Character Analysis #2: Mr. Collins

Mr. Collins

Mr. Collins is a sycophant who focuses solely on himself and his own well-being.

Mr. Collins is a man who puts his reputation above all other obligations. He looks up to the wealthy Lady Catherine for advice and recommendations. His priority is to fulfill the standards of one with commendable social status and likewise, regards himself as a very respectable person. When Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, he gives three distinct reasons for why he should marry her, which all regard to his happiness and satisfaction. After she rejects him, he believes something is wrong with her, instead of reflecting on what his faults may be: “It is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept” (82). Mr. Collins also openly expresses his relief for not marrying into the Bennet family due to the dishonor it would have caused him when he found out that Lydia and Mr. Wickham almost eloped: “This consideration leads me moreover to reflect with augmented satisfaction on a certain event of last November, for had it been otherwise, I must have been involved in all your sorrow and disgrace” (225). In other words, Mr. Collins is a follower who looks out for his own beneficence.

Mr. Collins is a leech who only benefits itself by sucking blood. When a leech is present, it satisfies solely itself, unaware of the pain it causes to its victim. Likewise, Mr. Collins is inconsiderate and watches out for himself without realizing he is insulting others.

Mr. Collins is like Sarah Palin who came across as a very artificial person and always tried to suck up to America in search for its approval.

Character Analysis #1: Mr. Wickham

Mr. Wickham

Mr. Wickham is a greedy man who uses his charming good looks and personality to get what he wants.

Mr. Wickham's only goal throughout the book was to acquire money. He did not care whether he broke a girl's heart as long as he got what he wanted. When Mr. Wickham is first introduced, he is a handsome young man with, what seems to be, respectable manners. His love interest begins with Elizabeth, and then abruptly switches to Miss. King after he finds out she inherited a large sum of money: “He paid her not the smallest attention, till her grandfather’s death made her mistress of this fortune” (118). Elizabeth was, at first, unaware of this and a bit awestricken. He had not bothered to tell her their relationship was to end where he had left it. Mr. Wickham also charmed Miss. Darcy into eloping with him before Mr. Darcy put a stop to it: “Mr. Wickham’s chief object was unquestionably my sister’s fortune” (155). Miss. Darcy was the least of Mr. Wickham’s concerns and left her heart shattered.

Mr. Wickham is a swan whose enchanting looks are deceiving. A swam is marveled at for its elegance and beauty, just as Mr. Wickham was first perceived as a handsome man with applicable manners. When one gets too close to a swam, it becomes vicious and harmful losing its attractiveness. Likewise, when a female becomes too friendly with Mr. Wickham, he uses them for their money and throws them away losing his warm personality.

Mr. Wickham is like Anna Nicole Smith who married an elderly man, much older than herself, solely for his money.

P&P #14: Ch. 16- END

Quote 1: "What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled" (282).

Although Elizabeth thought Mr. Darcy stopped loving her and acted indifferent towards her at times, the truth was that she had a strong affect on him. One important affect she had on him was when he managed to repair the mistakes she pointed out in him immediately. At Pemberley, he was a true gentlemen to the Gardiners. Elizabeth noticed this and thought: "She could hardly suppress a smile, at his being now seeking the acquaintance of some of those very people, against whom his pride had revolted" (193). He changed his ways out of the love for her and fixing his flaws. He showed his gratitude to Elizabeth because of making him a better person. This also shows that both are compatible with one another. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy compliment one another with their personalities, and logic. Looking back at this book, Elizabeth would not have experienced such happiness with Mr. Darcy if she judged him by his first impression.

Quote 2: "I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do" (296).

At the end of the book, one can conclude that some characters changed, like Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and Kitty, and others remained static. Lydia and Mr. Wickham ended up staying the same selfish people from the beginning of the book. The two characters splurged their money, had no gratitude, and roamed from place to place in order to find cheap living. Kitty reformed unlike her sister, Lydia, just by spending time with Elizabeth and Jane. Even Miss. Bingley came around and began acting kind towards Miss. Darcy. The readers first impressions of the characters also changed. Mr. Darcy went from atrocious to admirable, and Mr. Wickham went from charming to filthy. Austen was smart in changing the book's title to Pride and Prejudice because pride and prejudice is the result of first impressions, and first impressions do not last. It took months before Elizabeth realized Mr. Darcy was her true love. She changed her distasteful views against him, and now, are happily married.

