Prejudice is Rewarded

In order for Elizabeth and Darcy to accept each other, Elizabeth must rethink her prejudices against Darcy, and Darcy must reduce his pride. Many analyses frame these changes as both characters revising their negative traits, becoming better people, and being rewarded with happiness in the form of marriage. However, Elizabeth’s original prejudice is not punished; in reality, it saves her from a marriage with a proud and aloof Darcy. Assuming happiness is a reward for good character, Elizabeth preserves her happiness by refusing to marry the man who “was not more elegant on the subject of tenderness than of pride” (185) and who made clear in his proposal how above her in status he considered himself to be. Elizabeth is rewarded for her prejudice in that it allows her to avoid a marriage with a man who is not yet reformed enough to make her happy. Because of this outcome, the idea that both characters simply become better through their trials with each other and go through a black and white change from bad to good is false. Elizabeth’s prejudice in the first portion of the novel is not a bad trait; it ensures her own happiness and inspires Darcy to become a better man.

The change in Darcy’s character only takes place as a result of Elizabeth’s prejudice. Had she not acted on it and harshly turned down his proposal, he would not have chosen to fix the pride she loathed. In this way, Elizabeth and Darcy don’t grow to be better people simultaneously, as many analyses paint them to. Her prejudice against him directly causes the change in his character. When her own character changes and she lets go of her prejudice, it’s only due to his improved treatment of her. He becomes a gentleman in their next encounters, and chooses to help her family when the opportunity presents itself later on. He manages to change her opinion of him; although she must let go of her prejudice, it’s not done until he deserves a better impression. Because of this, Elizabeth’s prejudice, although it must be revised later on, is not a purely negative trait at the beginning of the book, and the change in her character is more complex than simply growth from bad to good.