The Role of First Impressions in Pride and Prejudice

In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, previously titled “First Impressions.” The dynamics of first impressions between characters play a major role throughout the story. Elizabeth Bennet’s first encounters. With both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham immediately stick and create her lasting impression about each of the men. Unfortunately though, her stubbornness. And obliviousness prevents her from seeing their true colors throughout most of the book. That is until a letter arrives, and Elizabeth breaks. Through the barrier keeping her from perceiving their characters in a different light. Austen constructs multiple situations surrounding mistaken first impressions to relay. A crucial theme of the book which is to not judge a book by its cover, and to instead look a little deeper.

From very early on in the story is the primary impression of the novel. Between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy; a successful, wealthy, and single man. Darcy is introduced at the ball in Meryton to all the neighbors, including the Bennets, and the narrator describes Darcy’s presence as “A fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which tuned the tide of his popularity; for he as discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased,” (Austen, 11).

He then proceeds to refuse to dance with Elizabeth describing her as, “tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me,” (Austen, 9) of coarse greatly offending her, leaving her, along with the rest of the guests, to decide that from then on he is profoundly disliked due to his arrogance and selfishness. While reviewing the evening the entire Bennet family agrees he is “such a disagreeable man that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him,” (Austen, 14) and that his cockiness is quite unattractive. Elizabeth chimes in exclaiming, “I may safely promise you never to dance with him!” (Austen, 15). For the majority of time following the ball, Elizabeth refuses to see anything but the Darcy that acted so rude at the ball the first time they met.

The character of Mr. Wickham enters the story at dinner one night, and the first impression of him is that “His appearance was greatly in his favor, he had all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and a very pleasing address,” (Austen, 62) as he charmed all of the ladies. Again, he flattered at Mrs. Phillips party where he “was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned,” (Austen, 65) including Elizabeth’s.

Although, at another ball, Miss Bingley frantically warns Elizabeth about Wickham recommending her to, “not to give implicit confidence to all his assertions,” (Austen, 82). Yet another warning came from none other than Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, as she says Mr. Bingley told her that Wickham, “is by no means a respectable man,” (Austen, 83). Elizabeth ignores these remarks until Wickham leaves Elizabeth for another girl, but only slightly wounded by his choice, she casually dismisses this betrayal, still holding onto that first impression of him.

Unexpectedly, Elizabeth receives a letter from Mr. Darcy about midway through the story revealing the truth about Darcy and Wickham’s long history together since childhood. This entails the incident in which Wickham made an attempt to elope with Darcy’s sister, but Mr. Darcy claims his “chief object was unquestionably my sister’s fortune,” (Austen, 174). After learning this information concerning Wickham, Elizabeth “overthrows every cherished opinion of his worth” (Austen, 175), and completely changes her mindset regarding Wickham exclaiming, “How different did everything now appear in which he was concerned!” (Austen, 178).

She also looks back and replays their time spent together realizing that in actuality, “She could remember no more substantial good than the general approbation of the neighbourhood, and the regard which his social powers had gained him in the mess” (Austen, 177) meaning that she didn’t ever see the real Wickham, just his fake flattery and looks that tricked her into liking him. Elizabeth was acting blind and confesses that when she cries, “On the very beginning of our acquaintance I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away” (Austen, 179).

As for Darcy, Elizabeth’s emotions change as well, “A change so sudden and so important” (Austen, 180), and she begins to develop feelings for him along with finally accepting his love. After this revelation, Elizabeth notices that “Neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd” (Austen, 178) and comes to terms with the fact that the two men are not how she first thought them to be.

These two faulty impressions specifically tie into one of the novels main themes which proves to be to not rely on first impressions, but to get to know someone before making assumptions. Elizabeth clearly does this in the cases of meeting Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham early on. It wasn’t until much later did she become aware of her misinterpretations, and see the real people that Darcy and Wickham are. This occurrence of first impressions is repeated throughout Pride and Prejudice to make point of one of the great themes in the book.

