Pride and Prejudice #9

            Now that Elizabeth sees Mr. Darcy in his comfort zone, her view of him drastically changes. Mrs. Reynolds gives Mr. Darcy the highest praise, painting him as “always the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world” (207). Her descriptions starkly contrast Elizabeth’s previous surmises about Darcy. However, with her eyes cleared of her prejudice, Elizabeth is willing to entertain the possibility that Darcy may not be quite as condescending and insolent as she imagined. Indeed, he seems to be the opposite. When asked about when Mr. Darcy might marry, Mrs. Reynolds replies, “I do not know who is good enough for him” (207). Even before she sees Mr. Darcy again, Elizabeth begins to feel twinges of regret for her blunt rejection of his advances. The beautiful estate and high general regard for Mr. Darcy leave Elizabeth wondering what she is missing out on. Mr. Darcy’s behavior when they meet again confirms her musings: he is incredibly polite and cordial. Given the fact that their last meeting consisted of Elizabeth rejecting his heartfelt proposal and accusing him of being a cruel person, one might expect Mr. Darcy to demonstrate some sort of contempt or at least brusqueness with Elizabeth. Rather, Elizabeth notes that “[n]ever in her life had she seen his manners so little dignified, never had he spoken with such gentleness as on this unexpected meeting” (211). Mr. Darcy still treats Elizabeth with respect even though he has every reason not to. Furthermore, Darcy engages in conversation with Mrs. and Mrs. Gardiner and asks Elizabeth to meet his sister. Clearly Mr. Darcy has decided not to give up on Elizabeth, and he will endeavor once more to win over her affections. Now that Elizabeth is consciously ignoring her prior prejudices and Mr. Darcy is aware of how she initially perceived him, hopefully he will have more success.