First Impressions

In class, it was mentioned that Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions.  Although the pride and prejudices of the characters is a chief concern to the novel’s thematic elements, the impressions and judgement made by those same characters is just as important to the novel’s plot.  The core theme of the novel is stated best by Mr. Bennett that “one cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight” (Austen, 9), warning to not judge others based solely on first impressions. 

            Elizabeth Bennett originally despises Mr. Darcy after meeting him for the first time.  Described as “having the most forbidding, disagreeable countenance” and being “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (Austen, 13), Elizabeth views Darcy as a rude, prideful snob.  For much of the novel, her views on the man never change; they even seem to hold up based on his actions, as he helps stop Bingley from marrying Elizabeth’s sister, Jane.

            When Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham, she is impressed and begins to admire him after just a few conversations.  She sees that “his manners recommended him to everybody” and her “head was full of him” because “whatever he said, was said well; and whatever he did, done gracefully” (Austen, 82).  Wickham speaks poorly of Darcy, despite having told Elizabeth before that they should not be rude about him, but Elizabeth still likes the man greatly.  Even when many approach Elizabeth and warn her that Wickham’s story of Darcy taking Wickham’s rightful inheritance may not be true and he may be lying, Elizabeth still refuses to change her mind about the two men, and tells her sister “since [Mr. Bingley] is unacquainted with several parts of the story, and he learnt the rest from that friend [Darcy] himself, I shall venture to still think of both gentlemen as I did before” (Austen, 94).

            Elizabeth and Wickham’s mutual hatred of Darcy and her own arrogant beliefs that she cannot judge wrongly cause Elizabeth to initially disregard what others say about Wickham’s character.  It takes a drastic change of events for Elizabeth to begin to change her opinions of the two men.  Wickham’s seduction of Lydia after he leaves the country and deceit and extortion of the Bennett family for money to marry her daughter after she makes the family look foolish for her actions causes Elizabeth to see her wrong calls on the Wickham’s character.  With Wickham out of the picture, Elizabeth begins to realize she may be wrong about Darcy as well.  Upon visiting Pemberley, she finds Darcy to be charming and friendly, and his servant describes him as “the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world” (Austen, 238).  Elizabeth imagines living at the estate, and after she learns that it was Darcy that paid the money for Wickham and Lydia’s marriage, she discovers that if asked again, she would say yes to Darcy’s proposal for she has grown to love him.  

            Elizabeth and Darcy’s eventual marriage is proof that first opinions can be drastically different from the truth.  Darcy is a very complex character, and although his pride and arrogance stand out very evidently upon Elizabeth’s first encounter with him, she discovers there is much more depth to his character than only the condescending man she thought she knew.  Her mis-judgement of the deceiving Wickham is very evident, as she was originally very admiring of the officer.  Elizabeth learns from her own words that “it is particularly incumbent on those who never change their opinion, to be secure of judging properly at first” (Austen, 92).  Elizabeth believes she knew the truth behind both Wickham and Darcy, but only after seeing their actions for herself over time can she judge truly and fairly the characters of the two men. 

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin Group, 2014.