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The Significance of First Impressions in the Victorian Age Portrayed in Pride and Prejudice and The Importance of Being Ernest

First impressions are very important. In the Victorian age, people based their whole opinion of someone on first impressions. Most times the first impression of someone is not the way they truly are. Sometimes a first impression can cause you to think negative of someone but later you find out that they are very nice and a very positive person. One example is when Mr. Darcy meets Elizabeth in the book, Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth thinks Mr. Darcy is a cruel and arrogant person, but she later finds out that he is not. Also in, Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham she gets the impression that he is very nice and gentlemen like, but she finds different with him too. In the story “The Importance of being Ernest” Lady Bracknell does not like Jack because he does not have any money and does not live up to her standards, but little does she know. In “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, Elizabeth thinks Mr. Darcy is a very rude and self-centered person based on what she saw the first time they met or actually the first time they saw each other. Elizabeth overheard Mr. Darcy talking to Mr. Bingley at a ball and didn’t really like what she heard. “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.” Mr. Darcy thinks he is much too good for some people and has very high expectations. At one point in the story Mr. Darcy starts to fall in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth knows he has changed but realizes he is beginning to act like Mr. Bingley. “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Elizabeth does not have the same feelings for him, and why should she he was very rude and arrogant towards her. “In such cases as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be returned.

It is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot- I have never desired your good opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have occasioned pain to anyone.” Later Elizabeth sees how she could have been a part of Mr. Darcy’s mansion she could have been his mistress. While she is there she learns of the real Mr. Darcy, and the part of him she never knew. When Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham in “Pride and Prejudice”, she sees that he is a very nice and sweet person. But little did she know! At first Elizabeth is interested in him, and she thinks he is interested in her too and would like to keep seeing him. Mr. Darcy explains to Elizabeth about what jerk he is and how self-centered he is. Elizabeth is still kind of interested in him, after all her first impression of him was a very positive one. She starts to compare between Mr. Darcy and MR. Wickham because she still thinks Mr. Wickham is interested in her. “One has got all the goodness and the other all the appearance of it.” Elizabeth finds out what a jerk Mr. Wickham is when he does not show up at the ball.

Then ends up running off with Lydia, Elizabeth feels that she could have stopped it from happening. When Lady Bracknell first meets Jack in the story “The Importance of being Earnest she thinks he’s a failure and has no parents. Lady Bracknell refuses to the marriage. She thinks that Jack is very poor and knows that he was found in a hand bag at the cloak room at the Victorian Railroad station.. “I confess I fell somewhat bewildered by what you just told me. To be born or at any rate bred in a handbag, weather it had handles on it or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. As for the particular locality in which the handbag was found, a cloak room at a railway station might serve to conceal a social indiscretion.” Lady Bracknell is a very greedy person, later in the story she finds out that Jack really does have parents and has a lot of money. She now excepts Jack but only because of the money and the fact that he has parents. First impression were more important back in the Victorian age. As you can see in both of these stories everybody judges by their first impressions. Most of them are wrong, first impressions should always be reexamined.

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An Analysis of Satire in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Satire has been predominant in literature for a very long time, since the Ancients first began composing their epics, although men have largely been in control of it. When female writers began to use any form of satire, men would turn it against them and destroy their careers. Even so, some women covertly fought against this patriarchal system, including the author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. Austen worked around the system by coating her satirical, feminist work with a layer of submissiveness. Through use of the character Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen is able to mock the patriarchal society the world lives in without attracting undue attention. From the very start of the novel, Mrs. Bennet seems to be the perfect example of the emotion-driven, mindless woman that a patriarchal society expects. However, it is through her behavior that Austen shows just how nonsensical these stereotypes are. On page 5, Mrs. Bennet says to her husband, “Ah! You do not know what I suffer,” even though she lives the normal pampered life of a wife of the time. She says this not only because of the emotional turmoil traveling through the house at the time – she wishes desperately for her daughters to marry – but also because she is recognizing the oppression that the phallocentric community has placed upon women. Austen didn’t have Mrs. Bennet say this outright because she wanted to avoid ridicule from male writers, so she clothed it in a context that shifts the sympathy to Mr. Bennet on the first reading.

Only when Mr. Bennet’s roughened attitude towards his wife and daughters reveals itself upon rereading does this sub-context become apparent. Later in the novel, Mrs. Bennet makes herself seem ignorant of the workings of the world to her husband, and hence to the reader, by saying, “I do think it is the hardest thing in the world, that your estate be entailed away from your own children; and I am sure if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it”. Mrs. Bennet is pointing out the fact that Mr. Bennet’s estate goes to whomever his daughters marry rather than directly to his daughters, due to the law of the time that only men could own land. Additionally, she is complaining about how little control women have of their lives in this community. Women cannot own their own place to live, women cannot receive their inheritance without their husband, women cannot speak their minds directly without being ridiculed by men. All of these are hidden beneath the surface idea of Mrs. Bennet wanting Mr. Bennet to find a way to give his daughters his estate against social tradition. At the same time, Mr. Bennet cannot see how disproportionate the system in his society is, and sees his wife as spontaneous and irrational, a view that the reader would share on first reading. Jane Austen is able to share these ideas with a cover of silliness and ignorance in Mrs. Bennet. Austen also brings up the idea of rational thought in order to mock patriarchal society. When Jane and Elizabeth try to explain the process of an entail to their mother, Mrs. Bennet stubbornly refuses to understand the concept. “Jane and Elizabeth attempted to explain to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason”.

