The scene where Mr. Darcy initially proposes to Elizabeth is arguable the most important scene in the novel and is a major turning point. Until this moment, both parties have been repressing their feelings for one another. Although it doesn’t turn out exactly how Mr. Darcy was hoping, this scene airs many if not all of the grievances between the two, and it is during this fight that Mr. Darcy learns everything he did that made Elizabeth lose favor for him. Darcy takes the opportunity to not only explicitly write out to Elizabeth why everything happened how it did, but he goes and does everything in his power to fix the wrongs he did. The scene itself is beautifully written, as is the whole novel, and sets a perfect tone for the moment. There is tons of negative diction throughout the scene. You could look anywhere on the pages and see words with more negative connotations and denotations, but one place where it really sticks out is where Austen explains that “in spite of her [Elizabeth’s] deeply rooted dislike…she was at fist sorry for the pain he was to receive…” and how overcome with anger she is at the whole situation.

As the argument builds, the sentence structure of the dialogue becomes interesting to follow because it is definitely reminiscent and reflective of a real life argument. Longer sentences start off speech paragraphs, as the individuals rapidly argue a major point they have. As these bits of dialogue continue, sentences become shorter and reflect the anger in both characters that is coming out rapidly in different points they have rolling off their tongues. It is also interesting to note that this scene takes place in Mr. and Mrs. Collins’ home, not in any environment that’s particularly comfortable, familiar, or important to either character. Not just this, but it is also the home of a marriage of compromise, not true love. Darcy could not have possibly been set up for worse success than he is in this scene between the context of Elizabeth’s feelings for him, the setting being in such a home, and Austen’s constant use of negative language. However, it is the passion built between all of these things and the characters themselves that eventually drive them together in the end.

Of course, one of the largest themes surrounding Pride and Prejudice is marriage. Marriage is tied to social class, reputation for the families involved, and it appears to be more of something akin to a business transaction rather than a decision made for love and companionship. When Lydia marries Wickham, for example, it was a decision that came about as a result of a mistake. She had to take ownership of it, though, and marry him so as not to damage her family’s reputation. Marriages are often seen as an opportunity to raise a family’s reputation, or to take advantage of the spouse’s money.

One passage that seems to go against all of these presuppositions about marriage’s role in society occurs near the end of the novel, when Elizabeth and her father discuss the prospect of her marriage to Mr. Darcy. Her father wants to ensure that Elizabeth is truly marrying Darcy because she wants to, and not because she feels like she has to. Her father points out that Elizabeth had detested Darcy before. He is sure to outline the positive things that would come with her marrying him, but he then asks, “But will they make you happy?” (Austen 349). Elizabeth then asks him if he has any other objection to their marriage other than her “indifference;” Mr. Bennet replies that he does not. Once she assures him of her love, Mr. Bennet approves their marriage by saying, “If this be the case, he deserves you. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to any one less worthy” (Austen 350).

This scene is one of my favorites because there’s a whole lot of love in it. Mr. Bennet’s love for Elizabeth; Elizabeth’s love for Darcy. It’s a beautiful scene because it focuses on such love rather than the reputation the family would benefit from. While Mr. Bennet does take note of it, it’s not his concern; rather, Elizabeth’s happiness is what he concerns himself with. The line “He deserves you” speaks volumes. Throughout the majority of the novel, a lot of emphasis is put on whether the Bennets deserve the men (and the families) they are trying to marry into. By putting the emphasis on whether Elizabeth deserves Darcy, Mr. Bennet flips that expectation on its head. Even with how important marriage is in maintaining a social reputation, Mr. Bennet would not let Elizabeth go for someone she didn’t deserve. Such reasoning is precisely why he doesn’t force her hand in marrying Mr. Collins, even going so far as to say he wouldn’t speak to her again if she married him. While Mrs. Bennet, and many others, buy into marrying for reputation, Mr. Bennet appears to want the best his daughters’, and Elizabeth’s in particular, happiness rather than their place in society. He seems to be a very progressive character, which would explain why he and Elizabeth get on so well.

Work Cited: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.

Although this was only my first time reading Pride and Prejudice, I can honestly say it has been added to my list of favorites! I somehow have managed to avoid all of the movies and the novel until this point in my life, but I am glad I finally read it! As illustrated by some of my peers’ blog posts, Jane Austen tackles many different aspects of the expectations placed upon women in the 1800’s. One of these reoccurring themes in Pride and Prejudice that greatly impacts Elizabeth as well as the other women around her is the presence, emphasis, and importance of a woman’s reputation.

