Pride and Prejudice

Plot

When Charles Bingley, a rich single man, moves to the Netherfield estate, the neighborhood residents are thrilled, especially Mrs. Bennet, who hopes to marry one of her five daughters to him. When the Bennet daughters meet him at a local ball, they are impressed by his outgoing personality and friendly disposition. They are less impressed, however, by Bingley's friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, a landowning aristocrat who is too proud to speak to any of the locals and whom Elizabeth Bennet overhears refusing to dance with her.

Bingley and the oldest Bennet daughter, Jane, soon form an attachment. Any serious relationship between the two, however, is opposed by Bingley's sisters (who do not approve of Jane as a wife for Bingley because of her mother's lower status) and by Darcy (who believes that Jane is indifferent to Bingley). Meanwhile, Darcy finds himself attracted to Elizabeth despite his objections to her family. He is drawn to her spirited wit and expressive eyes, and Caroline Bingley's jealous criticisms of Elizabeth can do nothing to lessen Darcy's admiration.

As Darcy grows more interested in Elizabeth, Elizabeth continues to despise him and is instead attracted to George Wickham, a handsome and personable militia officer. Wickham tells Elizabeth that his father worked for Darcy's father and that he and Darcy grew up together. Stating that he was favored by Darcy's father, Wickham claims that Darcy disobeyed his father's bequest of a clergyman's revenue to Wickham out of selfish resentment. Wickham's tale makes Darcy appear not only proud but cruel, and Elizabeth accepts Wickham's account without question, disliking Darcy even more because of it.

In the midst of Jane and Elizabeth's developing relationships, the Bennet family is visited by Mr. Bennet's cousin, William Collins, a clergyman who will inherit Mr. Bennet's estate when he dies because of a legal stricture known as an entail. Full of apologies for the entail and praises for his patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Mr. Collins informs the Mrs. Bennet that Lady Catherine has instructed him to marry and that he plans to choose a wife from the Bennet daughters. He settles on Elizabeth, but is stunned and offended when she refuses him. He quickly turns his attention to Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas, who wants to marry for security rather than love, and the two are soon engaged and married.

At the same time, Jane is dismayed to find out that Bingley and the entire Netherfield party have unexpectedly left for London. Caroline Bingley writes to Jane that they do not intend to return, and she predicts a match between Bingley and Darcy's sister, Georgiana, who is also in London. Although Jane quietly resigns herself to a life without Bingley, Elizabeth is angry for her sister and suspects that Bingley's sisters and Darcy are trying to keep him from Jane.

Elizabeth visits Charlotte at her new home in Hunsford, Kent, and meets Mr. Collins' patroness and Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, an overbearing woman who thrives on meddling in other people's lives. Soon after Elizabeth's arrival in Kent, Darcy visits his aunt with his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Darcy puzzles Elizabeth with his behavior; he seems to seek out her company, but he never says much. One day, he surprises Elizabeth by proposing to her. Still repelled by his pride and believing Darcy is responsible for Bingley's separation from Jane and for Wickham's misfortune, Elizabeth refuses him. The next day, Darcy gives her a letter explaining his role in influencing Bingley away from Jane and details the facts of Wickham's situation. A careful examination of the facts reveals that Darcy, while proud, is innocent of wrongdoing, leaving Elizabeth mortified at her discovery of how her own pride prejudiced her against Darcy.

After returning home for a month, Elizabeth goes on a trip with her aunt and uncle Gardiner to Derbyshire county, where they visit Darcy's estate of Pemberley. There they meet Darcy unexpectedly and are all surprised at how graciously he treats them. He calls on Elizabeth at her inn, introduces her to his sister, and invites her to Pemberley for dinner. Darcy is still in love with Elizabeth, and Elizabeth begins to have similar feelings for him.

In the midst of this promising situation, Elizabeth receives two letters from Jane telling her that Lydia has eloped with Wickham, causing Elizabeth and the Gardiners to leave for home immediately. Elizabeth fears that Lydia and the Bennet family are permanently disgraced and that her newly-discovered love for Darcy is hopeless. When Lydia is found, however, she and Wickham marry. After the wedding, Elizabeth discovers that Darcy was instrumental in orchestrating the marriage, thereby saving the reputation and marriage ability of the other Bennet daughters.

Bingley returns to Netherfield and soon asks Jane to marry him. Jane, of course, accepts, and Mrs. Bennet's exultation is only lessened by her irritation at Darcy's occasional presence. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's happiness for her sister is interrupted by a visit from Lady Catherine De Bourgh, who has heard a rumor that Darcy and Elizabeth are engaged, which they are not. She lectures Elizabeth on the imprudence of such a match, and then demands that Elizabeth promise not to accept any proposal from Darcy. Elizabeth refuses, causing Lady Catherine to tell Darcy about Elizabeth's impertinence and to scold him about the folly of an engagement between them. Lady Catherine's description of Elizabeth's response to her demands gives Darcy hope that Elizabeth has had a change of heart. He proposes again and Elizabeth happily accepts.

