PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: MAJOR THEMES

Pride and Prejudice is full of character-driven themes that revolve around the literary concept of “comedy of manners.” A comedy of manners is a literary work that deals with young lovers attempting to unite in marriage, and usually includes several incidences of witty commentary from the main characters, which can take form in terms of anything from clever flirting to open warfare, as in the case of Darcy and Elizabeth. Pride and Prejudice is mainly concerned with the pairing of several couples and the issues surrounding each of those couples. The pursuit of marriage in this novel brings the other major themes to light.


The novel’s title itself indicates one of the major themes of the novel. All of the characters in this novel (with the exception of Jane and Bingley) suffer from the sins of both pride and prejudice. This is evident in Darcy’s introduction, when the entire neighborhood is set against Darcy (and he against them):


Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien—and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance of his having ten thousand a year . . . and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till 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; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance (6).Thus Hertfordshire society looks down upon Darcy for the remainder of the novel. This introduction to Darcy also demonstrates an important point about the relationship between pride and prejudice—one leads to the other. The affront that the neighborhood has suffered by Darcy’s refusal to interact with them leads to their prejudice. Darcy, possessing pride as well, is no better, as he develops a bias against the neighborhood and the Bennett family in particular. This intolerance leads to Darcy’s interference in and prevention of Jane and Bingley’s romance. Elizabeth also suffers from both pride and prejudice, as her mortification over Darcy’s description of Elizabeth as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt” him (7), and his proud behavior at the first party at Netherfield, as she rejects Darcy’s first proposal:


“From the very beginning, from the first moment, I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry”(145).While Darcy and Elizabeth are alike in terms of personality and ability, and the offer of marriage would be financially and socially advantageous to Elizabeth, her hatred of Darcy, based on her impression of him, determines her decision.


Austen presents two solutions to the problems created by pride and prejudice. The first is to avoid either. Jane and Bingley exemplify this idea. Neither has any pride, and they are not easily prejudiced by the comments of others. When Jane hears of the rumors regarding Wickham, she refuses to believe any of them without proof, whether it is Wickham’s claims of Darcy’s abuse, or Wickham’s infamous escapades with money and Georgiana Darcy. Bingley is of a similar mindset, and refuses to believe or internalize any of the criticisms of his sisters or Darcy regarding anyone in Hertfordshire. Jane and Bingley’s capability to avoid both pride and prejudice is what brings about their happiness at the end of the novel, because their goodness is truly unaffected.


For most of the characters, as well as the rest of us, the faults of pride and prejudice cannot be so easily remedied. Austen gives the rest of us our answer to the problems of these two failings through the development of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. The heated exchange between these two characters in Chapter 34 and Darcy’s subsequent letter in Chapter 35 demonstrates both the effects of pride and prejudice and the solution to the problem. Elizabeth’s accusations of Darcy’s pride and his interference in the lives of Jane and Wickham make Darcy reexamine his attitude toward Jane and toward his behavior. Darcy thinks about his mistakes, and by doing so, is able to recognize them, as he tells Elizabeth after she accepts his second proposal:


“The recollection of what I then said, of my conduct, my manners, my expressions during the whole of it, is now, and has been many months, inexpressibly painful to me. Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: ‘had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me; though it was some time, I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice” (275).Despite his earlier convictions about the Bennetts’ inferiority and the offense that Darcy’s pride has taken through his attraction to Elizabeth, Darcy is able to conquer his negative ideas so that he can see the error of his ways.


Elizabeth, too, must conquer her own pride and prejudices in order to see Darcy’s worth. When Darcy explains his actions in Chapter 35 as a result of the conversation during the previous chapter, Elizabeth must come to terms with several of the problems that she has ignored or avoided throughout the novel. She must acknowledge Jane’s appearance of indifference toward Bingley, which even Charlotte Lucas has previously noted to her. Elizabeth must admit that she might be wrong about Wickham, especially given his refusal to be in the same room as Darcy and his attentions toward Miss King. And most difficult of all, Elizabeth must deal with the impropriety of her parents and her younger sisters, all of which she has known but refused to censure her father for because she adored him so much. Like Darcy, Elizabeth must review and review these facts until she can put aside her prejudices against Darcy so that they can be together.


Another theme that appears in the novel is the relationship between reputation and marriage. Because the lack of money and societal connections often made it difficult for middle-class girls to marry, a girl’s reputation needed to be carefully guarded and maintained. The damage created by a thoughtless act was often irreparable, especially when it came to issues of romance, and one action by one daughter often destroyed the reputation of the entire family. This is what makes Lydia’s elopement with Wickham so horrible for the Bennett girls—she has not only jeopardized her own status in society by running away with Wickham, but she has also greatly damaged the opportunities of her sisters. Any possible suitors would not want anything to do with a family that cannot teach one of their girls to act properly. This action immediately ruins the developing romance between Darcy and Elizabeth, who are clearly on the path to marriage until Jane’s letter announcing Lydia’s escapade interrupts them. The problem is compounded by the “vulgarity” of the rest of the Bennet family—the obnoxious whining of Mrs. Bennet, the neglect of Mr. Bennet, the pompous attitude of Mary, and the insipid nature of Kitty. Any author attempting to uphold the guilt-by-association tendencies of Regency society would have ended the novel in tragedy at this point, because Darcy and Bingley would never gain any societal advantage from associating with Elizabeth and Jane.


Austen, however, disagrees with the stereotyping of families and daughters in particular by the thoughtlessness of their relatives, and demonstrates that those who are strong enough to question the practices of society can be rewarded for it. Both Darcy and Bingley, who have taken the time to get to know and understand Elizabeth and Jane, see past Lydia’s foolishness and recognize the value of the women they love. They choose to ignore the dictates of their society for marital happiness. That happiness will help them overcome their problems. Bingley and Jane must tolerate the Wickhams, and are so irritated by them that even Bingley starts to hint that he might ask them to leave (which is extreme for someone who likes everyone). Darcy and Elizabeth must deal with Lady Catherine, whose anger takes a long time to abate. However, by the end of the novel it is clear that both couples have made the right choice, and despite their problems are rewarded for their willingness to move past the pride and prejudices of themselves and their society.