P & P #13: Ch. 13- 15

Quote 1: "You are to understand, Miss. Bennet, that I came here with the determined resolution of carrying my purpose, nor will I be dissuaded from it. I have not been used to submit to any person's whims. I have not been in the habit of brooking disappointment" (272).

Lady Catherine puts herself at such a high status and expects Elizabeth to automatically give her the utmost respect and concede to her wishes because of this. Lady Catherine uses her character expecting to get what she wants and is determined to get her way. Elizabeth does an impressing job dealing with Lady Catherine's insults and rudeness. She uses her reasoning over Lady Catherine's subjective standpoint that her daughter and Mr. Darcy are to engage in a prudent marriage: "Your ladyship wants Mr. Darcy to marry your daughter; but would my giving you the wished for promise make their marriage at all more probable? [...] Would my refusing to accept his hand, make him wish to bestow it on his cousin?" (273). Elizabeth was not intimidated by Lady Catherine's high social status nor cared about it. Elizabeth spoke frankly and truthfully without holding back her bluntness. Considering the capacious gap between Lady Catherine and herself, one would think Elizabeth would be nervous in the presence of such wealth. Elizabeth defended herself and Mr. Darcy's intentions of marrying her, while maintaining any dignity her family left for her.

Quote 2: "I did not know before, that I had two daughters on the brink of matrimony" (276).

Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth share fairly the same reasoning and are quite close with one another. Mr. Bennet showed his ignorance when he told Elizabeth that he thought Mr. Darcy was indifferent towards her: "Mr. Darcy, who never looks at any woman but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked at you in his life! It is admirable!" (277). It is insulting to hear from Mr. Bennet that he not only had no idea something was going on between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but to also say that it was miraculous Mr. Darcy even looked at her. Mr. Bennet does come off with nescience, but it is not all his fault. Elizabeth declared her hatred for Mr. Darcy with great passion that it left no room for any belief of something to ever go on between them. She cannot expect her father to know that there is some relationship going on between Mr. Darcy and herself because she has not told anybody about her feelings towards him. This is understandable because things might blow out of proportion, but even Jane does not know the whole story.

P & P #12: Ch. 10- 12

Quote 1: "If he [Mr. Bingley] wants our society, let him seek it. He knows where we live. I will not spend my hours in running after my neighbors every time they go away, and come back again" (253).

Since the Bennets do not know the story behind Mr. Bingley's disappearance, it is only appropriate to feel disheartened by him. Jane's heart has been wounded. No matter how often she says she is recovering from it or becoming emotionally strong, the incident has still broken her heart. Mrs. Bennet is being extremely insensitive towards this and very inconsiderate. It does not seem to matter that her family should not be waiting hand and foot on a man that hurt their daughter: "She [Mrs. Bennet] does not know, no one can know how much I suffer from what she says" (253). When Mr. Bingly did come, Mrs. Bennet only embarrassed her family even more. This is not going to encourage a marriage between Mr. Bingley and Jane. Mr. Bennet was correct in saying this quote. A person with wealth is no different than a common man, except for their money. It is not the job of one person to constantly maintain an acquaintance with the other. The other also needs to put in the effort. Mr. Bennet is also following up on what he said in the previous chapters: "I have at last learnt to be cautious" (228). He is taking this matter as a father should, not joking about it like he usually does, whereas Mrs. Bennet's concern has nothing to do with her daughter's feelings, but simply to show off that Mr. Bingley came to visit them before anybody else.

Quote 2: "Let me first see how he behaves, it will then be early enough for expectation" (255).

Elizabeth continues to believe that Mr. Darcy is not interested in her. She is beyond confused when he does not act the way he did at Pemberley. Something she must remember is that Mr. Darcy holds his composure very well. She did not know he loved her until the day he proposed to her. Mr. Darcy may feel that it is not the right time or place to be acquainting with Elizabeth because there is a bigger issue of Mr. Bingley and Jane's relationship to be worried about. Mr. Darcy is a calculated man, and we can see that anything he has done, has been done for a reason, so Elizabeth should not fret! It seems as though Elizabeth does not want to share her feelings for Mr. Darcy to Jane because she wants to confirm what is going on between them to herself first, she feels embarrassed for admitting she was wrong about him, or Elizabeth is simply waiting to find an excuse to fall out of love with Mr. Darcy. Only Elizabeth knows and feels guilty that her family is being rude to the man they all owe so much to. What is ironic about Elizabeth's feelings is that she was so quick to judge Mr. Darcy and express her hatred toward him to everybody when they first met, but now that she is slowly falling in love with him, she has not admit to it yet.