An entail in this context is the passing of an estate down to the next male heir. In a patriarchal society, it seems a perfectly logical, rational system, as everything is to the benefit of and under the control of men. However, Mrs. Bennet simply refuses to understand it. On the surface, this goes along with the stereotype that a woman’s mind thinks irrationally and follows no logical thought. However, when delved into a little deeper, the true depth of Mrs. Bennet’s understanding can be questioned. She may truly not understand the concept, but it is more likely that she is just refusing to accept the system for what it is. To her, a system that gives one gender all of the benefits and leaves the other at the mercy of the former is not a rational system, so therefore she questions it. On the other hand, if she were in Mr. Bennet’s position of supremacy, she would be too nearsighted and concerned with self-preservation to question the overall fairness of the system, which is exactly what Mr. Bennet does. Mrs. Bennet recognizes this, which is why she poses all of her questions to him. She is trying to force Mr. Bennet to realize that every situation is a win-lose situation, where the male wins and the female loses, a message that Austen is also sharing with the reader about patriarchal societies. Mrs. Bennet’s need to marry off her daughters also serves to mock the patriarchal system present in the novel. Earlier in the novel, the idea that the Bennet daughters would become destitute if their father died before they married became ingrained in Mrs. Bennet’s head.

As a result, Mrs. Bennet developed an obsession with marrying her daughters to men that are sure to have some form of social status. However, her daughters have a different idea of marriage; Elizabeth in particular is mentioned. “Had Elizabeth’s opinion been all drawn from her own family, she could not have formed a very pleasing picture of conjugal felicity or domestic comfort,” and henceforth places the blame for this on Mrs. Bennet’s “weak understanding and illiberal mind”. Elizabeth and the other daughters had the idea that marriage would be a very romantic event, being instigated by true love. Mrs. Bennet, recognizing that her society does not work in that fashion, pushes her daughters toward more frugal choices. According to Elizabeth, she could not form an image of a happy life with any of her mother’s choices, and blames that on her mother’s “illiberal mind.” This is another reflection on the stereotype that women think irrationally. In this case, Mrs. Bennet is the one that has the right idea. She has a firm grasp of what society expects from women and from men, and looks to take advantage of that system. This situation is almost ironic, as a woman is utilizing a patriarchal system to better her daughter’s life. Through this twist, Austen makes use of marriage to mock the patriarchal system. Satire can be very subtle when an author uses it right, and Jane Austen certainly achieved that in Pride and Prejudice. Through the various quirks of Mrs. Bennet, Austen was able to mock the patriarchal system, and thereby promote the ideals of feminism. Mrs. Bennet’s silliness and ignorance, irrational thought, and determination to marry her daughters create a perfect model of a woman from a patriarchy, while at the same time scorn those same qualities. If one is looking for a model of a woman with two different stories happening at the same time, the character Mrs. Bennet is prime for the picking, for she is a professional at being a submissive activist.

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The Struggles of Women in 19th Century in Pride and Prejudice, a Novel by Jane Austen

Life for women has always been hard, and continues to be hard to this day. While most people believe the societal pressures and roles of a woman have diminished in their criticism, the relationship between the lives of the strong female character, Elizabeth Bennet of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and that of a modern woman myself, are not so different after all. Within the novel, Elizabeth Bennet struggles with her role in society of what is expected of her wand who she actually wants to be. She soon comes to realize that her societal roles are what makes her a woman, but that does not mean they define who she really is. Through the tools of comparison, contrast, and explanation of some of the finer arguments of her character within the book, I will show how I see myself within Ms. Bennet while also showing the slow, almost absent, progress of woman societal roles.

You’re probably wondering how a person of Ms. Bennet’s nature is someone that would possibly have any comparisons to the modern woman, such as myself. As women, our roles in society have always been pre determined. Aspiring to marriage is one of the biggest societal roles, spoken and unspoken that has been placed upon women. For Ms. Bennet, the ultimate goal of marriage was placed upon her by her family and society. A critical analysis of the story stated the following: “She is like her father in her scorn of society’s conventional judgements …” (Moore 5). The conventional judgement of an unmarried woman she looks down upon. Her goal in life is obviously shown to not be marriage by her standards. Her mother classifies her as her least favorite, but I believe that is because of their opposing views on this subject. Mrs. Bennet said that her “business” in life was getting her daughters married (Pride and Prejudice, 4).

