Essay on 'First Impressions' by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is a novel on manners, social customs, and etiquette based in early 19th century England. One of the most notable themes in this novel is, of course, reputation and impressions. Austen originally titled this novel as First Impressions. While Austen does make numerous references to the importance of first impressions, this essay will primarily focus on the impression of Elizabeth on Mr. Darcy. This passage and instance are interesting to analyze due to their significance in the later progression of the novel’s plot, as well as its ties to Austen’s original title of the novel, and finally the theme of prejudice on the character of Elizabeth.

Contextually, Austen’s society was very different from the modern times that we live in, especially emphasizing the importance of marriage. In Austen’s time, if a woman was unable to marry a man who was able to provide for her needs, her alternatives were to ‘become a governess or a teacher in a school’.[footnoteRef:0] Such jobs provided an income that was in no way able to fulfill a woman’s basic needs of living, rendering her on the borderlines of a financial situation ‘barely enough for survival’.[footnoteRef:1] Thus the importance of marriage to a man who has a large amount of wealth and influence is strongly highlighted within the novel. [0: ] [1: ]

The passage details Elizabeth’s fierce argument with Mr. Darcy following Darcy’s proposal of marriage to her. Before this passage, Elizabeth knows through Colonel Fitzwilliam that Mr. Darcy is the sole person responsible for separating Mr. Bingley and Jane on the reason of the Bennet family’s social status. The same night Mr. Darcy nervously declares his love for Elizabeth, and they end up arguing over the issue of Darcy’s involvement in Mr. Bingley and Jane’s separation. The chosen passage details Elizabeth’s angry reply to Darcy following his explanation for his declaration of love, stating his ungentlemanly manner of handling the situation, as well as his arrogant and selfish personality. The last sentence ends with “you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”, emphasizing that Mr. Darcy has made such a horrid impression on Elizabeth that she would in no way ever marry him.

Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Darcy’s proposal of marriage places a significant change in the progression of the plot. Through Elizabeth’s declination of marriage, Mr. Darcy has to justify and later vindicate himself in the later parts of the novel to Chapter 16 of Volume 3, where Darcy’s second proposal to Elizabeth is accepted. Mr. Darcy explains that the first rejection of his proposal caused him to reflect, in which “my conduct, my manners, my expressions … has been many months, inexpressibly painful to me.”.[footnoteRef:2] Mr. Darcy realizes that his actions and behavior were wrong, and his actions in later parts of the novel highlight his passion and ardor to correct both himself and Elizabeth’s original impression of him. [2: ]

This passage not only contributes to the progression of the plot but also arguably to the progression of the characterization of Elizabeth. Her perspectives on the themes of marriage ultimately change throughout the novel. In the beginning, Elizabeth is shown to be extremely clear about how she views the ideal relationship between a man and a woman. She tells Charlotte in Chapter 6 that she is not actively seeking a rich husband. However, from her visit to Hunsford in Chapter 27, she is aware that the issue of financial and social status in a marriage is really important. Here we can see that Austen could’ve placed Elizabeth as a woman ahead of her time. Elizabeth aims for a marriage to be an equal one, like the marriage of Mr. Collins and Charlotte, where both parties are on the same stance, amid the usual patriarchal etiquette in her times.

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Additionally, the passage characterizes Elizabeth’s statement towards Mr. Darcy as a firm, unalterable attitude. Austen deepens Elizabeth’s understanding of Mr. Darcy’s personality by using imagery akin to solid and hard forces, like “form that ground-work of disapprobation” and “built so immovable a dislike”. However, Elizabeth’s last line of dialogue raises her personality of jumping quickly to conclusions. “I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.” The hyperbolic style of the dialogue above lets the reader doubt the integrity and accuracy of everything she has stated above, as the unreasonably short time frame of her judgment could undermine the intensity of her prejudice towards Mr. Darcy.

