Influence of Other Characters on the Transformation of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice
In "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, readers witness the profound transformation of the protagonist. Although the drastic changes are largely due to the character's self-propelled growth, the influences of other characters play a key role in igniting the permanent metamorphoses.
This essay analyzes the two most influential characters in "Pride and Prejudice" and Elizabeth's self-realization. We are working under the presumption that two other characters serve as catalysts to boost the final changes of the protagonist.
Elizabeth's transformation and growth are greatly attributed to two other characters; namely Darcy and Wickam. At first Elizabeth notably concentrates on Darcy's conceited attitude and on Wickam's pleasing manners. As the story unfolds, the prejudices against Darcy and for Wickam are to face profound reversals. While Darcy's real identity, which is not that arrogant, is being revealed to Elizabeth, she is ushered into the darker side of Wickam. In the process of this remarkable revelation, Elizabeth obtains the reconfiguration of her attitude from prejudice-ridden to broadened perspective. In figuring out the specific process, Dar...
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...t things may be opposite. This suspicion is strengthened when Wickam shows uneasiness about her stay at Rosings(175). On the heels of her subtle change of attitude toward Darcy, she visits Pemberly where Darcy lives and comes to hear about Darcy through the housekeeper as follows: "I have never had a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old"(183).
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996.
Fritzer, Penelope Joan. Jane Austen and Eighteenth-Century Courtesy Books. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1997.
Fowler, Karen J.Introduction. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen: The Complete Novels. By Jane Austen. New York: Penguin, 2006. 211-421. Print.
Southam, B.C., (ed.), Jane Austen: The Critical Heritage. Landon, NY: Routledge & Kegan Paul - Barres & Nobel Inc., 1968.
Characters in Pride and Prejudice and The Rape of the Lock are necessary tools in establishing satire within the stories. Austen uses a range of different character types in order to highlight the absurdity of society. For example, Elizabeth Bennet differs greatly from her other sisters and young ladies of Hertfordshire because h...
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet’s journey to love and marriage is the focal point of the narrative. But, the lesser known source of richness in Austen’s writing comes from her complex themes the well-developed minor characters. A closer examination of Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s dear friend in Pride and Prejudice, shows that while she did not take up a large amount of space in the narrative, her impact was great. Charlotte’s unfortunate circumstances in the marriage market make her a foil to Elizabeth, who has the power of choice and refusal when it comes to deciding who will be her husband. By focusing on Charlotte’s age and lack of beauty, Austen emphasizes how ridiculous and cruel marriage can be in this time.
Works Cited Austen, Jane. A. Pride and Prejudice. Norton Critical 3rd edition, ed. Donald Gray. New York and London: Norton, 2001.
Wright, Andrew H. "Feeling and Complexity in Pride and Prejudice." Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1966. 410-420.
which was a barrier in her plan of obtaining Mr. Darcy. This is observed in a fragment of a
Darcy begins to reexamine his corrupt tone, motives, and the consequential end result of his proposal. In reviewing this, he has a change of heart and proceeds to assist in the reunion of Jane and Mr. Bingley and in the locating of Lydia from Wickham. Through these generous actions, Mr. Darcy proves he does care deeply about Elizabeth and his feelings for Elizabeth are true. Proposing a second time, Mr. Darcy completely changes his approach and therefore hopes for a different outcome. This second proposal catches Elizabeth off guard, yet she does have a more docile reaction than she did to the first proposal. Mr. Darcy’s true love for Elizabeth shines through in the sincere and loving tone of his proposal. Also, he apologizes to Elizabeth for his former arrogance, extreme pride, and rudeness in his prior proposal. Not only does his tone shift, he now has a new set of motives to support his proposal. Mr. Darcy explains to Elizabeth how fervently he loves her and how he does not care about money or social status as much as his love for her. Unlike the last proposal, he is not sure of what her answer will be, but this only causes the proposal to be more sincere. Mr. Darcy also does not want to pressure Elizabeth into marriage, so he tells her, “‘If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever.’” (314). She then informs
Darcy, the illusion that Mr. Wickham had built surrounding himself was now shattered: “How different did everything appear in which he was concerned.” Elizabeth now realizes her mistakes, which her prejudice was built and hopefully will never fall for such deceit again. Mr. Darcy is not the only one who is haughty, Elizabeth’s pride takes a massive blow after reading the letter, “she grew absolutely ashamed.” Realizing her mistakes will make Elizabeth grow as a person as she realizes how despicable she was, and has learned from her mistakes. Elizabeth had always thought she had the perfect judgement, but in fact she was horribly blind: “Till this moment I never knew myself.” Elizabeth now sees that she has flaws and it got in the way of her judgement rendering it blind. It is in maturity that people see their flaws; now Elizabeth has to make sure the same mistakes does not happen again. It was only after her prejudice of Mr. Darcy was finally gone that Elizabeth realized her true feelings towards him: “She explained what it’s [the letter] effect on her had been, and how gradually all her former prejudice has been removed.” After reading the letter, Elizabeth was able to realize her flaws as a character and grow into maturity and because of that she was able to see her true feelings about Mr.
Introduced to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a tall, handsome, self-absorbed aristocrat, Darcy experiences a change in personality and character. In order to dispose of his existent views on money and marriage, Darcy needed to feel something, to fall in love. Although he was well mannered, he did not know how to treat women with respect, especially those of a lesser economic status. The love of Elizabeth Bennet, however, changed his behavior.
Many villains are portrayed as unappealing characters, but the most evil of them are the ones with the beautiful appearances and contrastingly ugly nature. One of Wickham’s many unpleasant attributes is his deceitfulness. Once he sees that Elizabeth has been captured by his looks and that she knows Fitzwilliam Darcy, his nemesis, he uses lies to turn her against the man that took away his opportunity to seize a portion of the Darcys’ large fortune.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has emphases on how characters are perceived by the world they live in. Mr. Darcy is an unpopular and misunderstood character who is the symbol of pride throughout the novel. Mr. Wickham is a charismatic soldier who is perceptive of those around him and capitalizes on his knowledge. Throughout the novel similarities and differences between characters are highlighted. Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy grew up together, yet Mr. Darcy is known for having a disagreeable countenance and a large sense of pride and Mr. Wickham is more charming, charismatic, and socially well-versed. In the fourth chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth says “It does not necessarily
2 Feb. 2010. Moore, Catherine E. “Pride and Prejudice.” Master Revised Second Edition (1996): Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. The Web.
Kneedler, Susan. "The New Romance in Pride and Prejudice." Literature Resource Center. Gale, 1993. Web. 11 Mar. 2011.