Pride and Prejudice Part 2

 Word count: 317

   Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"No, Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away seen enough" (Austen, 271)

"'My object then,' replied Darcy, 'was to shew you, by every civility in my power, that I was not so mean as to resent the past; and I hoped to obtain your forgiveness, to lessen your ill opinion, by letting you see that your reproofs had been attended to.'" (Austen, 334)

    The first quotation was pronounced by Mr. Bennet after Lydia had eloped with Mr. Wickham. This quotation relays his guilt over his past actions and his realization of his mistakes. His mistakes do not come from action, but, rather, lack of action. At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Bennet finds Lydia and Kitty's antics to be a source of comedy, rather than a cause for concern. When Lydia asks to go with the Regiment, he allows her to because he believes everyone understands her to be a silly girl, and no one would want to bring any harm to her. He believes the worst thing that could happen is a trivial, but embarrassing, situation. Her elopement brings Mr. Bennet back to reality, and he now understands he must take action to protect his other daughters. Readers might find his lack of action to be derived from his loveless marriage. Lydia reminds him of his wife; therefore, he does not want to reprimand her because he cares little for his wife.

    The second quotation relays why I believe Pride and Prejudice became Austen's most beloved novel. This quote shows that Mr. Darcy changes for Elizabeth. This makes him very attractive in the eyes of the reader. He does not change anything important about his character, but he lets his true character and personality shine through. He wants to show this to Elizabeth not because he thinks it will change her feelings about their engagement, but because he wants her to know who he really is. Mr. Darcy takes Elizabeth's advice to heart and uses it to become a better person. This aspect shows his true love and admiration for her opinion by revealing his true self. It is also, I believe, the standard for real, deep love because it depicts Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are flawed people that are willing to compromise and change for each other. 

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice, Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2016, pp. 162–352.

Comments

  1. Julianna HigginsFebruary 14, 2021 at 12:44 PM

    I really liked the first analyzation you made, especially focusing on the fact that he didn't care much for certain daughters of his. I also found this to be true in chapter one, when Mr. Bingley had arrived and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were looking for him to marry a daughter of theirs of his choosing. In that moment, they began comparing their daughters and Mrs. Bennet questioned why he favored Lizzy more often.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sydney SizemoreFebruary 15, 2021 at 12:30 PM

    Your first analysis is very similar to the opinion I had while reading the book. I especially like that you recognized the comparison between Lydia and her mother and how Mr. Bennett saw both as a form of entertainment rather than his family members. I think that this quote is very important to the character of Mr. Bennett because it causes a shift and makes him want to be a better father for his daughters, as you eluded to in your analysis. I love the quote you picked for your second analysis because I agree that the realness of the characters is part of why people love the novel. It is easier to relate to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth when they have faults and arguments.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mrs. Dalloway

 Word Count: 279 Mrs. Dalloway      I chose the scene when Pete and Clarissa are arguing about their future. Clarissa has chosen not to marry Peter, but instead marry Richard Dalloway. She feels safe with Richard, and he does not have the same extravagant expectations for Clarissa like Peter does. Peter wants her to do more with her life than stay at home and be a mother and wife, but that is not what she wants. This is a direct contrast from the other novels we have read. In these other novels, women want to marry for love and do more with their lives than stay at home. We explicitly see this in The Awakening  by Kate Chopin. In The Awakening , Edna yearns for a life more than what she has been given. We also see the older Mrs. Dalloway contemplate on this point. She wonders if she made the correct decisions when she was younger. This contemplation is very interesting, because she was given other options when she was young, and other young women of the time were not.      I think this
Read more

Silas Marner Part 2

Word Count: 280 Silas Marner  by George Eliot  "The vindication of the loved object is the best balm affection can find words for its wounds: - 'A man must have so much on his mind,' is the belief by which a wife often supports a cheerful face under rough answers and unfeeling words" (Eliot, 135).     This quotation expresses Nancy's thoughts when she soothes herself. It seems that many wives during this time live under the impression that their husbands must always be correct, and any problem that arises is the fault of the woman. While this might not have been true, it is the impression Eliot creates throughout this novel when depicting traditional marriage. The only woman who crosses her husband was Molly, and she dies while trying to expose her unconventional and secret marriage. This directly demonstrates the consequences a woman suffers once defying her husband.      Nancy experiences extreme guilt about her lack of siring a child for her husband. For both N
Read more

"Eve's Apology in Defense of Women"

 Word Count: 259 "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" by Aemilia Lanyer "And then to lay the fault on Patience' back, / That we (poor women) must endure it all;" "If Eve did err, it was for knowledge' sake, / The fruit being fair persuaded him to fall:" (Lanyer)     These quotations from the second stanza of the poem depict Lanyer's feelings about the story of Adam and Eve. Many blame Eve for the fall of man, but Lanyer argues that she is not the one to condemn. The second quotation explains why Eve took to fruit: she wanted to have the knowledge which the serpent told her was vital, while Adam ate because the fruit was "fair."  The first quotation exemplifies the hardships women still must endure because so many misinterpret the tale.      Lanyer's reasoning in this poem aligns with the current feminist movement, which was probably very controversial at the time of her writing this. This begs the question: why did she write th
Read more