Jane Austen 's ' The King Of The Time '

Judging by reality and fiction, there is not a single person to exist that has been purely evil or purely good. Yet it is in human nature to judge others as good or evil. Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice was quick to judge Fitzwilliam Darcy, the second central character of the novel, harshly based on her false assumptions of the arrogance of the wealthy. His initial egocentrism, due to his belief in a structured social hierarchy, caused her to form a prejudiced opinion of him. Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy is shown to exhibit both good and evil qualities, although not always apparent to the narrator, Elizabeth. Jane Austen’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy as a morally ambiguous character uncovers the significance of class in English society during the late seventeenth century.

Wickham, a possible husband, she thinks he is a very nice man, but her prejudice causes controversy later in the story. Mr. Wickham discovers Elizabeth’s hatred for Mr. Darcy, and decides to use his discovery to his advantage. Bloom conveyed in Bloom’s Guides: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that Mr. Wickham was a charming officer that intrigued Elizabeth. He was funny and had a suave personality, but lied about his background (19). Mr. Wickham is selfish and only interested in money. Bloom communicated in Bloom’s Guides: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that Mr. Darcy didn’t give Mr. Wickham the share of the property Mr. Darcy’s father promised (29). Elizabeth believes Mr. Wickham’s story immediately only knowing what he just told her. Elizabeth is prejudice of him, only because he comes off as a charming, kind soldier. At the ball the following day Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth dance for the first time. Mr. Wickham does not go to the ball, which allows Elizabeth time to ask people about Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth does not find out much and still believes what Mr. Wickham told her. Elizabeth’s prejudice continues throughout the story, but concludes in her realizing her

His sense of her inferiority–of its being a degradation of–the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclinations were dwelt on...” (Austen 12). These words reflect Mr. Darcy’s excessive pride and heightened awareness of social status, while inducing him to recount all the ways in which he and Elizabeth are an illogical union, rather than relaying anything complimentary. In response to this insult-ridden proposal, Elizabeth proclaims that if he had acted in a more “gentlemanlike manner,” she would have been more inclined to express sympathy following her rejection of his advances. Despite Elizabeth’s clear message that she will not observe his insensitive words in submission, Mr. Darcy endures in the conviction that his prideful manners toward Elizabeth are well-justified and merely detail the truthful, adverse nature of her inferior social standing with the utmost sincerity.

Elizabeth feels she needs someone who can realise their faults and their inadequacies which the arrogant Darcy cannot do as he formed a negative judgement of her just because of her social class. Later, Elizabeth again is very open and unafraid to speak her mind, challenging the values of the time when Lady Catherine comes to speak to Elizabeth, forbidding her to marry Darcy. Elizabeth challenges social class values through Austen’s use of characterisation in “He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter: so far we are equal.” This is the first time in the novel Elizabeth has stood up for herself and her family concerning their social class. Austen shows development in the character of Elizabeth through this characterisation which defines the fiery and independent woman that Elizabeth has become.

Elizabeth learns that "all his [Darcy's] actions may be traced to pride; and pride has often been his best friend" (Austen 71). Wickham continues his conversation and eventually tells Elizabeth that Darcy threw him from his household into a life of poverty. "Most important, of course, is Elizabeth's misjudgement of Darcy's character: the overreaction to his pride and reserve that makes her unable to see what lies beneath it" (Moler, 26). Wickham's actions and words lead Elizabeth to a harsh perception of Darcy and a kind perception of himself. This same perception of Darcy eventually leads her to confront him about his abuse of Wickham. "He has been so unlucky as to lose your friendship, and in a manner which he is likely to suffer from all his life" (Austen 80). At this point Elizabeth's original perceptions of both Darcy and Wickham reach their climax, and slowly begin to decline.

