wickham’s lies, and would not marry Darcy because she believed that he “deprived [Wickham of] the best years of his life of that independence which was no less his due than his desert” (190). When Mr. Darcy explains the situation truthfully to Elizabeth, Wickham’s deceitful nature is recognized. Wickham’s interest for money is demonstrated when his attention turns from Elizabeth to Miss King the moment he learns that she has inherited a large sum of money. Knowing that Wickham’s motivation for marring is primarily mercenary, everyone is surprised when he is engaged to Lydia, who is far from rich. Mr. Darcy learns that Wickham, being the greedy man that he is, had no intention of marrying Lydia. Darcy had to bail Wickham out of his many gambling debts, and pay extra money for him to marry Lydia.

            Wickham is a tiger that preys upon the innocent minded. The women in the novel are his prey. He deceives them with lies, and the prejudiced Lizzy, optimistic Jane, and foolish Lydia believe these lies. Once the truth is realized his true nature as a weak cat is revealed. He is a pathetic gambler who requires the help of the pride leader, Mr. Darcy, to bail him out of trouble.

            Wickham was a traitor to his good friend Darcy, as Benedict Arnold was a traitor to America.

Jane

Jane is the beautiful oldest daughter, in a less than fortunate family, who is blinded from the evils of others by her tremendous optimism.

            The two major qualities that Austen exerts on Jane are her beauty and her optimism. Jane’s beauty is even acknowledged by the critical Mr. Darcy: “You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room” (Austen 13). This was the only compliment that was made by Mr. Darcy the entire night. This shows that Jane is beautiful enough even to gain a compliment from the most pessimistic man in the room at the time. Darcy’s initial pessimism is greatly contrasted by Jane’s blind optimism. Jane, even after hearing about the dispute between Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy, refuses to believe in the evil of others. Even when Jane hears of what Mr. Wickham has done to Lydia, she is still able to find good in the situation: “But I am willing to hope the best, and that his character has been misunderstood. Thoughtless and indiscreet I can easily believe him, but this step (and let us rejoice over it) marks nothing bad at heart” (254). She is hopeful enough to think that since her family is not rich, Wickham must truly care for Lydia. Jane’s severe optimism is a dangerous flaw that could lead her into pain.

            Jane is a fawn, whose beauty is only surpassed by her innocence. Jane is raised in a society in which she must learn to protect herself from the dangers of others. Mr. Wickham could be considered a hunter, attracted by the beauty of the fawn, but once he realizes that the coat of this fawn is not as shiny as he wishes, he will move on to another. The fawn is only tamed by Bingley, the buck, whose good nature, and large dwelling are able to protect the fawn.

Jane’s optimism and beauty are to her what innocence and loveliness are to Snow White.

P& P # 15 4/9: 16- END

“You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased” (343).

            Darcy makes this proclamation after he and Elizabeth share their true feelings for each other, and they enter into a conversation with explains all of their past actions. The book is accurately titled Pride and Prejudice, because Darcy and Elizabeth respectively exhibited these traits.

            Elizabeth was prejudiced against Darcy from their first meeting. She was inclined to believe every piece of negative gossip she heard against his name. The incident with Mr. Wickham is an example of this prejudice. Lizzy’s prejudice is contrasted by Jane’s blind optimism. Jane wanted to see the good in Darcy, and was actually correct that Darcy did have some good qualities.

            After reading Darcy’s letter, Elizabeth realized that two of the major reasons for her dislike of him were justified. From this moment on she begins to fall in love with Darcy because she now realizes how prejudiced she was. The only other quality left in Darcy that she dislikes is his pride.

            Earlier in the novel when Elizabeth and Darcy were at Netherfield they had a chance to examine each other’s characters. In this conversation Darcy states that “pride–where there is a real superiority of mind­–pride will always be under good regulation” (56). This ironic comment forces Elizabeth to turn away in order to hide her laughter. She has observed his pride since the moment she met him. Darcy is able to notice his pride, which he blames upon his wealthy upbringing.

