Elizabeth and Prejudging
Elizabeth and Prejudging
“She studied every sentence: and her feelings towards the writer were at times widely different. (Austen, page 206)”
Why does Elizabeth study the letter so much? What opinions has she changed about Darcy?
Elizabeth Bennet constantly reads Darcy’s letter because she feels guilty that she has prejudged him. From the instant that she met Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth has conjured ideas about him being conceited and proud. Elizabeth is astonished when he asks for her hand and argue with him about situations that she did not know enough about herself. Once Elizabeth reads the letter, she feels terrible about prejudging him as a rude person when truthfully he is not. The first time that she reads the letter, Elizabeth previous notions were tested with the letter and she could not believe it. Therefore, she had to read it several times to truly adapt to a new perspective of Mr. Darcy. The opinions that Elizabeth changes regarding Mr. Darcy are that she now believes him to be sincere and kind. She does not think he is as proud or rude as she first decided. As a result, she feels badly that she left him with such harsh words after he left her with a letter that explained everything. Moreover, Elizabeth is extremely sorry and eager to make amends with him.