Elizabeth is understandably frustrated when Darcy proposes to her in such a manner, on top of the fact that tensions had already been pretty high between them because of Elizabeth's prejudices against him.
It's a well known fact that Darcy prides himself for his honesty, but I just have to ask: where is the line? Yeah, the title of the novel is Pride and Prejudice, but still. I just wonder, how would this scene have played out had he not gone ahead and said the things he did?
I hear ya, but I have to say that, well, that would have been a really boring book. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe fact that they both need to learn a real lesson (and not just ONE of them, which is what seems to happen in too many love stories) and the process by which they do in fact learn it, is what makes this a satisfying story for me. He has to be that total ass and then figure it out; she has to judge him (and Wickham totally wrong) and then figure it out.
(and having read some fanfic where a more reasonable kind of scenario plays out, I can definitely say that it's super boring! there's no real plot because the tension is gone.)
I feel like he is honest but not necessarily smart? I feel like, even though he was an ass about it, he really did have good intentions and just was ignorant to what the words he said really meant. There is something desirable about this honesty but it's also important for one to acknowledge their ignorance.
ReplyDeleteWhile I completely understand where you're coming from here, I think we do have to remember who Darcy is as a character. It's established from the very beginning that he's not the nicest dude out there, and I think the way he proposed was actually kind of perfect in terms of speaking to who he is. I definitely think Elizabeth should have rejected him, but I also think it speaks to not only his character, but the nature of their relationship as well. They constantly have a back-and-forth kind of thing going throughout the novel, and I think the way Darcy proposed and the fact that Elizabeth didn't put up with it just strengthens the bare bones of the relationship that we see throughout the text; I honestly liked the way it played out.
ReplyDeleteAbby I love that you highlighted this particular moment with Darcy; mostly because in pop-culture Darcy is a quintessential and beloved figure. But it's moments like these that actually make me respect Darcy more. Slightly going off Kelsey's point, Austen un-apologetically creates real, flawed characters. I think we would all hate P&P just a bit more if Darcy got it right the first time. If he had, Austen really would have just created a romance novel,
ReplyDeleteI agree! This particular scene and the novel in general would have turned out completely different if the characters were, well, different characters. Perhaps that's part of the appeal to the book, and part of the reason we keep coming back to it--the characters are real and pretty relatable
DeleteI'm glad I wasn't the only one to question Darcy's motives at this point. Prior to his proposal, he had given no real reason, save for his social standing, for Elizabeth to show any interest. There is something to be said for the solidarity of his character; he definitely says what he means, but should that always be admired? Payton makes a great point about the authenticity of Austen's characters and how they show flaws. I would think that Darcy's flaw of vanity might be too much for Elizabeth, who is honest and rarely passes judgement, to overlook.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Caleb, Darcy did not seem to give any prior indication of romantic interest unless being kind of cold and pompous counts. As I was reading the scene where he proposed to Elizabeth, I kept thinking that he was almost trying to come off as this white knight type figure. It almost seemed as if Elizabeth should be grateful for him potentially saving her and her family from financial ruin.
ReplyDeleteSadie I agree with your "white knight" analogy, but I do think Darcy's motivations behind appearing like a savior were a little more involved. I honestly feel as though, while he may not show it all the time, he was incredibly influenced by his friends and the societal class they found themselves in. With that in mind, he almost had to essentially "save" Elizabeth. After all, he was much higher-class than she was, and is kind of sacrificing a better life by proposing to her in the first place. Had he proposed to his cousin or even Miss Bingley, things would've been a lot different for him. Plus, of course, if he were to be saving her, he would be considered chivalrous in a way, as opposed to people just thinking he's a jerk.
DeleteI feel that Mr. Darcy thought his approach in the first proposal was logical. Logical and emotional do not normally mix well. The proposal did not work because Mr. Darcy was still full of pride. He was not willing to openly admit that he loved Elizabeth unconditionally, despite her being unconventional.
ReplyDeleteyour comment reminded me of a thought I had yesterday about Mr. Collins, another character who attempted to approach love from a logical standpoint. It backfired for him as well, and I believe this shows us Austen's true feelings on the topic of having a rather pragmatic view of love and marriage.
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