I see myself as Elizabeth in this sense. She believes societies goal of being married as trivial. This seems to be especially trivial when these views are just put on woman. In my case, marriage isn’t pressured on me by my family, but by society. Whenever I go to church, there is always someone that has a comment about marriage to say to you. There is the constant sayings by people of, “Oh you all are so cute together and will make such cite babies”, “He’ll make an honest woman out of you”, and “I’m glad to see the sanctity of marriage still stands.” And these comments don’t come from men, but from other women.

You would think that previously being in your place would help them to understand them putting these goals on you are not rational. Sometimes you have to wonder why they believe these things are okay to say to woman, but not to say to males at all. The aspiration of marriage is so much so put onto woman that men believe they are truly doing woman a favor by being willing to actually marry them. This is not the case at all. Why marriage may seem to be a respectable necessity, it is ultimately a want and not a need.

One of Elizabeth’s quote’s from Pride and Prejudice is as follows: “You are mistaken Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner (Austen 250).”

In this quote, Ms. Bennet is denying Mr. Darcy’s proposal for marriage in a rude way, because by her reasoning he deserved it. He believed himself entitled to her hand by just asking because society has implicated the need for a woman to be married and he is the best she could possibly got. I agree with her way of doing this because he obviously needs to be brought down. He needed to realize that just because that is what society has said, does not mean that it is what every woman believes. Within Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth makes a point of which I do not quite agree. She states: “To yield readily – easily – to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you (Austen 67).”

I believe this statement carries little truth overall. To readily yield to the persuasion of your friends does not always mean that you contain no merit. Sometimes it just means that you understand that your friends may have already been in that situation and only wish to help you out of it. For myself, my friends gave me advice on my love life. I asked them about how to approach my feelings for someone while not scaring that person away. They then explained to me that if I could scare that person away was only by confessing my feelings, then they weren’t worth it to begin with. By taking this advice without questioning it, I made one of the best decisions in my life. I finally made a decision that truly benefitted me and helped me in the long run. I also got valuable life lessons out of it that I could pass on later in life.

Some people may truly wonder why Elizabeth was even a viable character for me to pick from Ms. Austen’s work. I could give the basic answer of that the whole book is written from her point of view, but it goes much deeper than that. Elizabeth is a main character based on her dynamic views in contrast to the static views of all of the other characters. She truly sets out on a personal adventure in which she discovers more about herself and the world around her that she thought she knew. Elizabeth stated the following about her personal revelation: “Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind! But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away where either were concerned. Till this moment I never knew myself. (Austen 297).”

She shows in this the true self-revelation of which the story was climaxing to reach. She was essentially acting as a hypocrite the whole time throughout the story up until this moment. She finally understands how the world may operate, but that even within this world she plays a bigger role than she truly realized. By going against the gradient, she essentially paved the way for other woman that may choose to share her same path one day.

Ultimately, you recognize the voice of the character for most women. Elizabeth relates to the women of today’s culture that question their role, but still don’t understand themselves. She shows once you learn yourself and understand the true dynamic of society, then you can understand Elizabeth as a whole. Only then can understanding for all be achieved.

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Tower of terror

Darkness swooped over me as the doors to death became closer. The pool of blood in which I lay was sticky and viscous almost as if gluing me to the floor. I could no longer move! Panic, fear, loneliness, pain and anger simultaneously engulfed me in streams of thought I could no longer process. What happened? How did I get here? Then it all came rushing back.

“Hey Alisha wait for me!” I turned around to see my best-friend gasping as she ran behind me shouting, sweaty, red and panting with her red curly hair, bouncing as much as ever.

“Hi Tanya”, I muffled as I gave my best friend a big hug. Since I started going out with Max I had rarely spent time with her. The truth is I missed her, but was totally fascinated by the new boy in town, Max. I had met him a month ago and it seemed like we were dating for years, he was an easy-going down-to-earth kind of guy, intellectual and also carried himself with a hint of mysteriousness. Most strikingly were his Spanish/Italian looks, tanned skin, which always glowed, long brown hair and the most dreamy green eyes which almost all the girls in the school had fallen for. Although he looked like he had emerged right out of the 70’s, he was cuter and smarter than most of the guys in Mill Valley. He was almost too good to be true but I was not complaining, although Tanya was!