Austen originally titled this novel as First Impressions. Elizabeth originally finds Mr. Darcy’s behavior and personality to be “arrogance”, “conceit”, and “selfish”. This is seen through Elizabeth’s first time meeting Mr. Darcy in Chapter 3 of Volume 1, where Mr. Darcy makes harmful insults towards Elizabeth within her earshot, coldly stating: “She is… not handsome enough to tempt me;”. Elizabeth’s negative impression of Mr. Darcy can be perfectly described by Mrs. Bennet. She finds Mr. Darcy to be the “most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing.”. Persuaded by her mother’s opinions on Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth promises to not flirt or impress Mr. Darcy in any way possible. However, Elizabeth’s view of Mr. Darcy changes when he later explains his reason for separating Mr. Bingley and Jane in Chapter 16 of Volume 3, where he tells Elizabeth that he feels as if Jane does not care much for Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth’s perspective on Mr. Darcy further changes into a more positive impression when she finds out that he has decided to pressure Mr. Wickham into marrying Lydia in a bid to save the both of them from a social disaster. The importance of this event is that Mr. Darcy does this not in a bid to win over Elizabeth but for the good of his own heart. Here Elizabeth’s original impression of Mr. Darcy has been completely torn down and replaced with an extremely positive kind.

Austen also takes the chance to highlight Elizabeth’s character as a strong-minded and, in a way, emotionally independent woman, which can be regarded as a strong outlier in a society where women are expected to risk everything in return for a climb of the social ladder. Elizabeth is shown here as a woman unaffected by Mr. Darcy’s marriage proposal, even though she knows that Mr. Darcy is a man of significant wealth and power. While other women might’ve immediately accepted Mr. Darcy’s request while disregarding her family’s issues, Elizabeth decides to place her family and other personal relationships first before her hand in marriage, signifying not only Elizabeth’s capability of judging things for herself, as well as the ability to decide on her own, without the influence of others but also Elizabeth’s strong emotional ties to Jane and her family. While Elizabeth might be characterized mostly as a strong, hot-headed woman we can see a more softer, affectionate side of her when she converses with her family.

Finally, the passage heavily signifies the theme of Prejudice in Elizabeth’s character. Prejudice, as defined by Robert C. Fox, is “a prejudgement, the persistence in an opinion about a person … before sufficient evidence has been considered.”.[footnoteRef:3] It can be agreed that Elizabeth’s original prejudice towards Mr. Darcy can be justified as his insulting comments to her at the ball, coupled with his attempt at separating Mr. Bingley and Jane’s relationship placed a significant degree of personal harm to Elizabeth’s family and personal life. Her displeasure towards Mr. Darcy can be justified further by his arrogant and selfish personality. Elizabeth’s characterization as a strong-willed, self-sufficient woman can be seen through most of the novel’s beginnings. However, as the novel progresses we can see how Elizabeth slowly changes her perspective for Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy can be seen transforming from a sense of pride and arrogance, and more into an attitude of selflessness and generosity, while Elizabeth slowly becomes less self-conscious of her unnatural family. Elizabeth’s character is slowly absorbing the qualities of Mr. Darcy later on, transforming her into a woman who is still very much self-sufficient, but more appreciative and aware of her prejudice towards others. [3: ]

To conclude, Elizabeth’s strong remark towards Mr. Darcy’s first declaration of love has shown high importance in the contribution to the progression of the novel, followed by a transition and symbiosis of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s changing characterizations, ultimately changing both parties’ ‘First Impressions’ on each other.

Bibliography

1. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, ed. by James Kinsley, 2 edn (United States: Oxford University Press Inc., 2004), p. 148-149. (Core Text)
2. Robert C. Fox, 'Elizabeth Bennet: Prejudice or Vanity?', Nineteenth-Century Fiction, 17.2, (1962), (p. 185-187). (Secondary Readings)
3. Gao Haiyan, 'Jane Austen's Ideal Man in Pride and Prejudice', Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3.2, (2013), 384-388 (p. 385). (Secondary Readings)