Theme Analysis of 'Pride and Prejudice' by Zheng Jiayin [PDF]

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Zheng Jiayin (10) 5E

Pride and Prejudice --- Theme Analysis

Pride One of the principal themes explored in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is ‘pride’ itself. Pride is defined as one’s high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, abilities, or superiority, whether as cherished in one’s mind or as displayed in social conduct. Personal pride usually lends a natural self-assuredness to an individual when manoeuvring himself around in society. Another form of pride is known as class pride, which is caused by preconceived, generalised notions about people in different social classes. The upper class consists of affluent aristocrats, the middle class is made up of slightly wealthier workers, and the lower class comprises of workers. Class pride stems from society’s attitudes and believes, of which belonging to the upper class is considered advantageous for one in every respect, while members of the lower class are widely regarded as inferior. There is an overpowering sense of class-consciousness in the novel, though it is not often stated explicitly, but mostly implied through fashion, lifestyle, domiciles, possessions, travel experiences and “conversational skills”. The characters that are shown to be guilty of class pride in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ belong to the high class society, and among them are Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Miss Bingley, Mrs Hurst and also Mr Darcy. All of them are well aware of the distinction of classes in the society, and pride themselves on their social superiority. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, for example, thinks that her high social ranking

entitles her to an overbearing “self-importance” and “dignified impertinence”, and that it justifies her dictation to other people. She believes herself to be doing others a favour and honouring them by simply showing her presence. Being assured of her social prowess, she is “not used to have her judgment controverted”, and “have not been in the habit of brooking disappointment” and “submit (submitting) to any person’s whims”. She expects others to be “reasonable” by being completely deferential to her, and thoroughly relishes their “excessive admiration”. Also, she prefers others to maintain their inferiority (“Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us”) as “she likes to have the distinction of rank preserved”. Furthermore, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is guilty of personal pride; she perceives her self-absorbed impertinence as “the genuine frankness of her character”, when she sends “abusive” language in way of reply to her nephew’s letter that announced his marriage to Elizabeth. Due to her prideful thinking, she does not see her insolence as a defect of her character, but rather as her strength, as she believes that she possesses the right to display impertinence. Mr Darcy, too, is guilty of class pride, as well as personal pride. In his first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, his strong sense of class-consciousness is manifested in his “language”. He emphasises on the lack of “reason” in his love for her, due to her “inferiority of connections” and “family obstacles” which “had long prevented my (his) forming any serious design”. Due to his pride in his social superiority, he is confident that these feelings are “natural” and “just”, and does not see the need to “disguise” them. Also, when he asks for the acceptance of Elizabeth’s hand, he readily expects a “favourable answer” (“he spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security”). Mr Darcy’s

class pride leads him to strongly believe that his higher social status provides him with the right to impose his own conjecture of Elizabeth responding in the role of a passive grateful female to his lordly proposal on her. This causes him to react to Elizabeth’s unanticipated rejection of his proposal and proclamation of his flaws with indignity and outrage. However, Mr Darcy does not possess personal pride in a conventional manner. He projects an appearance of “arrogance” due to his declination to participate in most social activities, which stems from his refusal to conform to many of society’s views and personal contempt towards most social rituals and conventions. Even when he does participate, it is without any inclination of the heart and merely a “sacrifice to propriety”. It is not surprising then that a society borne of superficial values would regard him almost immediately as “disagreeable”, “proud” and “above his company” based on his seeming lack of gentility and display of condescension towards the middle class. However, Mr Darcy does possess open-mindedness and humility such that he is able to learn from his mistakes and engage in self-reflection and evaluation. Although he is proud of his accomplishments, he does not reject criticism and is capable of change for self-improvement. It is thus evident that Mr Darcy’s ‘personal pride’ is partially defined by society’s perception of his character, due to the “forbidding” image he projects. On the other hand, Mr Collins truly exhibits personal pride through association. He is proud of his socially advantageous connection to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and always peppers his conversations with references to members of the high class society whom he is associated with. Although his behaviour does not manifest his arrogance, unlike Mr Darcy, he often compares others to socially superior people

