Monday, November 15, 2010

Pride and Prejudice Chapters 7-10

The first page of Chapter 7 shows that Mrs. Bennet cares more about money in her daughters' husbands than any other quality, while the daughter care more about other aspects. Soldiers have entered a town adjacent to Longbourn, and the officers delight the two youngest Bennets. While "Mr. Bingley's fortune...gave animation to their mother, [it] was worthless in [the daughters'] eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign" (20-21). Mrs. Bennet's insensitivity astounds me. I find her really annoying, as Austen probably means for her to be. Mrs. Bennet tells Elizabeth "not [to] run on in the wild manner that [she is] suffered to do at home" (31). I find this comment ridiculous, because Mrs. Bennet is acting much more in a "wild manner" than Elizabeth. "Everybody was surprised" (31) by a comment Mrs. Bennet made, and Elizabeth is so embarrassed that she blushes on her mother's behalf. Another obnoxious action of Mrs. Bennet's was that "she would not listen...to her daughter's proposal of [Jane] being carried home" because that "would...remove her from Netherfield" (30). This was not only insensitive to Jane, but to the Bingley's who had to host Jane and Elizabeth because of Jane's illness.

Elizabeth, who is very smart and intuitive, cannot seem to correctly perceive Mr. Darcy's feelings towards her. Elizabeth can "only imagine...that she drew his notice because there was something about her more wrong and reprehensible , according to his ideas of rights, than in any other person present" (38). Mr. Darcy probably does consider Elizabeth to be more "wrong and reprehensible" than anyone else in the room, but the reason she catches his attention is that no one has probably ever treated him like Elizabeth is now, like a normal person. He is probably so used to people praising him because of his high social status like Miss Bingley that he he finds it refreshing when Elizabeth does not give consideration to his social status. I think this is the reason that Mr. Darcy "had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her" (38). Mr. Darcy's actions towards Elizabeth show that his acceptance of lower social classes seems to be growing already. Elizabeth "is amazed at his gallantry," (38) and although he still thinks about "the inferiority of her connections," (38) he is now "bewitched" (38) by Elizabeth as opposed to considering her "tolerable" (7). Darcy "felt their rudeness" (39) and made a kind gesture to avoid the rudeness when he meets Elizabeth and Mrs. Hurst while he is walking with Miss Bingley. I do not think he would have done this before he interacted with Elizabeth, and I think his level of conceitedness is decreasing. Elizabeth "had not the least inclination to remain with them" (39) however, so I think Darcy will have to entirely change his old personality and get rid of his "pride" before he can gain Elizabeth's affection.

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