Pride and Prejudice Blog 2

Gleaning from our class discussion and the readings from Pride and Prejudice, one can assume that the character of Mr. Darcy is far more complex than meets the eye. Darcy is early on depicted as being a disagreeable sort, but later on in the novel his softer, more considerate side will be sure to surface. Society often forces men to act strong and tough, and for Darcy, this hard exterior expectation manifests itself in his proud ways and not outgoing personality. On the outside, he portrays himself to be a proud and conceited man who knows just how to influence those around him and get his way. At the ball, Darcy is thought to be the most intriguing man in the room until "his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased"(12). Darcy gives off an air of superiority that deters people from favoring him because they find him to be excessively proud and vain. However, the book itself illustrates the difference between the two, and in doing so justifies Darcy and his early attitude. The fact that "pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves (and) vanity to what we would have others think of us"(21), shows that Darcy does not in fact have vanity, rather a sense of pride, something that "human nature is prone to"(21). If Darcy was vain and caring solely about what others thought of him, he would not allow his attitude to damage his outward appearance, he would be quietly displeased with those around him and not speak his mind. Darcy does however allow people to know what he is thinking, even if it comes across as brutally honest or borderline rude. When he speaks about Elizabeth at the ball he calls her "tolerable; but not handsome enough"(13), this shows that he is not afraid to voice his opinion, despite the way society may view it. Darcy is wrongfully judged by most of the characters before his manner can be fully developed, they see him as being "the proudest and most disagreeable man in the world"(13). Considering the proud sense of self that he clearly displays, it says a lot about how he feels when he asks Elizabeth to dance, seeing as when previously encouraged to dance he proclaimed that he "detest(s) it, unless (he) is particularly acquainted with (his) partner"(13). By dancing with Elizabeth despite his feelings about dancing, Darcy is showing a glimmer of his soft side. Later on in the novel, when this side is evoked it will show Darcy's complexity and how kind he can be. Elizabeth views him much the same as the rest of her society does and her prejudices against him cause her to shut him down instead of draw out the soft side of him. This gives Darcy a feeling of rejection and in order to deal with it, he hides behind his proud walls, acting again as though he his superior. Elizabeth's prejudices will be proved wrong down the road because there is far more to Darcy than meets the eye.