whom he knows, which is a demonstration of true pride. Therefore, Mr Collins’ personal pride is extracted from his socially advantageous connections, and he takes pride in basking in reflected glory. Furthermore, Mr Collins prides himself on his display of genteel manners and etiquette. He boastfully proclaims that he “sometimes amuses myself (himself) with suggesting and arranging such little elegant compliments as may be adapted to ordinary occasions”. He believes that his ability to “offer those little delicate compliments” is a “talent” and a particular of strength of his own. Mr Collins is exceedingly pompous and delights in listening to his own speeches. The only person whom he deigns to listen to other than himself is, expectedly, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. His “very good opinion of himself”, of his “situation in life” and his “connections with the family of De Bourgh”, as well as his relationship with the Bennet family, leads him to believe that Elizabeth would undoubtedly accept his offer of marriage. Even after it has dawned upon Mr Collins that Elizabeth would not have him, he is still unaware of the misguided nature of his personal pride, and will thus continue to be guilty of it. Elizabeth, even with her virtues, is a fallible character who is plagued by moral frailties, such as pride. She is fully aware of her intellectual superiority to most people in her society, which fuels her strong conviction in her own judgment of character. She prides herself on her “discernment” and views herself as having a “more quickness of observation” as compared to Jane. Also, as she realised about her own character after reading Mr Darcy’s letter, she has often “disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity, in useless or blameable distrust”. Being utterly confident of her assessment of the characters of both Mr Darcy and Mr

Wickham, she is not convinced when Jane attempts to defend the conduct of the former, and proudly declares, “I beg your pardon; ---one knows exactly what to think.” Moreover, even though Elizabeth takes pride in her sharpness and reasoning ability, she fails to observe that Charlotte’s “opinion of matrimony” is very unlike her own; even after Charlotte remarks that one should put prudence before passion when securing a marriage, Elizabeth professes that “you (Charlotte) would never act in this way yourself”. Also, after knowing of Charlotte’s immediate acceptance of Mr Collin’s proposal of marriage and her active encouragement of it, Elizabeth’s “distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen” demonstrates her pride in her own judgments and views of marriage.

Prejudice The initial title Jane Austen chose for ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was ‘First Impressions’, which I believe provides an essential indication of a central concern of the novel. Many characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ base their judgments of others solely on first impressions, which can undoubtedly lead to personal prejudice. Prejudice refers to any baseless or unjustified opinion or feeling, whether favourable or unfavourable. Personal prejudice may also be reinforced by the mass judgments of an individual by society. Another form of prejudice is known as class prejudice, where the overbearing class pride of people having higher social standing and prowess is founded upon. Unlike personal prejudice, the collective values of class prejudice are shared by a group of people, against another group of people. Members of a high class society

would very likely have condescending views of people belonging to lower classes due to the inferior nature attached to them. The characters who very clearly exhibit class prejudice in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ are Miss Bingley, Mrs Hurst, Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr Darcy. Their values of class prejudice can be latched onto an individual as standards of measurement. For example, all four of them have, at one point, judged either Elizabeth or Jane based on values of class prejudice. When Mr Darcy reveals that the very object of his affections is Elizabeth, Miss Bingley reacts with “astonishment” and makes references to Elizabeth’s “vulgar relations”. In Netherfield, Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley observe that Jane’s “low connections” make her less agreeable in the eyes of a potential suitor; a sentiment which Mr Darcy also heartily grants his assent. Initially, Mr Darcy refuses even to consider Elizabeth as a dance partner at the Hertfordshire Ball due to his pride and extreme class-consciousness, which are both founded on class prejudice. Even though Mr Darcy is gradually “bewitched” by Elizabeth’s personality, he acknowledges that the “inferiority of her connections” would affect his judgment of her to some extent and effectively curb his affections. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, too, believes that Elizabeth’s lack of “family, connections, or fortune” and “importance in the world” would “disgrace him (Mr Darcy) in the eyes of everybody”, were she to marry him. Thus, when Elizabeth refuses to yield to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s imperious demands of her giving promise never to enter an engagement with Mr Darcy, the latter sees it as a breach of “duty, honour, and gratitude” on Elizabeth’s part.