P & P #11: Ch. 7- 9

Quote 1: "She [Elizabeth] began now to comprehend that he [Mr. Darcy] was exactly the man, who in disposition and talents, would most suit her" (237).

Elizabeth finally realizes that Mr. Darcy is very compatible for her. This unfortunately occurs after she hears of Lydia's elopement with Mr. Wickham. Now, if anything were to happen between Mr. Darcy and herself, Mr. Darcy would be binded with Mr. Wickham forever. Considering that Mr. Wickham is the last person Mr. Darcy wants to associate with, this challenges Mr. Darcy's love for Elizabeth. It is a decision that needs to be made on his part; whether he wants to go forth with loving Elizabeth or back off now that Mr. Wickham is in the picture. Elizabeth also recognizes this: "Had Lydia's marriage been concluded on the most honourable terms, it was not to be supposed that Mr. Darcy would connect himself with a family, where [...] an alliance and relationship of the nearest kind with the man whom he so justly scorned" (236). The marriage between Lydia and Mr. Wickham could harm a new blossoming relationship between Mr. Darcy and herself. Elizabeth cannot possibly see why Mr. Darcy would want to be with her after the events that have just taken place.

Quote 2: "Good gracious! when I went away, I am sure I had no more idea of being married till I came back again! though I thought it would be very good fun if I was" (240).

Lydia is taking her marriage with Mr. Wickham as a joke. It would not have mattered who the man was that she marrying. She thinks being married makes her better than everybody else: "Ah, Jane, I take your place now, and you must go lower, because I am a married woman [...] I am sure all my sisters must all envy me. I only hope they have half of my good luck [in finding suitable husbands]" (240-241). Lydia does not realize what disgrace it brings to her family, not only because she is married before her older sisters, but also because Mr. Wickham is below their class and a very dishonorable man. Mrs. Bennet is even worse. She is more concerned about finding the right wedding clothes for Lydia rather than feeling "any sense of shame at her [Lydia] eloping and living with Mr. Wickham, a fortnight before [the marriage] took place" (236). We see a major contrast between Elizabeth and Lydia on terms of marriage. Elizabeth, referring back to the first quote, came to the conclusion that Mr. Darcy was right for her after the many interactions they shared with one another and her own reasoning whereas, Lydia, considers marriage a joy ride and would have felt the same way she feels for Mr. Wickham with any other militia man as her husband.

P & P #10: Ch. 3- 6

Quote 1: "Since the -shire were first quartered in Meryton, nothing but love, flirtation, and officers, have been in her [Lydia's] head" (214).

Lydia comes off as a loose character and a complete idiot when it is learned that she has run off with Mr. Wickham, but it is important to keep in mind the way the Bennet sisters have been raised. The only thing that is talked about, prepared for, or is heard of involves marriage. The sole goal for the family is to marry off all five daughters. In order for this to occur, the girls must attend balls, show off their beauty, and attract men to marry. This has all been encouraged to do so by Mrs. Bennet. Jane and Elizabeth have not enveloped themselves in trying to acquire a husband, but we see that the two youngest have been most affected by it for all they do is flirt, giggle, and strive for attention. Mrs. Bennet has been so focused trying to marry the older girls that by being a younger daughter, that is all that is left to do. The unfortunate thing about all this is that Mrs. Bennet criticizes Mrs. Forster's hospitality towards Lydia, when in reality, Lydia should have been brought up with enough common sense to not act the way she did: "I am sure there was some great neglect or other on their side, for she is not the kind of girl to do such a thing, if she had been well looked after" (217). Instead of reflecting upon her ill-parenting, Mrs. Bennet did not see any harm she had done to Lydia by her continuous encouragement of marriage. Mrs. Bennet even defends Lydia by saying she is not the type of girl to do something so foolish. This flirtation act could have been stopped if Mr. or Mrs. Bennet told the girls they were not to flaunt themselves around Meryton like desperate bimbos. The way Lydia and the other daughters act is a reflection on Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. If the daughters do something dumb, their parents are to blame.

Quote 2: "No, Kitty, I have at last learnt to be cautious, and you will feel the effects of it" (228).

Mr. Bennet has learned his lesson. Anything nonsensical a woman of the Bennet household did was always a joke to him. He would make a sarcastic remark, laugh about it, and seem to accept the fact his family was ridiculous. Never did he try to bring the girls in line and tell them not to act the way they did. In regards to Lydia going with the Forsters, it did not faze him that it may not be the best idea: "Let us hope, therefore, that her being there may teach her her own insignificance. At any rate, she cannot grow many degrees worse, without authorizing us to lock her up for the rest of her life" (177). He merely brushed off what Elizabeth was mentioning to him about how bad it looks on the Bennet family for having flirtatious daughters. The tables have finally turned for Mr. Bennet.