        Before Elizabeth's independent judgments can be formed, she must work her way painstakingly out of her existing prejudice.  It is true that Darcy essentially forces his letter into Elizabeth's consciousness.  He has no other choice.  The day after Elizabeth has rejected him, he waits along the path where she takes her morning walks, waylays her when she tries to avoid him, and even then must thrust his letter at her.  Elizabeth's impetus to free herself from her initial prejudice against Darcy is, thus, involuntary.  Because Elizabeth naturally seeks truth, she "instinctively" (129) takes the letter from the hands of this man who has so offended her that she cannot believe "any apology to be in his power" (134).  Unable to shut out all reason completely, Elizabeth begins to move beyond her hatred.  "With the strongest curiosity," (129) she focuses on the unalterable truth of Darcy's letter.  Attention to Darcy's viewpoint is essential for the reader as well as for Elizabeth.  Throughout the text, the reader has viewed Darcy's character mainly through the filter of Elizabeth's prejudice.  Even Darcy's proposal, which should have indicated the beginning of Darcy's redemption, is distorted into Elizabeth's version: Austen does

Elizabeth Bennet stands for the prejudice in the title and Mr. Darcy stands for the pride. This seems to be correct; Elizabeth is quick to make judgments and is very stubborn as she judges Mr. Darcy too quickly and with too little information by accepting Wickham’s words without judgment and therefore believes nothing Darcy says is positive about his feelings towards her. Mr. Darcy acts as if he were superior to the people in Hertfordshire. Mr. Darcy was overly proud, underrating the ladies at the Meriton ball. Mr. Bingley asks Mr. Darcy to dance, but he answers: “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” (p. 11).

Darcy’s rude behavior. For example “But I can assure you," she added, "that Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting HIS fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great! Not handsome enough to dance with! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set-downs. I quite detest the man." (Austen, 10). This demonstrates how Mr. Darcy has already left an ugly impression on the Jane and Elizabeth, and leads to Elizabeth creating an annoyance and grudge towards him. The social handicap already makes an appearance by the first impressions that is exchanged between the two and Elizabeth has already developed a negative view on Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth allows the social handicap to negatively influence her view on Mr. Darcy, due to his rude first encounter and she can not help but create a prejudice towards his social class because of him. For example, after hearing Mr. Wickham’s story. "I had not thought Mr. Darcy so bad as this -- though I have never liked him, I had not thought so very ill of him. -- I had supposed him to be despising his fellow-creatures in general, but did not suspect him of descending to such

Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, presents a case of almost lost love, while presenting characters of extreme diversity. Love, marriage, and the views of opposite sexes are common outlooks presented in Volume I of Jane Austen’s novel. One of the main characters that takes readers through a loop of different emotions is Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is a wealthy gentlemen by birth. He has women flaunting over him at all times, so when Elizabeth gives him the cold shoulder, he is incredibly taken by surprise. His view on love starts out very materialistic, but slowly as his relationship with Elizabeth grows, we see a change in his behavior. Marriage, in Mr. Darcy’s opinion, should be kept within social classes and because of his wealth and wide range of women to pick from, his partner in marriage must possess every, almost unobtainable characteristic in which he admires. Darcy views women as objects, instead of human beings. He is more worried about what they have, instead of who they are. Although he seems set in his ways, readers start to slowly see a shift in these views as the volume comes to an end.

At the start of the novel, Mr. Darcy is the one who is judged unfairly due to first impressions. Elizabeth states, “I should take [Darcy], even on my slight acquaintance, to be an ill-tempered man.” This opinion of her is based on their first meeting, along with reports of others regarding his character. She has no evidence that he is “ill-tempered,” yet based solely on others’ opinions, and her first impression, makes this observation. When Elizabeth speaks to

To begin, in looking at the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy, one can see that Elizabeth is young women who fails to fall to the pressures placed on her by society through her feminist ideals. Elizabeth distinguishes herself from society in her ability to make decisions for herself, rather than the persuasions of her community. “She finds life more amusing than others do because she is superior in discernment and abilities. (Tave 21). Elizabeth’s intelligence allows her to choose a man to marry for the reason of love, rather than money or social status. Unlike many other women, Elizabeth

