Darcy & Elizabeth

Throughout Pride and Prejudice, it is important to keep the progress of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s relationship in consideration. Although the two did not get along at first, both rid their old ways for the other. Their differences are not irreconcilable when Elizabeth sets aside her prejudice and Darcy neglects his pride to make amends. In the first volume of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen introduces us to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth cannot stand Mr. Darcy because he comes off arrogance because he was unwilling to dance with anyone outside of his own party. Elizabeth overhears Mr. Darcy say, "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me” (7). The two get off on the wrong foot, but Mr. Darcy starts showing signs that he is falling in love with her in volume two. Elizabeth is more annoyed than impressed with Mr. Darcy because of what others say about him. He was quickly judged as "the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world". In volume two, it appears that Darcy is trying to make amends with Elizabeth because he has taken interest in her. However, Elizabeth is astonished because she had just learned that Darcy had separated Jane and Bingley from marrying, and he hadn't denied it. He was also constantly alluding to how rude her family is, which offended her, and of course, Wickham had lied to her that Darcy was an extremely cruel person. Again, Elizabeth listens to what others says and applies her own opinions to the gained knowledge for something grandiose.
Later on throughout volume two, Elizabeth embarks on understanding Mr. Darcy and how he’s different from Wickham. "'There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of these two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it'" (172). Elizabeth develops an understanding as to how Wickham was inconsistent and that his history was never verified. She realizes that Wickham tricked her while Mr. Darcy intervened for her own good. Elizabeth keeps thinking about Darcy's letter. She decides that she respects Darcy. Elizabeth also doubts a second proposal from Mr. Darcy will come around. In volume three, Elizabeth arrives at Pemberley and fantasizes about what it would be like to be mistress there. Upon her presence at Mr. Darcy’s estate, Elizabeth picks up on the housekeeper praising Mr. Darcy as a kind and generous man: good to his servants, his tenants, and especially his sister. She then realizes that he fits the criteria of her ideal upper class man with balancing power, compassion, community involvement, and dedication to family. Soon after, Mr. Darcy says his feelings for her have not changed since his rejected proposal, and asks about her feelings to which Elizabeth confesses that her feelings have significantly changed. Upon understanding each other’s feelings, later, Elizabeth asks him his account for having ever fallen in love with her, and Mr. Darcy replies with, “ ‘I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun’”(291). Mr. Darcy has learned humility through Elizabeth, whereas she has looked past her prejudice when trying to understand others.