The Book I Thought I Would Never Read

When I was younger, I remember my fifth grade teacher reading Pride and Prejudice.  Titles were important to me when I was younger; they were the source of attraction that drew me into reading.  Both the words pride and prejudice were obscure, unfamiliar, and uninteresting.  Not only was the name unappealing, but the size of the book itself was intimidating.  My childish mind believed that anything over 150 pages was much too long for any practical enjoyment.  How could a book of nearly 400 pages ever interest me in the slightest?  I wrote the book off almost instantly after seeing it.  Little did I know that six years later I would find myself so fervently enticed by the hypnotic plot and style of Jane Austen that putting the book down was out of the question. 

Mr. Darcy, although not the main character of the story, captured my attention from the beginning.  Being able to see his thoughts helps counter act his somber and somewhat snooty countenance.  His emotions and attachment early on, though unrevealed through his actions are shown in his thoughts and create dramatic irony because only the reader knows how ardently he loves Elizabeth.  The book becomes almost unbearable with the long absence of Mr. Darcy after leaving Netherfield Park.  Needless to say, I received almost an overdose of Mr. Collins, and, although he means well, his character has never failed to rub me the wrong way.  His never ending desire to please and heighten himself in the opinion of others by greatly elaborating his humbleness reminded me of Uriah Heep from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.  Mr. Collins was by all means not mean spirited or insincere in his gratitude and humility like Mr. Heep, but nevertheless, his pride can be tiresome. 

Luckily, Mr. Darcy re-entered and experienced immense character development after his rejected marriage proposal to Elizabeth.  Up to this point, he has been depicted as a shrewd, proud, inconsiderate and terribly rich man; however, after his proposal the tables begin to turn.  If his explanation of his deeply rooted care for his sister and protection of his friend Mr. Bingley was not enough to soften any reader, his pleasant countenance and eager desire for the companionship of Elizabeth’s relatives when encountering them at Pemberly is enough to gain favor.  He elevates his good character to a whole new level when secretly securing Lydia and Wickham’s marriage.  At this point in the story, his thoughts are not recorded, but his actions speak louder than ever before and his good character is permanently undeniable.

Jane Austen filled this novel with a twisting plot, unexpected events, and social commentary of social class and the human institution of marriage itself.  Drawing many parallels with Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice focuses on the pressure and desire for young girls to find a soul mate and the difficulty of rising but ease in falling of social class.  She describes marriages as arrangements for security and the acceptance of society like Charlotte and Mr. Collins as well as marriages that were made hastily in youthful folly like those of Elizabeth’s parents and Lydia and Mr. Wickham.  Marriage for love was scarcely known and practically foreign to most in Jane Austen’s time.  She never ceases to carry her opinions and commentary to new heights through her beautiful masterpieces of literature.