However, Elizabeth is guilty of personal prejudice herself. As pride and prejudice are intimately related in the novel, Elizabeth’s prejudices are rooted in pride of her own quick perceptions. Elizabeth has an inherent tendency to judge others hastily and often erroneously based on first impressions, and although her judgments of figures like Miss Bingley, Mr Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh are accurate, she has misconstrued impressions of both Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham. After merely one evening of seeing Mr Darcy, Elizabeth has already passed judgment on his character as being “haughty” and “forbidding” due to her first impression of him as “the man who made himself agreeable no where, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with”. Her judgment is also affected by society’s general sentiments; “His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world”. Towards Mr Wickham, however, Elizabeth harbours an unfounded favouritism. Mr Wickham strikes Elizabeth immediately at acquaintance as having a “fine countenance”, charismatic behaviour and “very pleasing address”. Due to her favourable first impression of Mr Wickham and his delightful conversational skills (“the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker”), she believes him to be trustworthy and readily accepts everything he says. Mr Wickham’s castigation of Mr Darcy’s character serves to augment her personal prejudice against the latter, as it fortifies her own judgment of Mr Darcy’s character, though she “had not thought Mr Darcy so bad as this” previously. After asking Mr Wickham about Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Elizabeth “allowed that he had given a very rational account”, which also contributes to her absolute belief in his account of his treatment by Mr Darcy. She is thus “resolved”

against Mr Darcy and for a while takes pleasure in Mr Wickham who is temporarily “universally liked”. Mr Wickham is instrumental in Elizabeth’s personal prejudice against Mr Darcy, as her prejudice towards Mr Wickham serves to further reinforce her deeply rooted prejudice against Mr Darcy. She questions Mr Darcy harshly whether he has never allowed himself “to be blinded by prejudice”, without thinking that she may at that very moment be guilty of prejudging Mr Darcy and allowing prejudice against him to cloud her judgment. Elizabeth has formed a fixed ‘idea’ of the whole Mr Darcy on insufficient data, and in believing Mr Wickham’s account of the former --- a pure verbal fabrication --- she is putting too much confidence in unverified and, as it turns out, completely false, evidence. Elizabeth’s strong prejudice against Mr Darcy is also an overriding force which partially results in her rejection of his first proposal of marriage.

Marriage In the society of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the need for an “establishment” for women through marriage is pervasive, and it hinges on social and economic considerations. Words that suggest number or money, physical size or material value are used throughout the novel, and when moral and emotional situations are persistently expressed in economic figures, it is implied that ‘Pride and Prejudice’ portrays marriage as a market. To ensure social elevation and financial security, society dictates that a woman should always marry up. A potential spouse’s worth is judged upon first sight by women according to their own mercenary values (“the

report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year”), and he should also abide by the social conventions which govern every social relation. Most of the men in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ stress on social “propriety”, “decorum” and “prudence” in their choice of partner for marriage as well. However, hypocrisy and conflicting views are present in society’s attitudes towards marriage. Members of the high class society look down upon the attempts to marry up by people belonging to lower classes, yet seek to secure matrimonial partners of higher social status and wealth themselves. Miss Bingley is one such example; her vested interest in Mr Darcy stems from her own preoccupation with marrying up. She attempts to gain his attention through feminine wiles, compliance with all his believes and further dissuasion of Mr Darcy’s burgeoning affection for Elizabeth (“She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.”). Although Mrs Bennet fully adheres to the society’s attitudes towards marriage, she is at least unabashed and upfront about her desires to marry off her daughters (“the business of her life was to get her daughters married”), unlike the members of high class society. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, for example, harbours a strong intent of marrying her sickly daughter off to Mr Darcy, due to the former’s unlikelihood of being “presented” to society. She tries to achieve this through dishonourable means of dictating to Elizabeth, who is a member of middle class society, and stressing on how it is decorous for Elizabeth to “honour” the engagement between Mr Darcy and her daughter. Yet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh also demonstrates hypocrisy by despising

