Bobby Cramer 2/28/2011 Humane Letters Pride and Prejudice In the book, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

there is a man named William Darcy who is immensely prideful. He loves a woman named Elizabeth Bennet, who is extremely judge-mental and Darcy does not escape her scrutiny. When Elizabeth is staying with her friend Charlotte Collins, she runs into Darcy. Toward the end of their stays, Darcy proposes to her, but Elizabeth fervently refuses the offer. [I]f you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner (Austen, p.166). Darcy acts exceedingly arrogant, and Elizabeth lets him know that he is. She also says that his selfish disdain for other's feelings is inexcusable (p.166). Since Darcy loves her he tries to change his ways. Darcys love for Elizabeth helps him become a gentleman. Darcys love for Elizabeth helps him become less prideful. Darcys love for Elizabeth helps him to be able to converse with lower class citizens. Darcys love for Elizabeth helps him become less selfconscious. Darcys Love for Elizabeth helps him become less prideful. Darcys pride gets in his way when he tries to converse with other people. When Elizabeth tells him he is too prideful after he proposes, he takes it to heart. And decides to change. When Elizabeth visits Pemberley she runs into Darcy. She notices that he has changed a lot since their last meeting. Amazed at the alteration in his manner since they last parted (p.213). She notices that Darcy has lost a fair amount of his pride. Later on when Elizabeth's sister, Lydia, runs away with Wickham, Darcy has to pay off Wickham, so that he will marry Lydia and not disgrace the Bennett Family. Elizabeth is told that he did this by her aunt, and when she is able to thank him for helping sustain her family name, he says that he was thinking of her when he did it. From this moment on Darcy changes his way, and does not let his pride get in his way ever again.

Darcys Love for Elizabeth helps him to be able to converse with lower class citizens. When Elizabeth is touring Pemberley, she then sees Darcy, this is the first time after Darcy's proposal at Rosing. Elizabeth came with her aunt and uncle. When Darcy asks to be introduced, Elizabeth gladly introduces him wanting to see his reaction.
[A]s she named their relationship to herself, she stole a sly look at him to see how he bore it; and was not without the expectation of his decamping as fast as he could from such disgraceful companions. That he was surprised by the connection was evident; he sustained it however with fortitude. (p.216)

Elizabeth is surprised to find that Darcy did not flee from the presence of these lower class citizens, who were Cheapside Lawyers. This is another step Darcy has to take in order to marry Elizabeth, because Darcy knows that in order marry Elizabeth he must accept lower class people. Darcy changes because he is becoming a true gentleman, he is not pretending just so that he can impress Elizabeth Overtime Darcy and Elizabeth's aunt and uncle became great friends. This shows that Darcy was truly interested in talking with the Gardiner's. Darcy realizes that not all of the lower class people in the world are inadequate. Darcys Love for Elizabeth helps him become less self-conscious. Darcy cares for the opinions of peers and his family. When one of his family members, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and his mother predestined his marriage he is forced to decide between his cousin and Elizabeth. After Lady Catherine pleads with Elizabeth not to marry Darcy, Lady Catherine's last approach is, Let me be rightly understood. This match, to which you have the presumption to aspire, can never take place. No, never. Mr. Darcy is engaged to my daughter (p. 304). After Lady Catherine says this, Elizabeth refuses to agree to not marrying Darcy. So Lady Catherine returns to Darcy and tells him Elizabeth's response, which encourages him. Darcy deliberately defies his aunt's wish for him, which takes an immense amount of courage, since he has always done what his aunt wants. When he deifies his aunt he realizes that he must overcome his family attachment in order to marry Elizabeth, because his family believes that she is inadequate to marry him.

When Darcy and Elizabeth see each other again at Longbourn, they agree that they shall ask her father's permission to marry. Through Darcy's steps to becoming a gentleman, Elizabeth realizes Darcy's true love for her and she gradually falls in love with him. If Elizabeth wasn't bold enough to point out how Darcy wasn't gentlemanly enough for her to marry him, he never would have changed his ways. Darcy's love only increased for Elizabeth after she rejects his proposal, and this leads to his persistence to change his ways.