P & P #9: Ch. 19- 2

Quote 1: "They were all of them warm in her admiration; and at that moment she felt, that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!" (185).

From detesting Mr. Darcy to now, thinking of being his partner, Elizabeth has gone through a complete transformation of her feelings towards Mr. Darcy. She blushed at the idea of coming across Mr. Darcy during her visit. The old prejudice Elizabeth would not have cared. This shows how wrong first impressions can be taken. Mr. Darcy's servant even acknowledged why some people are deceived in thinking Mr. Darcy is a proud man: "Some people call him proud; but I am sure I never saw any thing of it. To my fancy, it is only because he does not rattle away like other young men" (188). This is coming from a woman who has known Mr. Darcy since he was four years old. After Elizabeth's first day at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy has changed from an arrogant man to most agreeable. With all the prejudice that has gone about, Mr. Darcy seems to be the only character in the novel to be unaffected by it. He does not judge a book by its cover the way Elizabeth had nor does he involve his superiority or class in determining who he loves.

Quote 2: "Above all, above respect and esteem, there was a motive within her of good will which could not be overlooked. It was gratitude.-Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him, and all the unjust accusations accompanying her rejections" (201).

This quote not only confirms Elizabeth's change in feelings for Mr. Darcy, but also brings out Mr. Darcy's character. After being brutally rejected, he still manages to maintain his composure and receives his guests cordially with great civility and kindness. This only overwhelms Elizabeth after hearing what a gentleman Mr. Darcy is. She can not grasp that Mr. Darcy still has feelings for her after her harsh rejection: "It is impossible that he should still love me" (193). Mr. Darcy's love still remains strong, and does not show anger towards Elizabeth because she denied him. He respects her opinion of him and did the best he could to fix any of the issues she had with him through the letter he had given Elizabeth in the previous chapters. Elizabeth has found a new attraction towards Mr. Darcy that has only started to blossom. His character continues to lure her in, and possibly will make her fall in love with him.

P & P #8: Ch. 12- 18

Quote 1: "There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it" (172).

This quote suits the original thought of title for this book, First Impressions. Elizabeth learned her lesson. She realized her prejudice feelings towards Wickham and felt ashamed for being contemptuous towards Mr. Darcy, who turned out to be a proper man. She was blinded by Wickham's first impression and turned off by Mr. Darcy's. She did not give either man a chance, but simply judged them on their first meetings with her. This shifts Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship drastically, now that things have been cleared up. It took a person of reason to help another person of equal compatibility to realize their misjudgment.

Quote 2: "Oh, well it is just as he chooses. Nobody wants him to come. Though I shall always say that he used my daughter extremely ill; and if I was her, I would not have put up with it. Well, my comfort is, I am sure Jane will die of a broken heart, and then he will be sorry for what he has done" (174).

Mr. Darcy may have felt that he was doing something beneficial for his friend, but he did not realize that it was going to make Mr. Bingley look like an inconsiderate person. Now, if Mr. Bingley decides to come back to Netherfield, nobody will want anything to do with him. Mr. Darcy created a distasteful name for Mr. Bingley. At the ball, Caroline may not have wanted Elizabeth to like Mr. Darcy, but she still defended his position on Wickham, so he would not look bad. Mr. Darcy would have cared less about what a lower class family thought of such wealthy people as himself, but he should have confirmed Jane's feelings before breaking off her relationship. It was wrong on his part to do this, especially since he has fallen in love with Elizabeth now.

P & P #7: Ch. 6- 11

Quote 1: "Her [Lady Catherine] air was not conciliating, nor was her manner of receiving them, such as to make her visitors forget their inferior rank. [...] Whatever she said, was spoken in so authoritative a tone, as marked herself with self- importance" (125).

It seems to be perfectly acceptable for a wealthy person to show arrogance as though it is something they are born with. Even Mr. Collins, who does not find any oddity that one is supposed to feel inferior to her, mentioned: "She [Lady Catherine] likes to have the distinction of rank preserved" (124). Money is clearly not enough for those of high- social status. It is expected that everybody drop what they are doing to welcome people of wealth. Lady Catherine thinks it is acceptable to be authoritative because she is in the presence of inferior people. It does not make her any more intelligent than they are. When the conversation about piano playing took place, she insulted Mrs. Collins, mentioned how long a person needs to play for experience knowing neither of the families present have pianos of their own, and mentioned Elizabeth is not as good as her daughter in Elizabeth's presence. It is unfortunate how the wealthy people need to be insulting towards the lower class to make themselves feel of more importance.


