Pride and Prejudice {blog 3}

In the next section of Pride and Prejudice that I have read, I believe the most important part would be the fact that Mr. Darcy has proposed marriage to Elizabeth. The entire novel adds up to this moment because I think that subconsciously both characters are completely in love with each other but are either too full of their pride or prejudice (yes Mattie, I did say it again… acca believe it! Haha) to actually profess their love for one another.

I found it to be very interesting that Mr. Darcy took back all the things that he said about Elizabeth and admitted to sabotaging the relationship shared by Mr. Bingley and Jane. It was undoubtedly extremely difficult for him to confess all these things to Elizabeth as he probably has never been told what to do in his entire life, and that is just not in his character to do so. “His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.” But I think in doing so, something clicked in him that he has never felt before, the want and need for a woman just like Elizabeth.

Back in those days I am told that marriage was more of a contract between a man and woman, more political than emotional if you will, and love was just this “added bonus”. Do you remember Elizabeth was supposed to marry Mr. Collins because he was in the best position to support her and the rest of her family. Yet Elizabeth was a rebel of her time and knew that even though this guy was well off, his creeper status just ruined the entire package. So with this in mind, I think that a major aspect of this novel would be the effect of love or even the prospect of love over time. I say this because nowadays if you love someone you will probably marry them given time and age etc. But back then it was such a different story, you could love someone but (this is really harsh to say it this way) if there not wealthy or able to support you and a family then your love is probably all for nothing.

I can support this idea when later in this section Lydia Bennet decides to run away with Mr. Wickham. Every member of her family member freaks out because they think that he is not a suitable match for her and in running away with him, Lydia has sacrificed the reputation of the family name. Eventually when Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet leave to London to find her, the mother decides that it is better Lydia get married to him than to nobody at all. Which makes no sense to me because who would want to marry a liar? So in the end Lydia marries Mr. Wickham mostly just because her mother fears that no one else would come for her.

With everything that has happened so far, I think that the author Jane Austen wanted to illustrate the way people can change over an extended period of time. All of the characters are either falling in love or falling away from it and I’m interested to see what happens now between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth after the first offer of engagement.