Elizabeth whom she perceives as trying to marry up (“upstart pretensions of a young woman without family, connections, or fortune”). In the novel, three main types of marriage are presented to the reader --marriage for establishment, marriage of passion and marriage of love. Charlotte demonstrates the complete triumph of conscious calculation over spontaneous emotion by her decision to marry Mr Collins (“Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.”). Charlotte readily admits that she is “not romantic” and asks only for “a comfortable home” in a marriage. Mr Collins’ company is unequivocally “irksome”, but in her eyes, the state of marriage, as a “preservative from want”, is much more important than her actual partner in a marriage. As Elizabeth realises when she visits the couple’s home, Charlotte will survive by deriving domestic pleasure from caring for the house and having recourse to selective inattention, screening out as far as possible the man who provided the house. In the society of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, women have to obtain “establishment” through marriage, and in allowing social decorum to prevail over love, Charlotte is only doing what the economic realities of her society --- as Jane Austen makes abundantly clear --- all but force her to do. Passion does not equal love, and it is hardly differentiated from folly in the novel, as it is without reason and thought. Lydia’s elopement is seen as a thoughtless, irresponsible and selfish act, rather than a grande passion; while Mr Bennet’s premature captivation by Mrs Bennet’s youth and beauty is “imprudence”. It is only through Mr Darcy’s efforts to resolve the affair between Lydia and Mr Wickham with

marriage that her virtue and the reputation of her family are precariously and subsequently preserved. However, the novel shows that the felicity bliss of such a marriage is unable to last (“His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; hers lasted a little longer”), which parallels the fate of the marriage between Mr and Mrs Bennet (“Her father…had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her”). In ‘Pride and Prejudice’, an ideal marriage is shown to be a marriage of love. Love is indeed present in the marriage between Jane and Mr Bingley; however, the progression of their relationship is not so much affected by their personal growth, but by the wishes and whims of others. Had Mr Darcy not reassessed his judgment that Jane is unsuitable for Mr Bingley (“I told him of all that had occurred to make my former interference in his affairs, absurd and impertinent”), there is a possibility of the pair not getting married in the end, even though they do have genuine “attachment” to each other. However, the marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy is based entirely on free choice. Such a free choice is not dictated by economic pressure, as Elizabeth would not settle for anything less than love in a marriage. It is a choice that is based on more awareness, knowledge and intelligence than Charlotte brings to her calm but emotionless calculations. Elizabeth comes to feel that the union of herself and Mr Darcy would have been “to the advantage of both: by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have softened, his manners improved; and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance”. Elizabeth has an intellectual capacity, a dimension of complexity and a probing awareness that almost make her a solitary figure confined within an

“unvarying” society of simple-minded people. Mr Darcy is capable of appreciating her intricacy and can effectively rescue her from the constrictions of her life among less complex people, by offering her more social and psychological space to move around in through marriage. The beauty of the marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy thus lies in its ability to demonstrate that it is still possible for individuals to make a new connection of their own, one which is not made in response to society’s restricting power but freely made according to the dictates of their judgment, their reason, and their emotions. .

Performance and Reflection In ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the reader is introduced to the idea of ‘performance’. In a society effectively held together by a series of tacitly acknowledged rituals, every character has a social role to play, and this idea of the self as a performer is reinforced by the “presentation” of women in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ to society at an appropriate age, preferably after the elder siblings’ marriages have been settled. The social rituals in the novel --- balls, dinners and evening entertainments --- are ceremonies and celebrations of the values of the community. While the social rituals and drama display the performing side of oneself, the reading and writing of letters in retirement from the social scene show one’s reflective side. In the case of Mr Darcy, his clarification of misconceptions about his character to Elizabeth is in the form of a letter. The letter allows him to formulate his thoughts and relate the “truth” in a way that would not be possible in a social setting where private expressions are restricted by the public modes of communication (“I

