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.