It is absolutely no secret that women played a much different role in society in this time period than they do today. Although expectations and reputations do still catch up with women nowadays, it was even more important in the time of the novel for women to remain inside their respective roles. Breaking societal norms could entirely make or break a woman’s chance of participating important things such as marriage, and it could bring shame to the entire family. Never marrying would forever burden the family financially and shame could ruin every aspect of their lives. Reputation in terms of social class is also important for marriage prospects. By marrying someone with more money, the reputation of the woman, as well as her family, would increase. But with a poor reputation, this would be impossible to achieve, and the woman’s social class would remain the same or even fall.

The strong impact of a woman’s reputation is illustrated through Lydia’s decision to go with Wickham. When Lydia elopes and lives with Wickham out of wedlock, Austen emphasizes how catastrophic this is for not only Lydia but as well as the other Bennet sisters and the entire family. Elizabeth condemns Lydia’s choice, and she goes as far as to say that “she is lost forever” if she does not marry Wickham. Jane writes to Elizabeth, “Imprudent as a marriage between Mr. Wickham and our poor Lydia would be, we are now anxious to be assured it has taken place, for there is but too much reason to fear they are not gone to Scotland.” Jane wishes for the wedding because it looks a lot worse for Lydia and Wickham to run off unmarried than it does for them to run off married. Jane is conscious of how this decision will impact her and Elizabeth’s futures if the marriage has not happened. By not marrying Wickham and living with him, Lydia challenges social norms, but in a straightforward manner that is not accepted by society at all. It is fine for Elizabeth to challenge female expectations in little ways such as dirtying her skirt or being vocal situations where women normally would be silent, but Lydia’s decision has the potential to create a huge mark on the family reputation. This may not seem like a big deal from today’s viewpoint, but this decision could have pulled the entire family down. A woman truly was as valued as her reputation would allow, and Austen illustrates the weight reputation played on women perfectly. If Darcy had not paid Wickham the money for the wedding, Elizabeth would have been plagued by her sister’s decision, unable to marry well due to the shame it would bring, and the novel would probably have an entirely different ending.

As many scholars have already written and published various works in regards to Austen’s famous novel, it is evident that the story has much to be speculated on. My personal interest in this novel is the loyalty and disloyalty that the family units provide for one another throughout the story.

For the sake of content, I would say that Austen wrote far more examples of familial loyalty rather than disloyalty. One of the first actions readers come across with this is when Elizabeth goes to stay with Jane at Netherfield when Jane fell ill. After reading Jane’s letter to her explaining her illness, Lizzy says, “I shall be very fit to see Jane—which is all I want” (Austen 29). Lizzy knew that her sister was struggling, especially being in a house full of people she wasn’t all too familiar with, so she went to her side immediately. This kind of action shows what Lizzy would do for her sister, out of loyalty and love.

Another character who exhibits great family loyalty is Mr. Darcy. While readers do not get to actually meet his younger sister, Miss Darcy, until closer to the end of the novel, readers are aware of her existence at an early stage of the story. Readers get the sense of how much Darcy helps out his sister when Wickham is telling Lizzy all about his relationship with the Darcy family. Austen writes, “He has also brotherly pride, which, with some brotherly affection, makes him a very kind and careful guardian of his sister; and you will hear him generally cried up as the most attentive and best of brothers” (Austen 76). Here the audience is hearing of someone is thought of as the antagonist to be a loyal family member. This is one of the first pieces of information that the readers get to signify he might be a better person than was originally thought.

Concerning the opposite, disloyalty to your family, Lydia hits the hammer right on the head when she runs away with Wickham toward the end of the novel. Readers are made aware of the situation through a letter that Jane sends to Lizzy while Lizzy is away with her aunt and uncle. In it she writes, “What I have to say relates to poor Lydia. An express came at twelve last night, just as we were all gone to bed, from Colonel Forster, to inform us that she was gone off to Scotland with one of his officers; to own the truth, with Wickham” (Austen 245). As all readers know, they did not end up going to Scotland, and their choice to not marry and stay in London had put the whole family under scrutiny and disgrace. This act, while it may have been naïve on Lydia’s part, was incredibly selfish and therefore disloyal. She clearly was not thinking straight, but she should have thought enough to realize the effect it would have on the entire family.

Austen, Jane, and Carol Howard. Pride and Prejudice. Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.