Significance of the Title Pride and Prejudice
Jane
Austen, with her powerful artistic touch pens down in Pride & Prejudice
her concern for the then society drunk with reputation and appearance. First
written in 1797 under the title First Impressions, it was later revised and
published as Pride and Prejudice in 1813.
The theme of judgment
runs throughout the novel as prejudging people is a favourite pastime
illustrated by the opening sentence “It is a truth universally acknowledged
that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
Jane Austen borrowed the title from Fanny Burney’s novel Cecilia, “The whole
unfortunate business was the result of Pride and Prejudice.”
The
two pivotal characters are both guilty of pride and prejudice and must learn
the errors of their ways before they can live “happily ever after”. Elizabeth
Bennet, Austen’s heroine, believes herself to be a very shrewd judge of
character, but her pride allows herself to fall victim of her own set of
prejudices. On the other hand, Darcy is proud of his refinement and superiority
of social standing. This leads him to a general prejudice for all those below
his social status. The novel
is about the pride of Darcy and the prejudice of Elizabeth caused by their
mutual misunderstanding.
Earlier
in the novel, Mary describes Pride as “…a common failing. Human nature is
particularly prone to it”. Mr. Darcy stands as the most obviously proud
character. Wickham tells Elizabeth that he has a ‘filial pride’ and we
tend to agree with Mrs. Bennett’s complaint that “He walked here and he
walked there, fancying himself so very great”.
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His
haughty manners at the ball gave people a very bad impression of his
personality, especially Elizabeth, whom he considered as “tolerable; but not
handsome enough to tempt (him)”. Lady Catherine, Miss Bingley and even
Elizabeth Bennet constitute the other proud characters. While Lady Catherine’s
patronizing behaviour and Miss Bingley’s rudeness are due to their social
class, Elizabeth can be deemed proud on the account that she has high respect
for herself and this is best displayed when Elizabeth refers to Darcy: “And
I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.” Being
rejected by him at the ball, her prejudice mounts up and from the start; she
willfully misinterprets all his utterances and actions.
Darcy’s pride stemming from the superiority of
intellect, his noble ancestry and his enormous riches prejudices him strongly
against Elizabeth’s family and her low connections. Although “he had never
been bewitched by any woman as he was by her”, Darcy feels beneath his
dignity to admit to his love for her. Even when he can repress his feelings no
longer and does propose to Elizabeth, “he was not more eloquent on the
subject of the tenderness than on pride”. He is considerably humbled
when he is rejected without ceremony, and Elizabeth’s words “had you behaved
in a more gentleman like manner” and her criticism of his self-conceit
affects him deeply.
Elizabeth’s refusal initiates a process of
introspection and self analysis in Darcy. Consequently, he emerges as a man who
has gone through a considerable transition. This is revealed by his long
explanatory speech to Elizabeth towards the end of the novel. The greatest
proof of this transition is in his remaining firm in his choice of Elizabeth
even after Lydia-Wickham elopement which draws from Elizabeth the
acknowledgement- “indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable.”
Elizabeth's judgments about other
characters' dispositions are accurate but only half of the time. While
she is correct about Mr. Collins and how absurdly self-serving and sycophantic
he is and about Lady Catherine de Bourgh and how proud and snobbish she is, her
first impressions of Wickham and Darcy steer her incorrectly. When
Charlotte tries to show Elizabeth the agreeable side of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth
cries out in a disdainful manner: “To find a man agreeable whom one is
determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil”. It is only when she reads
Darcy’s letter that her eyes are opened to the true characters of both Darcy
and Wickham
.
In fact Darcy’s letter introduces
in Elizabeth the same self-criticism that Darcy too undergoes. Thus Elizabeth
realizes her folly in trusting her first impressions and states,
"how despicably have I acted. I, who have prided myself on my discernment! - I, who have valued myself on my abilities."
To sum up,
the title, Pride and Prejudice very aptly pins down to the
theme of the novel. The two protagonists have been tangling with pride and
prejudice throughout the novel. They also struggled to put down their pride and
get rid of their prejudice. However, to say that Darcy is proud and Elizabeth
is prejudiced is to tell but half of the story. The fact is that both Darcy and
Elizabeth are proud and prejudiced. The novel makes clear the fact the Darcy’s
pride leads to prejudice and Elizabeth’s prejudice stems from a pride in her
own perceptions.
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