Quote 2: "His complexion became pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure, and would not open his lips, till he believed himself to have attained it" (146).

This is the first time Mr. Darcy has had trouble maintaining his composure. Something has finally occurred that impacted him enough to break it. Considering how Mr. Darcy always gets what he wants, he must have expected an answer of his liking. Elizabeth set him straight, while still being prejudice against him. Besides this, she was shocked. Even after breaking off Mr. Bingley and Jane's relationship, he still went ahead and declared his love to Elizabeth. This love he felt for her was not an infatuation, but something serious. Mr. Darcy thinks before he speaks and to have the courage to say that is baffling.

P & P #6: Ch. 2- 5

Quote 1: "He paid her not the smallest attention, till her grandfather's death made her mistress of this fortune" (118).

Mr. Wickham proved to be of questionable merit. He found a new love interest once he learned Miss. King was given her grandfather's fortune. Mr. Wickham had mercenary interests in mind and Elizabeth may have been a mere fling the whole time. Although Elizabeth was taken back by such haste in Mr. Wickham's change of interest, she is still prejudice towards him: "He is trying to get a girl with only ten thousand pounds, you want to find out that he is mercenary?" (118). She keeps defending him while her aunt is telling her how strange it is that he is suddenly directing his attention to Miss. King right after her grandfather's death.

Quote 2: "Oh, my dear Eliza! pray make haste and come into the dining room, for there is such a sight to be seen! [...] Make haste, and come down this moment" (122).

The absurdity of this quote is quite baffling. To Elizabeth, Maria sounded as though something ridiculous had happened, thinking the pigs were running around the garden or something of that sort, but unfortunately, it was only to see two women of wealth. For such lower class, meeting wealthy people was like meeting God. It was a huge deal. It was not hard for the arrogant class of people to be considered kind for the lower class people because any small casual act a wealthy person did, automatically made them the nicest person in the world to the eyes of the lower class. It takes a person like Elizabeth or Mr. Bennet to realize how pathetic this is.

Pride and Prejudice Ch. 21- 1

Quote 2: "Miss. Bingley sees that her brother is in love with you, and wants him to marry Miss. Darcy. She follows him to town in the hope of keeping him there, and tries to persuade you that he does not care about you" (91).

Unfortunately, this act is all due to the Bennet family's lack of wealth and social status. Mr. Darcy and Caroline want to eliminate any kind of connections between Jane and Mr. Bingley, so they will not get married. A person with such high social status as Mr. Bingley needs to marry a person with just as much wealth and status. Mrs. Bennet is seen as a gold digging mother, who has no limits to her absurdity. She is loud, obnoxious, and rude. The characteristics that are not held within a person with such high social status. Her actions make the possibility of this marriage even more disagreeable. It is sad to think that the only love that is present, is between two people who cannot get married.

Quote 2: "I ask only for a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state" (96).

This quote is the example of a prudent marriage. Charlotte wants a comfortable home, which Mr. Collins can provide for her. Therefore, why shouldn't she get married? There is no interest in his social status, considering how he does not have one, or money, except for the Bennets' property, which will be entailed when Mr. Bennet dies. On the other hand, Caroline and Mr. Darcy are interested in a mercenary marriage for Mr. Bingley. Everything revolves around one's social status and wealth. Since Jane has neither, it would be a disgrace to the Bingley name. Thus, Caroline and Mr. Darcy do not want Mr. Bingley to get married to Jane. Love, in this time period, came after marriage, if a person was lucky.

Pride and Prejudice: Ch. 17- 20

Quote 1: "It was not long before her mother [Mrs. Bennet] gave her [Elizabeth] to understand that the probability of their marriage was exceedingly agreeable to her" (67).

The only reason Elizabeth and Mr. Collins would get married is for its practicality. After Mr. Bennet's death, Mr. Collins would entail all of the property and eventually have some money; therefore, the question is why would this marriage be wrong? Mr. Collins has established himself through awkward mannerism by apologizing continuously and showing high regards to people simply because of their wealth. Mr. Bennet finds Mr. Collins quite ridiculous just like the rest of society who has met him. Mrs. Bennet believes this marriage to be agreeable without consulting Elizabeth on her feelings towards him or looking at his interactions with other people. This shows how inconsiderate Mrs. Bennet is towards her daughters. First, making Jane intentionally sick to win Mr. Bingley's heart and now, considering a marriage that is extremely disagreeable.