"She was shown into the breakfast-parlour…where her appearance created a great deal of surprise. That she should have walked three miles so early in the day, in such dirty weather, and by herself, was almost incredible to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley… in their brother 's manners there … was good humour and kindness. Mr. Darcy said very little, and Mr. Hurst nothing at all. The former was divided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt as to the occasion 's justifying her coming so far alone…" (Austen 38). Ms. Elizabeth is portrayed as an outspoken, independent, and prejudiced character throughout the book. She prides herself on being observant, on account of deciphering that marriage is a one-way ticket to unhappiness and misery, but without it, she becomes poor. When she first meets Mr. Darcy, she finds his remark about her being only ‘tolerable’ ridiculous and tells the story in a lively spirit, while her family finds Mr. Darcy quite the “most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing” (Austen 14). The next time the two meet, Mr. Darcy feels admiration and confusion towards Ms. Elizabeth and her individuality for she walked to Netherfield despite the social quota. Her prejudice takes place when she criticizes Mr. Darcy for having

Jane Austen lived a very successful life. Born on December 16, 1775, Jane Austen’s novels about life in England in the eighteenth century very well influenced by her own childhood. As a young girl, she grew up in a household with six brothers and one sister, her mother, Cassandra Leigh Austen, and her father, George Austen, at the rectory at Steventon in Hampshire, England. George Austen contributed to the middle class ranking of the family, working as a clergyman at Steventon. Although Mr. Austen was born into a family of a low rank, specialized in trade, he experienced a rise in social class after being educated at Oxford and given the position of clergyman by a rich relative. Jane’s mother, Cassandra, was of a higher social ranking than Jane’s father, George, but eagerly became a part of the Austen family (Kelly).  Jane Austen’s life was filled with closeness and love.

Amidst a family that makes analyses of other people either incorrectly or not at all, Elizabeth prides herself on her ability to correctly assess people. Overshadowed by her admiration of Mr. Wickham and her unfortunate first impression of Mr. Darcy, her ability to be an impartial spectator of each of these men’s characters is askew. “She had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd” (Austen 178). Her preference dictates which facts and opinions she regards as correct, therefore showing her lack of maturity leading up to the letter itself. When she reads the letter, she finally sees the full picture and realizes that she had thrown out facts that did not fit her initial impression of the men. “I have courted the prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away” (Austen 179). Elizabeth was letting her emotions cloud her rationality. Once shown how she had unfairly judged both men, she comes to the realization that she hides the true judgmental aspect of her personality even from herself: “Till this moment I never knew myself” (Austen 179). Blinded by a superiority that comes with being the most praised child, she never doubted a fault within herself.

Darcy was a major part of the in the novel Pride & Prejudice. The upbringing and environment was also a major theme in the novel. In the book you can see all the main characters different upbringings. Elizabeth was daughter to Mr. Bennet who married middle class Mrs. Bennet. He owned the estate longbourn and earned 2,000 pounds a year which categorized him as upper class. Elizabeth was a person who didn't care about classes and thought that social status should not be something that should get in between love or any type of relationships. Darcy on the other hand was a rich arrogant person who considered Elizabeth as someone beneath him because of her mothers status. He also was afraid to fall in love or get married to someone lower then him because that will ruin his identity. At the end that slowly started to change. At the beginning of the story Darcy was somebody that thought of everyone beneath him and used to insult Elizabeth about her family and how he was better than them. In the beginning of the story he also found it fascinating that Elizabeth was so prejudice even though she was lower than him. This just shows that social class wasn't as big of a thing for Elizabeth as it was for Darcy. As the story continued you can see that Elizabeth slowly changes the way Darcy thinks about life and social status. In the novel Pride & Prejudice Elizabeth and Darcy's whole relationship had many hardships because of social class and because of what people especially Darcy's family thought of Elizabeth. But Later on in the story the marriage between them shows that even though class is a big thing love can overcome many