Usually, being proud and having prejudice singles one out of a group, making that person inferior to others. These aspects can be looked down upon, but in the novel Pride and Prejudice they are essential characteristics that mold and define the story. Throughout the novel, the two main characters who embody the flaws of pride and prejudice are Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.An instance where pride can be seen in Mr. Darcy is when he cannot seem to ask Elizabeth to marry him after her initial rejection to his straight forward proposal. Darcy is constantly avoiding the question of "will you marry me?" He will not sit down and ask Elizabeth once more after he had been humiliated the first t ...view middle of the document...
Darcy's prejudice is his conflict with Wickham. Darcy seems to dread the fact that Wickham even exists. Wickham is a devious, conniving man that is out to slander Darcy's name. He claims that Darcy has cheated him out of the fortune Mr. Darcy's father had left Wickham. Darcy has done no such thing. Wickham's fallacies affect many other people. These people form new prejudices toward Darcy. These are unjustified, and make Darcy prejudice towards those discriminating against him.Elizabeth Bennet is one of the most diverse characters in the novel. From being shrewd, haughty, and supercilious, she evolves into a loving, passionate individual who adores Darcy. In the process of this change we can see that the aspects of pride and prejudice are in full affect.We see pride as an evident characteristic in Elizabeth. It greatly affects the people around her. An example that shows Elizabeth's pride is when Lady Catherine confronts Elizabeth about her potential marriage to Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine doesn't want Elizabeth to marry her nephew. On contrary, the Lady is passionate about Darcy marrying her daughter. Elizabeth responds to this the way she knows best. She promptly tells Lady Catherine that she doesn't care about her opinion. She will do whatever she wants concerning her affairs of marriage. Elizabeth's proud nature shows us that even if the whole world would have contempt for her and Mr. Darcy be...