Quote 2: "Mr. Bingley's defence of his friend was a very able one I dare say, but since he is unacquainted with several parts of the story, and has learnt the rest from that friend himself, I shall venture still to think of both gentlemen as I did before" (73).

Elizabeth is "unacquainted with several parts of the story". She is being prejudice towards Mr. Wickham simply because she likes him. There is not enough information that is given about Mr. Wickham to tell whether he is a liar, but we do know he is neither well-known nor wealthy, whereas Mr. Darcy may seem arrogant, but is very blunt when he speaks. From an objective standpoint, Mr. Darcy sounds more reasonable than Mr. Wickham when he told Mr. Bingley the tension between Mr. Wickham and himself. Elizabeth refuses to agree with Mr. Darcy's feelings towards Mr. Wickham because she despised Mr. Darcy from the very beginning. She let her emotions overcome her good sense of reason. Hopefully, she will step outside this prejudice, and put two and two together.

Pride and Prejudice: Ch. 11- 16

Quote 1: "It has often led him to be liberal and generous, --to give his money freely, to display hospitality, to assist his tenants, and relieve the poor. Family pride, and filial pride, for he is very proud of what his father was, have done this. Not to appear to disgrace his family, to degenerate from the popular qualities, or lose the influence of the Pemberley House, is a powerful motive" (62).

There was a profound stress between personal desire and familial obligations, what one person wanted versus what was supposed to be done. Mr. Darcy took familial obligations "to give his money freely, to display hospitality, to assist his tenants, and relieve the poor" all because he did not want to disgrace his family or lose influence over his estate. His father left his family with a good name and it was his son's job to carry it on. Mr. Darcy does not believe in associating with people below his class, which makes it more unreasonable that he would be so kind on his own to be helping the unfortunate. As long as Mr. Darcy sat at a high position in society, nothing else mattered. Marriage was also similar. A woman had to marry a man that was above her in society. Love was never the main basis for anything. It usually started out as a mercenary marriage and led into love afterwards.


Quote 2: "His pride never deserts him; but with the rich, he is liberal-minded, just, sincere, rational, honorable, and perhaps agreeable, --allowing something for fortune and figure" (62-63).

In this time period, pride was not simply arrogance. People used pride in their position amongst others. Not only is pride closely affiliated with valor, but it also represented a strength of character. Pride was key in helping to preserve correct social alliances. Thus, Mr. Darcy is audacious around the Bennet family, who are below his standards. Mr. Wickham mentions his good relations with the wealthy, which, in other words, would be a correct social alliance in the eyes of Mr. Darcy. Though his pride may be helpful when it comes to the wealthy, Mr. Darcy does not seem to understand that people below his standards also have just as much thought and feeling as he does. They find him distasteful because of his superiority and lack of manners, things he uses well around the wealthy.

Pride and Prejudice: Ch. 7- 10

Quote 1: "It must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world" (26).

In society, the importance of social class was imperative to finding the right woman. If a woman was below a man in any way, then they were automatically considered unworthy. As long as a woman had money, a slight dependency on a man, and beauty, then she was assumed to be the perfect wife. It was not a matter of love. One fell in love after their spouse met the requirements of a husband or wife. Therefore, Mrs. Bennet enforces her daughters to learn singing, playing the piano, and looking exceedingly presentable in order to meet some of the requirements of a perfect wife. Mr. Darcy, who does not understand the meaning of love, views Elizabeth and the Bennet family negatively because of their lack of money. Mr. Bingley sees otherwise as he falls in love with Jane.

Quote 2: "Mr. Darcy was writing, and Miss. Bingley, seated near him, was watching the progress of his letter [...] Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley were at piquet, and Mrs. Hurst was observing their game" (34).

During this time period, it was uncommon to see a working man or, especially, a working woman. Everything was focused around social interactions amongst one another. What a person did during their leisure time defined their character. For example, there were certain hospitality rules, and things women were supposed to do, like sing in order to entertain guests. It was a way in which people perceived one another, and established themselves in society. Mr. Darcy was first thought of as a man with wealth, beauty, and the requirements of a faithful beau, but after a short period of time, his character began to show as he awkwardly roamed around the ball in a previous chapter, and now, showing his arrogance when Mrs. Bennet came to visit.