“Hello stranger, so you do remember me!” Tanya said with the slightest of sarcasm followed by a big smile.

“I’m really sorry I…I. Tanya…you know…I”, I stuttered profusely, I did not know what to say, only but a month earlier I was hanging out with her, shopping, cinemas, sleep-overs, but now we had this distance, which although I wanted to, I could not fill.

“Hey I know I’m not a good kisser like Max and not half as good-looking, but hey girl I miss ya”.

“I know, I know, OK what do you say we go for some ice-cream now and catch up? It’s on me!” I locked my arms into hers and gave a little tug.

“Are you not meeting Max?”

“Max who? No girl I’ll ring him and let him know”.

There it was my last meeting with Tanya, we talked and talked I told her about Max and she told me about her long days without me. She was truly a drama queen. We had already had three mango and kiwi sundaes, between us and were starting on the fourth. I had just realized how much I really had missed sitting, talking and laughing with Tanya, why had I never canceled on Max before?

“Are you listening to me? Alisha, Alisha snap out of it?” Tanya was clicking her fingers in my face.

I finally blinked and smiled, “Tanya I love ya gal”

“Back at ya sweetie, anyway before you went in to you little day-dream I was telling you, why don’t we have a sleep-over today, it’ll be like old times, I bought that Brad Pitt flick, so we can just hang out what do you s…” Tanya stopped in mid-sentence her smile fading as she looked up and then at my puzzling face.

“Sounds good…what’s wrong? Tanya you…”

“Hey babes, is this seat taken?” Max said as he slid into the seat beside me, taking my hand. “Hi Tanya, long time no see”

“Hey…Hey Max” Tanya was always wary and almost frightened of Max, she gave a quick fake smile to him and then looked at me almost in defeat.

“So what you girls been talking about? Not too much about me, I hope, anyway Aisha?” He turned to me, and instantly I was under the casts of his eyes, I wished I could hold him forever.

“Hmm? Yeh?” I gulped, why did I always turn into a puddle of nerves whenever he looked at me? Why? And why was he here? I had told him I was spending the evening with Tanya, he had been disappointed but said he would live for a few hours without me!

“Ok so you both wondering why I’m here, right? Alisha if you have forgotten I had something planned for you today in celebration of our one month anniversary, so I have come to kidnap you!” I looked at Max and then at Tanya, she was obviously gutted and tried to hide it as best as she could, although some tears had formed she blinked them away.

“That’s so sweet, Alisha, you have to go, don’t worry we can do this some other time, and Max you have to stop taking her away from me” Although Tanya was half joking, her last comment was said with a bit of hurt.

“I’m really sorry Tanya, I totally forgot, I promise we’ll get together soon, I’ll call you!” I winked at her as Max took my hand and we got up to leave.

It was only after we walked out of the ice-cream parlor, I realised it was supposed to be me treating, and I had left her with the bill. I wave guilt passed me until I realised where we were walking towards.

“Where….where…where are we going?” I stammered as I saw the Trangriester Tower looming on front of me.

“To your destiny honey, you’ll see”, I held on to Max as tight as ever, not understanding what he meant, and felt alone and scared as the hairs on my neck stood up at the sight of the dark crooked tower.

As we reached the big wooden door, I felt my hear skip a beat, what could be pleasant about this place? And what was this surprise? I knew if Tanya were here she would have took my hand and ran back to the safety of the lightened street of the town.

The door creaked open just like in the movies when some stupid kids enter a haunted house. I screamed, startled, I saw a pale but very pretty girl with long straight blonde hair and big blue eyes staring right back at me. It only took a moment to realize it was my reflection in the mirror.

“Max, Max where are you?” I shouted as I noticed that the warmth of his presence had left and I was standing alone in the landing of the tower.

Almost as if in response, the big door slammed shut eliminating any light from outside except for the small circle windows near the stairs. I pulled the door again and again it was locked. I was beginning to wish I were with Tanya watching the Brad Pitt movie, where was Max.

“Elizabeth…Elizabeth…Elizabeth” a coarse almost silent whisper was coming from upstairs, it sounded like Max, but why would he be whispering and who was Elizabeth?

I walked up the stairs, which also creaked with every step I took.

“R…Ra…Max this is not funny, come on lets get out of here”. I was going to kill him for this; this was just not my idea of a joke.

Then out of nowhere a figure emerged in front of me. It was Max, yet his eyes were not the beautiful green that one would loose themselves in, but were almost a bloody red.

