Pride And Prejudice Character Analysis

Imagine meeting a person that seemed ignorant, stubborn, and unfriendly, but also interesting to study and observe. Then, imagine meeting someone that told of his hardships and sufferings, which he claims were all caused by that first person you met. Who would you believe? Then, imagine that you believed the villain. The feeling of guilt and embarrassment floods through your body. This is what happens to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. We are first introduced to Mr. Darcy at the ball at Meryton, where many people in the town see him as incredibly rich and quite handsome. It goes downhill from there; Darcy dances with only two women, offending everyone attending. Our first encounter with Mr. Wickham is on the street with Mr. Denny and Elizabeth and most of her sisters. He appears to be a decent guy and catches many of the ladies’ eyes. After getting to know both Darcy and Wickham, Lizzy says, “There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the
In the beginning, Darcy is not interested in Elizabeth and describes as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 11). From this point, Elizabeth does not find Darcy very entertaining and thinks of him as a rude person. When Wickham tells Elizabeth that Darcy had prevented him from becoming a clergyman, Elizabeth almost accepts the idea. Based off her experience and study of Darcy, the idea sinks into her mind and she thinks of Darcy as a criminal. By the end of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Wickham’s true colors become clear. Darcy pays off Elizabeth’s family debts and asks for her hand in marriage for the second time. We see a new side of Darcy that is altruistic and caring, especially towards Elizabeth. Wickham, on the other hand, ends up eloping with Lydia and asking for money from the Bennets to settle his debts, making him look disorganized and