P&P #9: 19-2

“[Mr. Darcy] asked if she would do him the honor of introducing him to her friends … with fortitude, and so far from going away, turned back with them, and entered conversation with Mr. Gardiner” (193).

Mr. Darcy? Starting up conversations with others? It seems unreal considering his lack of communication skills: “‘I am ill qualified to recommend myself to strangers’” (135). Primarily, Darcy acknowledged one of his biggest fallacies, ultimately explaining the reasons behind all his actions. Thus, his effort towards becoming acquainted with Elizabeth’s family demonstrates his attempt to eradicate that flaw. The word “fortitude”, meaning courage & determination, is the ideal word in this context as it exemplifies how difficult this was for Darcy. Mr. Darcy even takes this a step further by inviting Mr. Gardiner to fish around his estate as much as he would like. Darcy’s new behavior not only makes Elizabeth happy but it also confuses her. She hints at the possibly that he is acting like this solely because of her, but she does not want to get carried away with false hope. However, it is evident that Darcy has made a full 360, because of Elizabeth to show that he can be whatever she desires.

“Since her [Elizabeth] being at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her, that she was only exceedingly shy” (197).

Now that Elizabeth is no longer prejudice, she possesses the ability to recognize the flaw within Miss Darcy. Miss Darcy is often misunderstood by others because of her timidity. She obviously is uncomfortable having conversations with others and because of the judgmental nature of so many; people automatically assume that she is simply haughty. The way people misconstrue her personality is similar to how Mr. Darcy was misjudged (including by Elizabeth). Because of Darcy’s inability to simply converse with others, he came off as haughty and crude. With this first impression instilled in her, Elizabeth continued to show her odious feelings towards him. Thus, she was unable to see his true personality. Now, after Darcy’s letter, Elizabeth’s prejudice is gone and she avoids judging others. Specifically in Miss Darcy’s case, Elizabeth immediately identifies the fallacy in Miss Darcy and is able to look past that.