"You, who so well know my feelings towards Mr. Darcy, will readily comprehend how sincerely I must rejoice that he is wise enough to assume even the appearance of what is right. His pride, in that direction, may be of service, if not to himself, as I have suffered by" (Chapter 41, page 226: Penguin Classics).
It is no surprise that Elizabeth continues to feel the same way towards Darcy, that despite how attractive he may appear, she will never truly fall for him. She doesn't approve of Darcy, because of his selfish, overbearing nature as Austen describes consistently throughout the text. However, it is amazing how fast her views can change of Darcy when all it took was a friendly encounter at Pemberly. A few chapters later Austen goes to the trouble to describe that "the occurences of the day were too full of interest to leave Elizabeth much attention for any of these new friends; and she could do nothing but think, and think with wonder, of Mr. Darcy's civility, and above all, of his wishing her to be acquainted with his sister" (Chapter 43, page 247: Peguin Classics). I just think it is interesting how Elizabeth can express her hate of his personal flaws, yet adore his civility a few chapters later. Even her aunt and uncle didn't understand why Elizbaeth thought Darcy was arrogant when Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner believe "he is perfectly well behaved, polite, and unassuming" (Chapter 43, page 246).
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Darcy wins a ton of points in Lizzy's book because he is such a good brother to Georgiana. Austen loves to examine the bond of sisterhood. The treatment of one's sister is a litmus test for Austen's characters. If you treat your sister well, then you have value as a person.
ReplyDeleteI always got along well with one of my sisters but fought with the other one quite frequently. Hmm...