Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: Character and Role of Darcy

Darcy is the hero of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The ups and downs in the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth form the principal interest of the novel. The pride of Darcy gives to the prejudice of Elizabeth and the complications of the plot are due to the increasing prejudice of Elizabeth against Darcy.

Darcy is quite conscious of his standing in society. He is one of the gentry inheriting a fortune man. That consciousness makes him stuffy and grave and his pride tends to heart others. He refrains from speaking in light vain and dislikes small talk. An aristocrat with an enormous fortune his pride seems to have determined his attitude to others. At the Meryton ball his pride comes into focus light when he remarks that “she is tolerable, but not maintains a dignified exclusiveness from ordinary society. We never see him familiar and amiable in his ways .He can not escape from the consciousness of his superior position. It is his superiority that creates the tension between Elizabeth and Darcy from the very beginning of the novel.

Darcy is an ideal master, an excellent brother and a generous and good natural gentleman. His great folly is to prevent his friend. Here his only concern is to dissuade his friend from counting one who does not love him. There is no malice and wickedness in what he does or is their any hypocrisy in his dealing with other. Even when Wickham elopes with Lydia he does everything to end the disgrace in an honorable marriage and to does all this secretly

Darcy's love for Elizabeth is genuine and his sincerity can be questioned. Through in his appearances he is found to be in conflict with Elizabeth, his emotional involvement result in growing consciousness of an attachment to her. Since his first meeting with her consciousness being closer to her through his self - respected when he realizes that Elizabeth is her equal for , in his family to there are vulgar people like Lady Catherine . His pride is humble. This realization also brings him much closer Elizabeth.

Darcy has no respect for silly ceremonies and state conventions. He hates vulgarity and prides himself with or being discerning. He appears at the first as rude one but slowly and gradually he starts changing. He may be egoist he is good and gentle. He is gradually cured of his egoism under the influence of love. Darcy always stands apart from the other character of the novel and his development is psychological one. The conflict between pride and prejudice is resolved as the two central characters namely Darcy and Elizabeth understand them. The plot of novel moves on with the development of the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. The final union intricate the relationships of the characters in the novel.

Regarding Darcy's character Darcy himself is the best judge. From Darcy's account we come to know " I have been a selfish being all my life - - - - - - - . As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not to correct my temper -- Such I was from eight to eight and twenty and such I might still have been for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe! You taught me a lesson hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. But You I saw properly humbled ". 

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