was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed”). A letter can also transmit action into words, which may then be thoroughly reflected upon in solitude, in a way that is impossible when one is physically involved in the action. The novel effectively combines both dramatic and epistolary modes, hence showing the reader that both performing and reflecting selves are present in the characters. It is in social performance that Elizabeth reveals all her spirit, liveliness and wit, as well as her physical attractiveness, whereas it is in private reflection that she reconsiders her first impressions and resulting judgments of others, re-evaluates herself and matures mentally and emotionally. As Elizabeth affirms, “reflection must be reserved for solitary hours”. The first half of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ provides a series of dramatic ‘performance’ by the characters, but after the scene at Rosings, when the perusal of Mr Darcy’s letter begins Elizabeth’s movement towards self-recognition (“Till this moment, I never knew myself”), the novel gradually progresses from performance to reflection. However, although all the characters in the novel are role players for much of the time they spend with other people, there are some who are unaware of this fact and disappear into their roles, and others who are quite aware that the certain role they are playing in any particular situation does not mirror their whole self, that they have layers and facets of character which cannot be shown to society on every occasion. The former is often incapable of reflection and detachment from his social roles, while the latter may sometimes wish to disassociate himself with his roles, to signify his reluctance to be mindlessly confined within those roles.

One such example, Mr Bennet, has become disillusioned about the social roles he is supposed to perform, and bitterly revels in engaging in ‘role distance’, as a form of compensation for his familial unhappiness brought about by his unthinking folly of marrying a physically attractive but intellectually dull woman. He fails to perform his role as a father, and takes refuge in the ridicule of his wife and in the library (“I shall be glad to have the library to myself as soon as may be”), detaching himself completely from the necessary rituals of family and society. On the other hand, Mrs Bennet, who is incapable of reflection, disappears completely into her performance. Unfortunately, she does not fully comprehend the requirements of that performance, and although she values propriety, she fails to practise it herself. Having “little information”, “mean understanding” and lacking insight, she is unable to relate to the feelings of others, which is clearly evident when she berates Elizabeth for not accepting Mr Collin’s marriage proposal. Also, she is borne of superficiality, being only aware of material objects and her self-imposed duty of marrying her daughters off. Thus, it does not come as a surprise that all of Mrs Bennet’s “thoughts” can be “plainly saw (seen)” by Elizabeth. Mr Collins, preoccupied with every little detail of social decorum, is thoroughly consumed by performance, and lacks any introspective tendencies. Grotesquely pompous and polite, Mr Collins does not merely follow social conventions but almost obsessively draws attention to the fact that he is following them. A grateful guest may send his host a letter expressing gratitude upon returning to his abode, but Mr Collins makes a point of telling Mr Bennet explicitly that “you (he) will speedily receive a letter of thanks”.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh, too, is incapable of reflection, and has never given thought to the whole significance of her performance. Instead, she thinks that her social superiority gives her the right to dictate to other people of lower social rank and impose her “schemes” upon them. As Elizabeth puts it, Lady Catherine de Bourgh possesses “the mere stateliness of money and rank”. She is wholly absorbed in her social performance and revels in it. On the other hand, Mary Bennet views herself as a sage ‘reflector’ before she has had any social experiences, but when ‘reflection’ greatly precedes performance in this manner, it is shown to be absurd and pointless for an individual. Being “plain” in appearance, Mary “worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments” to set herself apart from her sisters, but her reflection is only superficial, as her interest in music and morality is shallow. Despite reading extensively, she is only able to recite moral quotations mechanically without truly gaining human understanding, as she reads literally without active interpretation. Mary is incapable of understanding her role in society, and engages in performances which go against social propriety; she is “always impatient for display” of her imagined accomplishments and snatches at any opportunity to perform. Mr Darcy is a truly reflective individual, and is aware of all the implications of his role in society, at least by the end of the novel. Being contemptuous of most social rituals and conventions, he distances himself from his role initially, as seen at the Hertfordshire ball when he slights Elizabeth (“She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me”) and only “speaks occasionally to one of his own party”, to display his scornful disengagement from the social ritual of the moment. However, unlike Mr Bennet, Mr Darcy is not completely cynical about role-playing, and he is

