Pride and Prejudice Essay

"He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride."(Page 130) This quote was in Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice set in Longbourn. England. It centers around the Bennet family who have a moderate income to raise all five girls. Mrs.bennet is very anxious to get all her daughters married to well-suited men with a large fortune. The main theme throughout the novel is pride which is the pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by someone, belonging to someone or reflecting upon that person. Austen uses a lot of humor in her novel to entertain the reader and captivate him. Women in the novel's society strive for marriage and having a good reputation; this won't happen unless pride is swallowed and people start following their hearts. I strongly believe that pride is shown through various aspects of the novel. Austen portrays the importance of pride in her novel through Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth and Mrs. Bingley.

Mr. Darcy is a very arrogant man who has too much pride in one self. He believes that having a lot of money and coming from a high class family is more powerful than love. "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men."(Page 7) This quote shows how Mr. Darcy is a very proud man and very aware of the difference in social status between him and Elizabeth. He regards her as 'Tolerable' just because she doesn't come from a rich and important family background. He views everyone around him as nothing of importance and looks down upon them. He regards the people of Meryton as social inferiors, and refuses to dance with a companion who is not good looking enough for him. The rudeness in his character makes him despised by everyone including Elizabeth. His pride makes it also very hard for him to admit his love to Elizabeth. He can't bring himself to...