             The title of the book is an accurate one because the two main characters each possessed one of the qualities in it. They were also able to cure each other of these bad habits, and were united in love. Elizabeth’s prejudice was cured by Darcy’s justified actions, and Darcy’s pride was cured by Elizabeth’s negative attitude towards his proud personality.

In the end of the novel what does Lady Catherine do as a result of the marriage of her nephew?

A. She only approves of the marriage only out of curiosity to see how Lizzy behaves as a wife

B. She approves completely

C. She never talks to Darcy again

D. She encourages her daughter to marry another man

P& P #14 4/8: 13-15

“I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected to me” (332).

            This quote is Elizabeth bravely standing up to the haughty authority of Lady Catherine. She informs Elizabeth that she heard a rumor about Mr. Darcy wanting to marry her, but dismisses it as false. She thinks Mr. Darcy would not be so foolish as to marry a low class girl such as Elizabeth.

            Elizabeth stands up to her authority, and insults her. This is symbolic of Elizabeth disagreeing with the entire society. Lady Catherine believes that people should marry only to stay at their upper level in class, but never to move down. Lady Catherine follows what the society dictates, and Elizabeth rebels against this, showing that she does not value marriage in the say ways that the rest of the society of this time period do.

Lady Catherine would like Mr. Darcy to marry:

A. Miss de Bourgh

B. Elizabeth

C. Jane

D. Lydia

P& P# 13 4/7: 10-12

“His understanding and opinions all please me; he wants nothing but a little more liveliness, and that, if he marry prudently, his wife may teach him. I thought very sly; he hardly ever mentioned you name” (302).

            This is a quote from Mrs. Gardiner’s letter to Elizabeth. This letter is a response to one that Elizabeth inquiring about the details of Darcy being at the wedding. Mrs. Gardiner explains that Mr. Darcy helped the marriage to work out. This may be out of love for Elizabeth, and her feelings are very confused after she reads the letter. This is because she was certain that there was no hope of Darcy ever loving her again.

            After Darcy first proposed, he stated in his letter how severe the circumstances were that suggested that a marriage between him and Elizabeth was imprudent. This was even before the incident with Lydia and Wickham, after which Elizabeth was sure that there could no longer be a relationship between her and Mr. Darcy.

            Now she has once again been given hope even after all that has occurred, which would suggest Darcy to find a more prudent marriage.

Which of these circumstances inhibited the probability of a marriage between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy the most?

A. The Entail of Longbourn

B. Miss de Bourgh

C. The marriage of Lydia

D. Jane’s relationship with Bingley

P& P #12 4/6: 7-9

“Into one house in this neighbourhood they shall never have admittance. I will not encourage the imprudence of either, by receiving them at Longbourn” (288).

            Mr. Bennet stands up to his wife and proclaims that he will not permit Lydia or Wickham to stay at Longbourn. This is because he is strongly opposed to the marriage. He states that he does not wish to encourage the imprudence in either Lydia or Wickham. He has observed this imprudence in Lydia long before she decided to marry Wickham: “Lydia will never be easy till she has exposed herself in some public place or another” (216). This instance occurred when Elizabeth was conversing with her father about Lydia traveling to Brighton. Mr. Bennet recognizes that Lydia, is indeed very foolish, but he is not willing to pass up and opportunity to rid Longbourn of her presence. He allows her to go to Brighton and she is able to make a fool of herself there. Mr. Bennet has always known Lydia to make foolish decisions, so allowing her to travel to Brighton was a bad idea. She foolishly falls in love with Mr. Wickham, and now she is not allowed to return home, as a punishment from her father. Knowing her nature, Mr. Bennet should have foreseen that something like this would happen.

 

Why does Mr. Wickham love Lydia?