Characters

Elizabeth Bennet- The protagonist of the book. She is the second oldest of the Bennet five sisters. She is most intelligent of the five and spirited young woman who is enthusiastic and enjoys studying people's characters. Although she at first dislikes Darcy, circumstances cause her to reassess her negative impression of him, and she eventually falls in love with him.

Fitzwilliam Darcy- A wealthy, proud man who falls in love with Elizabeth and reveals a generous, thoughtful nature beneath his rough attitude.

Mr. Bennet- Father of the Bennets who is unhappily married and has failed to provide a secure financial future for his wife and daughters.

Mrs. Bennet- Mother of the Bennets who is foolish and obsessed with finding husbands for her daughters.

Jane Bennet- The oldest and most beautiful sister of the Bennet sisters who is a gentle and kind-hearted young woman. She falls in love with Bingley but is cautious about revealing the depth of her feelings for him.

Mary Bennet- The third Bennet of the five who prefers reading over socializing.

Catherine (Kitty) Bennet- The fourth Bennet of the five who joins her sister Lydia in flirting with soldiers.

Lydia Bennet- The youngest Bennet of the five who is immature and irresponsible. She is Mrs. Bennet's favorite and shocks the family by running away with Wickham.

Charles Bingley- A good-natured and wealthy man who falls in love with Jane. He is easily influenced by others, especially by his close friend Darcy.

Caroline Bingley- Charles Bingley's stuck-up sister who befriends Jane and later snubs her. She attempts to attract Darcy's attentions and is jealous when Darcy is drawn more towards Elizabeth.

George Wickham- A handsome and personable fortune hunter to whom Elizabeth is initially attracted. He eventually runs off with and is forced to marry Lydia.

Lady Catherine De Bourgh- Darcy's arrogant aunt, who dominates Mr. Collins and entertains hopes that her daughter will marry Darcy.

Colonel Fitzwilliam- Darcy's well-mannered and pleasant cousin, who is interested in Elizabeth, but who needs to marry someone with money.

Georgiana Darcy- Darcy's shy but warmhearted sister.

Mr. Collins- Mr. Bennet's ridiculous cousin, who will inherit Longbourn after Mr. Bennet's death. Upon Lady Catherine De Bourgh's recommendation, he seeks a bride, first proposing to Elizabeth and then to Charlotte Lucas.

Charlotte Lucas- Elizabeth's sensible and intelligent friend, who disappoints Elizabeth by marrying Mr. Collins for money and security.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner- Mrs. Bennet's intelligent and cultivated brother and sister-in-law.

Theme

Pride- a constant presence in the characters' attitudes and treatment of each other, coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mistakes. Darcy's pride about his social rank makes him look down on anyone lower his social rank. Elizabeth has so much pride in her ability to judge others that she refuses to revise her opinion even with clear contradictory evidence. (Ex. She despises the good-hearted Darcy for a long time and favors Wickham who is a liar) Clearifies that no one is free from pride, but shows with the proper moral, one may overcome it to lead a life of decency and kindness. In the end, the two lovers are able to overcome their pride by helping each other see their respective blind spots. Darcy sheds his snobbery, while Elizabeth learns not to place too much weight on her own judgments.

Prejudice- the tendency of the characters to judge one another based on preconceptions, rather than on who they really are and what they actually do. Predjudice often led into wrong assumptions about motives and behavior. Actions of Elizabath and Darcy exemplifies that their mistakes can happen to anyone; that faulting someone else for prejudice is easy while recognizing it in yourself is hard. Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a person's moral development, something that can be overcome through reason and compassion.

Love- the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy is the highlight of the novel. The novel points out the inequality that leads the relationship of men and women and also affects the choices women make when it comes to marriage. They also overcome numerous obstacles, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s pride makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of a poor first impression, while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social standing blinds him, for a time, to her many virtues.

Class- the target of much of the novel's criticism of society in general. (Ex. Lady Catherine who controls over in society’s ranks, is guilty of mistreating other people. Mr. Collins and Caroline Bingley dictates over the class system with thoroughly empty hearts. In contrast, Bingley is someone from the upper class who wears his position lightly and gallantly. The Gardiners represent the honest, generous, and industrious middle class and are examples of how to be wealthy without being pretentious. Darcy is the primary example of the novel’s ideal high-class gentleman. At first, he seems to be an arrogant and selfish snob, as the novel progresses it becomes clear that he is capable of change. He combines his natural generosity with the integrity that he considers a crucial attribute of all upper-class people due to Elizabeth’s criticism and influential actions.