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Indeed, in her conversations with Wickham, Elizabeth was extremely superficial, appreciating him because of his pleasant manners and positive attitude towards her, and omitting any other considerations: "Elizabeth honoured him for such feelings, and thought him handsomer than ever as he expressed them."(Austen, 36) Elizabeth had been definitely wrong in her opinions of both Darcy and Wickham, but had been right about the other man who proposed to her, Mr. Collins. Her match with Collins would have helped the family's situation since he was supposed to inherit their property after Mr. Bennet's death, but Elizabeth dismisses the proposal immediately, being persuaded that neither of them would have been happy and that it would be a mistake: "You could not make _me_ happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so."(Austen, 89) in this episode, Elizabeth is true to her own feelings and unprejudiced. She is witty as usual, but honest and she demonstrates that she believes in marrying for love. This version of Elizabeth can be identified in many other episodes, but in none where Darcy is also involved. Although she is not prejudiced, she is still proud however and refuses to marry Collins also because he emphasizes that he is doing her a favor, just as Darcy will do later. The ultimate stage of her transformation...
Meanwhile, she had also found out that he had been the secret benefactor of Lydia and Wickham by giving Wickham enough money to persuade him to marry Elizabeth's sister. When the servant at Pemberly talks about Darcy's character and good temper and sets him in an amiable light, Elizabeth realizes even more her former blindness. The servant emphasizes that she does not know a woman good enough to marry Darcy, and Lizzy begins to see Darcy for what he is: "I do not know who is good enough for him."(Austen, 178) the previous tensions between them which were created by their vanity, like in the episode of the ball when Darcy refuses to dance with Lizzy or that at Netherfield, when she refuses to dance with him, are transformed into a deep embarrassment in their meeting at Pemberly. Once they have put aside their vanities and prejudices, they can begin to like each other. Thus, Elizabeth and Darcy undergo important transformations in the novel, and learn how to put aside pride and prepossession when they judge other people. The greatest gain is the fact that they learn to love each other instead of loving only their own selves.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University…
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.
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