Power and the Lack Thereof

Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy, and pretty much everyone else all want power. Lady Catherine is used to having power over everyone she meets. She went to Mr. and Mrs. Collins' house, "looked at their work, and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the arrangement of the furniture, or detected the housemaid in negligence" (127). Why the Collins' furniture arrangement would make any difference to Lady Catherine is beyond me. I think she only wanted to criticize them to impose her power. In Charlotte's "opinion it admitted not of a doubt that all [Elizabeth's] dislike would vanish, if she could suppose [Mr. Darcy] within her power" (136). Charlotte thinks Elizabeth would desire Mr. Darcy if she thought herself capable of obtaining his love. I think power concerns Elizabeth less than any character in the book, and that a lack of power over him would not prevent her from liking him. Most people in the story however, would like Mr. Darcy if they thought they had a shot with him. I strongly believe Mrs. Bennet's "dislike would vanish, if she could suppose [Mr. Darcy] to be in her [daughter's] power." Charlotte considers a lack of power to be the reason behind Elizabeth's dislike of Darcy because anyone else would marry Darcy if he were in her "power." Elizabeth does "not know anybody who seems more to enjoy the power of doing what he likes than Mr. Darcy" (137). Darcy does seem to to get what he wants, and he could probably make most women fall in "love" with him (or his money), but not Elizabeth. I think Darcy like Elizabeth because she does not let him have power over her. Elizabeth is independent, and a woman's personality is more important to Darcy than connections or wealth. At least, Elizabeth is making personality more important.

Elizabeth keeps meeting apparently nice men like Mr. Wickham and Colonel Fitzwilliam, but their "habits of expense" prevent them from marrying "without some attention to money" (138). Characters prioritize money above love. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are the two male characters who do not do this, but they already have all the money they or their wives will need. I think this is a societal flaw Austen points out in Pride and Prejudice.