Pride and Prejudice question

[Dani_D]

Hey

What are two symbolic references in the book Pride and Prejudice?

Thanks!

[downing]

pride= darcy
prejudice= elizabeth :(oh I think my answer is far to late!

[mazz]

pride= darcy
prejudice= elizabeth :(oh I think my answer is far to late!

hey downing, late? I'll respond... I think that it switches from one to the other. At first you assume it is as you said but when you think about it more you realise that they both have their pride and predjudices. Elizabeth, when she reads Darcy's letter, even acknowledges her pride as responsible for her lack of seeing the truth of the characters involved. Where's sciencefan fan when you need her? She's the expert. Regards from the land of Oz.

[MARIANNE M]

Elisabeth is seen as prejudice and Mr. Darcy as pride but I agree with mazz.
Darcy was prejudiced and Elisabeth was proud in some parts of the novel. I really think they complete each other's characters but are really very much alike.

[warm]

Elisabeth is seen as prejudice and Mr. Darcy as pride but I agree with mazz.
Darcy was prejudiced and Elisabeth was proud in some parts of the novel. I really think they complete each other's characters but are really very much alike.

I think this is very true, Elizabeth did appear as proud very early in the novel.
'That is very true,' replied Elizabeth, 'and I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.' (Chapter 5)
The above quote appeared really early in the book (when Elizabeth had just but met Darcy once), Elizabeth is already exemplifying a very clear sense of pride in herself, which was this that lead to her prejudices against Darcy in the first place.
So well, really, pride and prejudice really come together side-by-side, especially so for Elizabeth. It makes it a bit difficult to pinpoint who exactly represents pride & prejudice.

[warm]

Pride, prejudice; potayto, potaato. They are twin attributes, identical twins: how can you be proud, if not for some prejudice; and what is a prejudice, if not the effect of some pride. I'm sure they're separable, but the line between them isn't so clear. I think pride is a very active, confident sort of prejudice, whereas prejudice is an inactive, slothful state of mind - a more passive sort of pride. If this is the case, the woman is prejudiced, the man proud. But if the woman had as much power and freedom as Darcy, naturally she'd be every bit as proud. And if the Darcys of this world were confined, and generally disenfranchised, their minds would cramp up with prejudice.

I like how you described pride & prejudice as indispensable. ;D

[kiki1982]

Ok, this reply is indeed a little late, but this can be helpful to others, so here goes...

I don't think the title is symbolic as it was not the title originally intended by Austen for the work. The original was called First Impressions. Furthermore it has been argued by scholars that the title was changed because of the desire for an analogy with Austen's first published work (which was written later, but published earlier) Sense and Sensibility... Thus it makes the title Pride and Prejudice appropriate for the work, but not symbolic. And narrowing it down to Lizzy=Prejudice and Darcy=pride is a little too easy...

Both pride and prejudice are present in both Lizzy and Darcy. Lizzy is prejudiced on the base that Wickham looks better than Darcy and rather believes the first nasty stories than the latter's honesty. Her pride was indeed hurt, like Warm said.
Darcy was proud (umistakebly) but was also prejudiced in that he thought on the one hand that the Bennet sisters were beneath him, and on the other hand (when he fell in love) that Lizzy would throw herself into his arms because he had a good income. In other words: women go for rich men, and the rich man can be sure of their consent to a marriage, no matter what his conduct. It had never occured to him that she might reject him, despite his money. That prejudice also motivates him to take Bingley away from Jane: because of the lack of feeling on her face (he ironically misreads Jane as he is misread himself by Lizzy) he decides that there is no affection on her side for Bingley, but only regard for his money.

I agree with Mazz on that pride and prejudice go together in this case... On the other hand First Impressions was also not a bad title as the problems Lizzy and Darcy encounter are really down to their adherence of first impressions, certainly on Lizzy's side...

The second symbolic thing is Pemberley, its stream and its grounds as allegory on Darcy, his place in society, how he sees himself in it and how Lizzy sees him... It's a rich outside, a beautiful, delicate and tasteful inside; it's a beautiful landscape, with a natural river with no formal nor falsely adorned banks. Essentially the building itself could be the rich outside he displays: the impression he makes on women like the Bingleys. 'He is rich, therefore beautiful, therefore delightful'. His character though, is revealed inside, by the housekeeper, by his taste and the changes he made to please his sister. The grounds are for Lizzy more important as she will change the look she has on him by acknowledging his inside, his nature... When she remarks the banks of the river, she sees everything in ballance (does not consider that his outside, his looks, is better than his inside) or foreshadows it. What is striking is the harmony of the whole thing: the stream that casually flows through the grounds and the house that stands in a valley, a typical 18th century building with a vast park. He himself sees the necessity, not to change the outside (the look of Pemberley, the building), but to change his inside (his pride) just to please another, in this case not Georgiana but Lizzy. Indeed Pemberley nor Darcy change on the outside, and his personality will still be mistaken by Mrs Bennet and the rest, but Lizzy and her aunt and uncle know the inside, which is still much grander...