P&P 11: CH. 7-9

"She [Mrs. Bennet] was more alive to the disgrace, which the want of new clothes must reflect on her daughter's nuptials, than to any sense of shame at her eloping and living with Wickham" (236).

This is SERIOUSLY Mrs. Bennet's BIGGEST fallacy. She is a complete airhead and her ignorance further impairs the family. Initially, Mrs. Bennet was in a state of depression when Lydia ran away, however she continued to hope for a potential marriage between the two. You would think Mrs. Bennet would be elated to hear that her daughter's been found - but no, she is ecstatic solely because her daughter is getting married. Mrs. Bennet's reaction is sending the wrong message, she "embraced her, and welcomed her with rapture" (239). Mrs. Bennet's attitude towards her lets her know that it is okay to do what she did - it's not a big deal. Thus Lydia does not even realize how misguided she is: "'I thought it would be very good fun if I was'" (240). Until Mrs. Bennet gets some sense, Lydia is pretty much doomed.

"By her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been softened, his manners improved, and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance" (237).

Finally, Elizabeth is getting in touch with how she really feels about Mr. Darcy. After receiving the letter, Elizabeth was overrun with copious overwhelming emotions that she attempted to disregard. Here, she is actually thinking about a possible relationship with Darcy. She realizes that there are the perfect match despite their differences. She acknowledges that she is more emotional and Darcy's more rational (Women are emotional; men are rational). However, as the novel continues, we see Elizabeth is capable of using her reasoning and we've also seen Darcy's attempts to be a bit more personable expressing more emotion. Thus, they balance each other out because they bring out what both of them lack in one another.