Essay, Research Paper: Pride And Prejudice

The dictionary definition of pride is a sense of one's proper dignity or value. The
dictionary definition of prejudice is an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand
without knowledge of the facts. When you add these two themes together you get the
book "Pride and Prejudice." The very basis of this book is on pride and prejudice.
Throughout the book the various characters judge each other by using pride and prejudice.
An eaxmple of this is in the very beginning of the book their is a showing a prejudice by
Mr. Bennett that sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The showing happens when Mr.
Bennett is talking to his wife about the arrival of the rich Mr. Bingley. Mrs. Bennett says
that she would like one her their five girls to marry him so that they would be situated well
for the rest of their life. Mr. Bennett shows his prejudice by saying "``Design! nonsense,
how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and
therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes''(Pg. 5). According to the book all of the
daughters are blessed with beauty. Because of this Mr. Bennett must be implying that even
though his daughters are beautiful, they may not be rich enough or have high enough
standards to even be considered by Mr. Bingley.
The majority of the story is based on the feelings between Elizabeth Bennet and
Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet is a middle class woman who always likes to be treated the
same by everybody, no matter who they are. Mr. Darcy is a rich fellow who uses his pride
to only stick with people that are on the same social level as him. These two represent the
most pride and prejudice in the book. Mr. Darcy is the perfect example of pride and
Elizabeth is a good example of prejudice. Their love story starts off near the begining of
the book where they meet at a local ball. Mr. Darcy pays little attetion to her beacuse his
pride wont let him deal with a lower class member. He says this of her " she is tolerable,
but not handsome enough to tempt me"(Pg.12). He also says this of the people at the
party ``I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted
with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are
engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment
to me to stand up with''(Pg.12). Unfortanetly Elizabeth overhead some of these remarks
and beacuse of this she started to hate Darcy. Also these remarks led to Elizabeth using
here prejudice to think that Darcy said these remarks just beacuse he his standards were
too high for her. The tentions are high between these two until the next time they see each
other.
At this point they both don't like each other, but Darcy begins to show some
intrest in her bueaty. The story goes along with Darcy gathering intrest in her "wit and
bueaty" while she hates him more and more. During this time Mr. Darcy uses his power to
break up Jane Bingley and Mr. Bingley for the reason that he belives that they are not truly
in love with each other. After Elizabeth hears of this her reaction is that she totally hates
Mr. Darcy for this and once again she thinks that he is doing this beacuse of his prejudice
for the lower class. Right after this Darcy proposed to Elizabeth and she smoothly said no
with a little prejudice on the side. She stated``I have every reason in the world to think ill
of you. No motive can excuse the unjust and ungenerous part you acted there.
You dare not, you cannot deny that you have been the principal, if not the only means of
dividing them from each other, of exposing one to the censure of the world for caprice and
instability, the other to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in
misery of the acutest kind''(Pg. 162). The reason she said no is beacuse of the cruel things
he did to her sister, Jane. Darcy is offened by this and he storms away from her.
Later on Darcy writes a letter to Elizabeth, explaining why he broke up Jane and
Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth reads this letter and begins to understand the pride that Mr. Darcy
has for himself. After reading the letter her prejudice for him becomes very shaken. After a
series a small storylines in the book, Elizabeth finds out that Darcy bribed Mr. Wickham
into marrying Lydia Bennett, Elizabeths sister. She is grateful for this and feels that it
wasn't necacassry. She also realizes vthat Darcy isn't a bad person at heart. Then Darcy
decided to ask her in marriage again, this time she gladly said yes. The story of Elizabeth
and Darcy is a perfect example of Pride and Prejudice.