            A. Her beauty

            B. She is related to Elizabeth

            C. Her fortune

            D. Her agreeable manners

P& P #11 4/3: 3-6

“So imprudent a match on both sides! But I am willing to hope the best, and that his character has been misunderstood. Thoughtless and indiscreet I can easily believe him, but this step (and let us rejoice over it) marks nothing bad at heart. His choice is disinterested at least, for he must know my father can give her nothing” (254).

            Even in Jane’s letter to Elizabeth regarding the events with Lydia and Wickham, Jane is still able to find some good in the situation. Jane observes that, Mr. Wickham knows the financial status of Lydia’s family, so he must not be marrying for mercenary values. Jane’s optimism finds in Wickham a possibility for virtue. However, this is a foolish attempt to better Mr. Wickham’s values.

            When Jane opened the letter from Darcy, she learned the truth about Wickham. She realized that his “attentions to Miss King were […] solely and hatefully mercenary” (195). She also recognizes that there could only be two reasons for Mr. Wickham to fancy her. The first is that he could have “been deceived with regard to her fortune” (195). The second is that he may have “been gratifying his vanity by encouraging the preference which she believed she had most incautiously shown” (195).

            In the case of Elizabeth either of these cases could have been true, but concerning Lydia, the reason for his actions is obvious. Wickham certainly knows that a marriage with Lydia offers no monetary benefits, so it is clear that these happenings with her are only for his own vanity, as Elizabeth observed. He, being vain, enjoys inspiring affection and sympathy for himself in others.

Jane’s optimism is contrasted by what characteristic in Elizabeth?

A. Hatred

B. Prejudice

C. Honesty

D. Loyalty

Huck Versus Tom

Even two completely different people can become best friends. The friendship that is shared between Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is one that crosses the boundaries of immense disparities. Huck and Tom regard each other as best friends despite their great differences. These differences originate from the dissimilar influences acting upon them. The mid-1800’s southern town that Huck and Tom were raised in was one major influence that was shared between them. Huck was also influenced by his father, who was a drunk, and he lived outside of society for much of his life because of his father. These two contradictory influences that act on Huck cause him to formulate his own opinion on what is right, and this can be seen in the way he treats Jim. When deliberating over whether to do right or wrong, Huck decided “to always do whichever came handiest at the time” (Twain 104). Tom, who is civilized in Huck’s opinion, tends to follow what he has read in books, and learned about in school. He often does things that Huck does not understand, and justifies them by saying that they are simply the way things are done. Huck, because of the opposite influences acting upon him, formulates his own opinion, and Tom, having corresponding influences, follows the direction of these influences.

            Huck hated his life at the widow’s house, and claimed that he did not want to be civilized. He disliked the fact that he had to eat at a table, and sleep on a bed. He was much more accustomed to life with his father, but Huck was forced to adapt to his situation. He eventually began to adopt some of the ideas that he was learning from this society. One of these ideas is prayer, which Miss Watson attempts to explain to him. Huck, at first, misunderstands the concept, and as the novel progresses he begins to grasp it more. Huck is told that he can pray for anything, and decides to pray for material things. When his prayers go unanswered, he is confused and begins to think that prayer only works for a certain kind of people. Huck, being raised by his father does not know anything about prayer, and sees no need to pray.

            The influence that Huck’s father had on him was the opposite of that which society had on him. When Huck’s father comes to the widow’s house to talk with him, Huck becomes confused with what he wants for himself. He has already complained about being civilized, and wanted to be free again. Then, when his father talks with him, he decides that he would go to school just to spite his father. Huck is eventually taken to live in the woods again with his father. Huck is forced to listen to his father’s racist comments against free blacks, and his rants about the government. Huck then escapes the cabin, and is freed from the influence of his father. Huck is torn between the influences of his recluse father and his town. This confusion eventually leads Huck to make a decision.

