Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
Table of Contents
Mr. Darcy
Mr. Darcy—Mr. Darcy is a young man who has been brought up in the best of environments by a good father. He is well-bred and understands all the civilities of social life. However, he does not understand what it means to connect with another human being of the opposite sex. He is friends with Bingley, but their friendship is masculine and based on camaraderie and mutual affection. His affection for Elizabeth is stunted by his inability to overcome his own pride and prejudice. Because she is of a lower class, he does not want to like her in such a way, but his feelings for her overpower his prejudices.
When confronted by her refusal, which is based on her own pride and prejudice, he realizes that he is not quite the man he thinks he is; in other words, he has a long way to go to be humble and truly sociable. Mr. Darcy’s problem is that he must analyze everything and figure things out with his reason before he can act. He is not so practiced in the affairs of the heart and does not quite understand how to temper what his head tells him with what his heart tells him. His character arc is based upon the development of his sensibility. He comes to better understand how to express himself and overcome his prejudice and pride by appealing to charity rather than to criticism.
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