shown to be able to balance his performing and reflecting selves impeccably by the end of the novel. Jane Bennet has a generous perception of and places much importance on the social roles she has to take on --- daughter, sister, lover, wife --- hence making her incapable of ‘role distance’. Like Jane, Mr Bingley also strikes one as being both sensitive and sincere, and his innate good nature extends to a willingness to perform the roles which are required of him. Elizabeth is also capable of performing the roles that her familial and social situations require of her, but she performs many of them satirically, revealing some aspects of her own personality while implying that there is more to her character that can ever be expressed in a single role. She is able to distance herself from her role as a manifestation of her own determined independence, unlike her father’s skepticism. She is capable of reflection, does not submit blindly to social conventions, and puts truth to self above truth to role. In two scenes, Elizabeth asserts her freechoosing self and blatantly refuses to perform the roles which the socially superior attempt to impose upon her. She refuses to take on the role of a submissive consenting female in response to Mr Darcy’s first condescending marriage proposal, which he clearly expects she will, given the “real security” expressed in his “countenance”. Later, she refuses to play the role of the obliging socially inferior and give in to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s imperious demands for her to “never to enter into such an engagement” to Mr Darcy. It is thus evident that there are at least two different types of characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ --- one who is fully defined by and submerged into his role, and

one who is able to see round his role and not lose awareness of himself and what he is doing.

Personal Growth As Elizabeth plainly puts it, “People themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them forever”. Indeed, personal growth can be witnessed in some of the more “intricate” characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, but unfortunately, others are not capable of change. Mr and Mrs Bennet, for example, are both confined within timeless, changeless routines --- Mrs Bennet has committed her entire life to endless social rituals and the task of marrying all her daughters off (“The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news”), while Mr Bennet perpetually detaches himself from society by retreating to his library. Mrs Bennet, having little intellectual capacity, rationality and borne of “little information”, is only able to grasp the superficial value of things. Her infantilism and stubbornness makes her incapable of moral reflection and learning from experiences. Mrs Bennet’s abrupt swing from extravagant grief when Lydia is discovered to have eloped with Mr Wickham, to wild happiness when Lydia’s marriage to Mr Wickham is secured, underlines the instability of a character which can only apprehend the present moment and accept things at surface value. Being thoroughly unaware of her own shallowness and shortcomings, Mrs Bennet is incapable of personal development, and remains “occasionally nervous and invariably silly” at the end of the novel.

However, Mr Bennet possesses a high intellect and a self-awareness that his wife lacks, and shows slight repentance towards his negligence as a paternal authority, after Elizabeth tells him not to be too severe upon himself for the elopement of Lydia with Mr Wickham. He replies, “No, Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away soon enough.” At the same time, however, Mr Bennet is effectively admitting that he has no intention of changing. Having accurate self-knowledge, his sense of guilt indeed dissipates soon enough (“When the first transports of rage which had produced his activity in seeking her were over, he naturally returned to all his former indolence”). His experiences do not cause a mental change in him, instead, he returns to his former attitude of indifference. Unlike Mrs Bennet, he is aware of his problem, and understands what is required of him, but does not possess the moral discipline to make the necessary exertion. Therefore, like his wife, Mr Bennet is incapable of personal growth. Any signification of personal development is not witnessed in Lady Catherine de Bourgh as well. Her condescending attitude towards people of lower social status does not undergo any change throughout the novel. After knowing of the marriage between her nephew and Elizabeth, which contradicted her own wishes of him abiding by his “planned” engagement at “infancy” to her daughter, Lady Catherine de Bourgh “gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character”, and in her reply to Mr Darcy’s letter which “announced its arrangement”, “she sent him language so very abusive, especially of Elizabeth”.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh is unable to look beyond the class prejudice that blinds her to the beauty in character of Elizabeth and others of lower social classes, and is perpetually confined in this restrictive mindset. Although “her resentment gave way” at the end of the novel, her attitude still remains, and she merely “condescended” to wait on the couple at Pemberley, “in spite of that pollution which its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her uncle and aunt from the city”. Thus, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is thoroughly incapable of adjusting her flawed mindset and achieving personal growth. On the other hand, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are both able to fulfill Elizabeth’s observation that “people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them forever”, as they, the more “intricate characters” in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, are capable of change and personal growth. Their progressing relationship in the novel serves as a learning process for both --- painful and at times humiliating. In coming to appreciate the hidden depths in Mr Darcy’s character, Elizabeth will have to confront the superficialities in her own judgment which are unknown to her before. In recognising Elizabeth’s “liveliness of mind” and her true worth, Mr Darcy will have to acknowledge the limits of his own. In gaining self-awareness from their experiences, both of them have to constantly engage in self-reflection and evaluation before attaining personal growth. Thus, in changing their judgments of each other, they are in fact changing themselves, and growing as a result. In the novel, Mr Darcy shows that through his open-mindedness and willingness to accept Elizabeth’s “reproof” of the flaws in his character, he is able to reflect upon his faults and effectively undergo change. In the beginning, due to his strong detestation of social rituals and conventions, Mr Darcy purposely distances