“Elizabeth it’s the 13th of August…. the day you left me, do you remember? You stole my life; you took everything and left me dying in this tower. You are a heartless witch you must die, my soul needs to rest…you must die” Max had an old knife which he directed right back at me. This must be a dream. What was happening?

“I…I…Max…. I’m not Elizabeth what is wrong with you? It’s me…what are you talking about?”

“STOP LYING” Max shrieked, “Your blonde hair and blue eyes, I remember Elizabeth I remember…” and then suddenly I felt a surge of pain in my chest where he had stabbed me again and again and then he stopped.

“You’re not Elizabeth, I’m sorry…I have to find Elizabeth” then he walked away, my blue contacts had fallen out in the rush of the struggle, and now cold and scared I lay in the pool of my own blood dying, for what, I did not know.

How could I have trusted him, confused and scared I lay there, I reached out to someone, but it was no one…No one!

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Pride and Prejudice Overview

Table of contents

“Pride and Prejudice”, written in 1797 and first published in 1813 by Jane Austen, is known to many, as one of the greatest love stories of all time. It portrays the story of the beautiful, brilliant, and clever Elizabeth Bennet and the super wealthy, handsome, and prideful Fitzwilliam Darcy. The novel revolves around the idea of marrying for love, not only for riches, regardless of social pressure.

Set in the country village of Longbourn in Hertfordshire, England, the Bennet family, more specifically, Mrs. Bennet, becomes desperate about the idea of marrying off at least one their five daughters. Finding her daughters’ partners became more of a “business” to her. She was really specific with what she wanted for her daughters since the Bennet girls couldn’t choose any random guy. It had to be a wealthy, powerful one, in order for their family to keep their social economic status intact and to gain pride among others.

Characters

Elizabeth Bennet- She is the main female character in this novel. She is beautiful, clever and knowledgeable. During the plot of the story, she finds herself overcoming her prejudice and falls in love with Mr. Darcy.

Fitzwilliam Darcy- He is the main male character in the novel. He is egocentric, arrogant, handsome and extremely wealthy. During the novel, he manages to defeat his pride as he falls deeply in love with Elizabeth.

Georgiana Darcy- She is Mr. Darcy’s youngest sister. She’s shy, charming, beautiful and full of skills. She idolizes and loves her brother Mr. Darcy.

Jane Bennet- She is Elizabeth’s eldest sister. She’s the most beautiful of all the Bennet sisters. Jane finds herself falling in love with the handsome Mr. Bingley.

Charles Bingley- He is Mr. Darcy’s best friend. He is humble and doesn’t pay much attention to social class differences. He falls in love with Jane Bennet.

Caroline Bingley- She is Mr. Bingley’s sister. She had her own plans to get Mr. Darcy as her partner. As she senses the attraction between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, she tries her best to try and tear them apart.

Mr. Bennet- He is the father of Elizabeth and the rest of her sisters. He has a sarcastic sense of humor which he uses to irritate his wife.

Mrs. Bennet- She is the mother of the Bennet girls. She tries her best to get at least one of her daughters married. She’s got an absurd and annoying personality.

George Wickham- A really handsome, gold-digger soldier. Some secrets about him get exposed to Elizabeth by Mr. Darcy. He then marries Lydia Bennet.

Lydia Bennet- She is the youngest of the Bennet sisters. She represents the image of a classic teenager by her gossipy, selfish and immature personality. Later on the story he weds George Wickham.

Mr. Collins- He is a not so smart, submissive and foolish church minister. Lady Catherine is his godmother. He intends to inherit the Bennet property unless he marries one of their daughters. Later on the story, as Elizabeth rejects him, he marries Charlotte Lucas.

Charlotte Lucas- She is Elizabeth’s best friend. In marriage, she doesn’t seek for love as a primary source. She wants to finally get away from her parents home. She marries Mr. Collins.

Lady Catherine De Bourgh- A rich duchess with an extremely arrogant and cocky personality. She Is Mr. Darcy’s aunt and Mr. Collins’ godmother. She attempts to order Elizabeth to deny Mr. Darcy’s proposal.

Mr and Mrs. Gardiner- Mrs. Bennet’s brother and his wife. They both have a caring, lovable and empathic personality.

Mary Bennet- She is the middle Bennet sister. She is really serious, intelligent and studious.

Catherine Bennet- During the whole book she is mostly known as “kitty”. She is the fourth Bennet daughter. She is envious of Lydia and is often described as a childish and irresponsible girl.