            Once Huck escapes from all influence, he decides to follow neither the advice of his father, nor society. He chooses to formulate his own opinion on what is right and what is wrong. Huck’s resolution to create his own ideas is seen with the issue of Jim’s freedom. Huck had many opportunities to turn Jim in, but he never does. The influence from both his father and the widow would tell him to turn Jim in, and yet Huck does not. This is because the ideas that have been implanted in him by his father and society so often contradict each other, that Huck decides to cast them all away. If Huck attempted to follow one of the influences, the other would contradict it. Huck’s decision to make his own policies can be seen when he writes a letter to Miss Watson, in which he confesses that he is with Jim. Huck could only think of all the times when Jim called him his best friend like this one: “Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now” (101). Huck cannot turn Jim in because he now regards him as an equal and a friend. Huck then decides to listen to no one, and this is clearly seen when he rips up the letter and says, “All right, I’ll go to hell” (228). From this point on, it is apparent that Huck no longer wishes to follow what he has been taught by anyone.

            Tom Sawyer is the exact opposite of Huck in the way he deals with his influences. Tom, unlike Huck, completely accepts everything he is taught. Instead of formulating his own ideas about the world, he bases his ideas off what he has read, and he would never dare to question them. He never questions what he has been taught because he has never known anything else. Huck is surprised when Tom agrees to help free Jim, and this is seen when Huck says, “Tom sawyer fell, considerable, in my estimation. Only I couldn’t believe it. Tom Sawyer a nigger stealer!” (240). Huck knows Tom to have a good upbringing, so he is shocked when Tom agrees to help. At the end of the novel, Jim is found to have been free the entire time, and Tom knew this. This only shows that Tom follows what he has been taught. Tom would not have agreed to help free Jim if he did not know that Jim was free in the first place. Freeing Jim would go against everything Tom has been taught. Since Jim is already free, he is willing to help, thinking of it as an adventure

            Tom’s conformity to what he has been taught is seen in his plan to free Jim. This is evident when Huck cannot understand why they simply cannot let Jim out of the window, and Tom responds by saying, “Why, hain’t you ever read any books at all?–Baron Trenck, nor Casanova, nor Benvenuto Chelleeny, nor Henri IV., nor non of them heroes?” (253). Tom attempts to model his escape plan for Jim after various books he has read. He is very concerned with doing things the way they are supposed to be done. He gets this idea of how things are supposed to be like from what he has been taught. Tom even recognizes the differences between himself and Huck when he says, “a body ain’t got no business doing wrong when he ain’t ignorant and knows better. It might answer for you to dig Jim out with a pick, without any letting-on, because you don’t know no better; but it wouldn’t for me because I do know better” (260). Tom deems Huck’s confusion with his plans as ignorance. Tom believes that he knows better, so things should be done his way. He even does this to the point where he gets shot, and is happy about it because it is an adventure. Tom risks the safety of himself, Huck and Jim in trying to follow what he has been taught. Huck accurately describes Tom when he says, “He was always just that particular. Full of principle” (260). Tom only lives by the principles he has learned because he knows nothing else, unlike Huck, who knows two very different ways of living.

            Huck and Tom are two very different individuals because of the influences they receive, and how they go about dealing with them. Huck is torn between society, and his father, who is an outcast. In society, because of the widow and Miss Watson, he is taught about prayer and goes to school. He is eventually taken away from this society by his father, who instills his racist, and drunken ideals into Huck. Huck makes a choice to follow neither of these influences, and this is seen in the choice he makes to treat Jim as an equal. Everything that Huck has been taught goes against equal rights for blacks, and yet he is able to decide to befriend Jim because the two influences contradicted each other so much, that they confused Huck to the point where he chose to disregard them. Tom is similar to Huck because they have both been taught in the same town, but the difference is that Tom only has the influence of the town acting upon him. Tom does not know of any other values, so he takes what he has learned to be absolutely correct and true. Huck’s mind was a battleground for two different types of morality, and this caused Huck to stop trying to decide who was winning the battle, and make his own morality. Tom’s mind was only filled with one way of living, so there was no reason for him to stray from it. Huck saw how varied the world was in its ideals, so he decided to create his own, but Tom could never see outside of the society that he lived in and the books that he read because that was all he ever knew.