himself from the people at the Hertfordshire ball except for his “own party”, and thus projects the appearance of “arrogance” and “incivility”. His class-consciousness and contempt towards Elizabeth’s “inferiority of connections” also prevents him “forming any serious design” of marrying her for a long period of time. However, he believes these feelings to be “natural and just”, and refuses to “disguise” them in his first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. After the proposal, Mr Darcy is alerted to the low “estimation” in which Elizabeth holds him and her absolute abhorrence of his “abominable pride” and “selfish disdain of the feelings of others”, among many things. It is the recognition of her true “opinion” of him that sparks a change in Mr Darcy, though it does take some time for him to be “reasonable enough to allow their (its) justice”. With her words “had you behaved in a more gentleman like manner” etched deeply in his mind, Elizabeth’s “reproof” of his uncivil manners has taught him self-awareness. He begins to recognise the impropriety of his “conduct”, “manners” and “expression” and the justness of Elizabeth’s criticism, hence bringing himself towards selfevaluation, and finally a change in behaviour. At the Pemberley grounds where he meets Elizabeth and her relatives unexpectedly, he is “perfectly well behaved”, “polite”, “unassuming” and “attentive”, and during his second proposal to Elizabeth, he admits to being ashamed of his past “behaviour”. Therefore, it is evident that Mr Darcy is capable of change and personal growth. Elizabeth, too, is capable of personal development. In the beginning, Elizabeth has formed a hardened judgment of Mr Darcy as a “proud”, “disagreeable” man merely based on his insult of her by declining a dance with her and putting her down as “tolerable” and “not handsome enough to tempt me”, which added on to her

already-present dislike of him due to his lack of gentility displayed through his blatant refusal to participate in any of the social activities. Elizabeth’s fixed ‘idea’ of the whole Mr Darcy is also reinforced by Mr Wickham’s denunciation of the former’s character, and this leads to her wrongly pointing out Mr Darcy’s “defect” as “a propensity to hate every body” and accusing him of being “unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the éclat of a proverb”. It is thus evident that her coloured judgment of Mr Darcy has blinded her to his growing “admiration” of her, and causes her to put his every action and word in a bad light. However, by an intelligent and just reading of Mr Darcy’s letter, Elizabeth not only changes her judgment of him, but more importantly, comes to a moment of intense realisation about herself. ‘How differently did everything now appear in which he was concerned! ... She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd. “How despicably have I acted!” she cried; “I, who have prided myself on my discernment! … Till this moment I never knew myself (my own emphasis).” ‘ The important thing to note in her speech is that in perceiving her own pride and prejudice --- notice that she uses both words of herself --- Elizabeth is now beginning to be free of them. Such an act of recognition about oneself marks the evolution of a human consciousness. Having shown the capacity to acknowledge her own fallibilities and misjudgements, Elizabeth is able to take the first step towards selfevaluation and personal growth. She starts to readjust her previously flawed mindset by “giving way to every variety of thought --- re-considering events, determining probabilities”.

However, Elizabeth’s act of recognition is only complete when she has penetrated Mr Darcy’s house and contemplated the qualities in the face of his portrait (qualities imparted to some extent by the housekeeper). Her changed impression of Mr Darcy is reaffirmed by his behaviour when Elizabeth meets him unexpectedly in Pemberley, and it is at this moment where she thoroughly recognises his true worth. Therefore, Elizabeth is now able to fully appreciate the interior qualities of Mr Darcy which had previously been obscured by her coloured judgment, and has in effect completed her journey of personal growth.