Book Story

The book opens with Mr. Bennet hearing a rumor that a super wealthy and powerful man, named Charles Bingley was arriving in town, and renting a well- known mansion known to everyone around as the Netherfield Park. This action stirred every single family around, but especially the Bennet’s. Mrs. Bennet’s desire to get to visit Mr. Bingley was growing, she kept insisting to her husband to go and do so.
Mr. Bennet went behind his wife’s back and visited the gentleman.

After the visit, he told his wife and daughters. To his surprise, they were all extremely excited. Later on, they invited him for dinner, but he was called away to London. Thereafter, Mr. Bingley returned to his manor, but he didn’t go back all alone. He was accompanied by a super handsome man named Darcy and his siblings.

A huge ball was taking place in the town of Meryton. Darcy, Bingley and his siblings attended the event as well as the Bennet family. There, they met and Bingley danced with Jane, the eldest of the sisters. Bingley seemed to be under a spell; as he was talking to Mr. Darcy, he was praising her beauty by telling him that she was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen and suggested to Mr. Darcy to request a dance to Elizabeth.

Darcy, with his ego, said she was not appealing enough for him to get allured. Elizabeth heard what he said and because of his judgmental comments, she loathed him. Darcy had a reputation of being arrogant and wealthier than Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth could clearly see that after his judgment regarding her beauty. Instead of getting mad, she found it very amusing. During the rest of the ball, she made Darcy look like a fool in front of her friends by joking about his remark.

Caroline, Mr. Bingley’s sister, kindly invited Jane to visit them. Jane on her way to the Bingley’s property was caught in a cloudburst and became ill. Elizabeth heard the news and went to Netherfield to visit her sick sister. There, Darcy’s attraction towards Elizabeth began. Although, no one said it would be an easy path. Without him knowing, Caroline Bingley had her own personal plans with Darcy.

Soon enough, Elizabeth obtained a marriage proposal from the heir to the Longbourn estate, and minister of a church, known as Mr. Collins. She refused his marriage offer and ran out of the Bennet property. Mrs. Bennet didn’t take the news very well and demanded that Elizabeth marry him. Otherwise, she would never address a word to her daughter for the rest of her life. Mrs. Bennet demanded her husband to order their Elizabeth to wed Mr. Collins. Mr. Bennet agreed with Elizabeth’s decision. He told Elizabeth not to marry the man and made sure she understood she had his approval and support of her choice.

Elizabeth’s loathing for Mr. Darcy was confirmed when she and her family were introduced to the handsome and captivating George Wickham. He told Elizabeth he wanted to have a conversation with her, and she became aware of Darcy’s past choices. These were not good. He related how Mr. Darcy’s father treated him like a son until he died and how Darcy became jealous of his father’s relationship with Wickham.

Furthermore, Mr. Darcy took away the property that Wickham was to inherit, thereby depriving him of a good and successful life.
In honor of Jane Bennet, Mr. Bingley threw a ball in the Netherfield manor. Mr. Darcy asked Elizabeth to dance. Although shocked, she agreed. Mrs. Bennet implied to everyone at the ball that Bingley would soon to be engaged to Jane. Days after the event, the Bennet family, received the shocking news that the Bingley’s are called away to London without expecting to ever return. Jane, appalled because of the information received, goes to London to visit her aunt and uncle; she soon gets a letter from Mrs. Bingley regarding their friendship.

Not long after Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins’ marriage proposal, her good friend Charlotte Lucas, greeted Lizzy excitedly, with the news of her engagement. Elizabeth was shocked to hear whom she was engaged to and, as a result, didn’t take the news well. Charlotte lets Elizabeth know she’s grateful to receive a proposal which will give her a comfortable and safe home.

Charlotte asked Elizabeth to go and visit her at her new house in Kent. Elizabeth, Mr. Collins, and Charlotte are invited to Catherine de Bourgh’s magnificent house in Rosings Park. Mrs. Bourgh is Darcy’s and Collin’s very prosperous aunt. In fact, she expects Mr. Darcy to marry her daughter. There they meet with Mr. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was also visiting Mrs. Bourgh’s Rosings Park manor.

On a visit to the church, Elizabeth shares a seat next to Mr. Fitzwilliam, while having a conversation; she’s been told the story of how Darcy managed to save a friend from a bad marriage. Of course, Elizabeth’s first thought was that it had to be her sister Jane’s marriage he was talking about.

Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy had fallen in love with Elizabeth and proposed. Furious, she rejected him. She explained why. Mr. Darcy, not pleased with Elizabeth’s words, complained about how he had been nicer to Bingley than himself; they both left without saying a word. Later, Mr. Darcy dropped by Charlotte’s house, delivering Elizabeth a letter explaining everything. Meaning, what happened with Mr. Wickham, and what happened with Jane and Mr. Bingley. He apologized to Jane and Elizabeth, which caused Elizabeth to change her mind when it comes or Mr. Darcy.

Months later, Elizabeth went and visited Mr. Darcy’s property with her aunt and uncle. A maid gave them a tour around the house and described Darcy as a kind and generous man. As they met with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth was surprised by how kind he was acting. Elizabeth met Darcy’s sister Georgiana, she loved Elizabeth and Elizabeth loved her. Lizzy got a letter from home which informed that her sister Lydia was married to Mr. Wickham. She informed Mr. Darcy and quickly left. Lydia visited her family and told Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy was at her wedding.

On the other hand, they let her know that Darcy was the one who made the wedding happen, but no one knew what the reason for his actions was.

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley returned to the Netherfield manor. Thereafter, both men showed up at the Bennet property. Mr. Bingley asked to speak with Jane alone. He proposed and she accepted. Moreover, furthermore, Lady Catherine showed up at Elizabeth’s house because of a rumor which said Elizabeth had intentions of marrying Mr. Darcy; she demanded her to promise not to do such a thing. She did no such promise and makes Lady Catherine exit her house.

Mr. Darcy told Elizabeth he loves her, deeply, and proposed once again. Elizabeth confessed her love to Darcy and accepted. Mr. Darcy visited Longbourn and asked Mr. Bennet for his consent. Elizabeth had a small chat with her father, making him understand she was not marrying for money but for love. The members of the Bennet family never expected that to happen. They were shaking. Furthermore, she let them know how much Darcy was excited about their wedding.

My thoughts about this book are that it is great for romance lovers. This book makes us look at some realities this world faces. This book takes place a long time ago; the world has changed immensely. However, some of the things we see in the book, are still seen it today’s world. Arranged marriages, judging a book by its cover, and marrying for money, are some examples. This makes us look at the bright side of what love can turn into.

As well, it portrays the moral that class and reputation do not define a person. In the book, we can take a great example on how Mr. Darcy’s love for Elizabeth changed him to be a better person. He overcomes his reserved nature and narcissism in order to win Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. As for Elizabeth, the book set in a society where marrying for wealth and social status is more common than marrying for love and aptness, Elizabeth makes the strong choice to wait for love, even knowing it may never come.

“Pride and Prejudice” display many kinds of marriages, but personally, I believe the reader is left with the idea that marriages of love, stability, and appropriateness are the kinds of marriages to be wished for. It exhibits how true love can fight the arrogance and discrimination which exists in our society and particularly between the members of diverse social classes.

I enjoyed this book overall and totally recommend it. The plotline was perfect, interesting and pleasing. In general, the story exhibits many emotions and genres. Romance, tragedy, drama, and fiction are some of the genres displayed in the book. Personally, during the whole novel, the reader’s interest is kept and it manages to keep the reader hooked. On the whole, I loved “Pride and Prejudice.”

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Elizabeth I Versus the Stuart Monarchs

Elizabeth I versus the Stuart Monarchs Kayla Christie 3rd Block The difference between Elizabeth I and the Stuart monarchs defines the way they ruled and their actions. When comparing Elizabeth I and the Stuart monarchs, one should take in factors such as each individual’s personality, religious views, and views on parliament. Elizabeth I was intelligent, and wanted religious unity in her country. She also believed that parliament was essential during her reign. The Stuart monarchs such as James I, James II, Charles I, and Charles II were not so intelligent, and wanted a definite religion whether it is Catholicism or Arminianism.

The Stuarts also wanted to enhance their authority at the expense of losing parliament. Elizabeth I was intelligent, and would work to keep her reign. In Elizabeth’s speech to the troops before the battle of the Armada she states “…Spain, or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm… I myself will take up arms…” Elizabeth clearly says that she would fight for her country. Being intelligent, she exercised frugality in the expenses of the government and increasing taxation, which showed a sign of a strong and efficient state.

She wanted to achieve religious harmony. On the other hand, the Stuarts were stubborn. They refused to extend religious toleration. Like his father, Charles I believed in the Divine Right of Kings (that he was answerable to God alone and could not be tried by any court), and he upset the Scottish citizens of his country, many of whom were Puritans, by insisting that they follow the same religion as his English subjects. The result was the two wars that ruined England’s financial state and that would lead to the civil war and his execution.

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