Lydia

[knifeymcshanker]

Hey all!
I'm writing an essay for my english class on pride and prejudice and wanted to get everyone's input on the prompt. We're supposed to write about who we think is most responsible for Lydia's running off with Wickham and why. I just finished reading the novel, and right now I'm leaning toward one of the parents. Let me know what you think!

[Gladys]

Who's most responsible for Lydia's running off with Wickham?

1. Lydia, herself, should answer for her sins
   
   
2. Wickham, the chameleon, would deceive an angel as he easily did Elizabeth
   
   
3. Elizabeth, in praising Wickham, led her younger and naive sister astray.
   
   
4. Mrs Bennet, over many years, has provided a romantic and empty-headed role model to her daughters
   
   
5. Mr Bennet should have provided more active guidance in the home.
   
   
6. Mary should have taken more interest in her younger sibling.

[smiles135]

To some extent, Mr Darcy is also responsible for Lydia's running off with Wickham .

The “prideful” attitude of Mr. Darcy at local dance led Elizabeth to believe Wickham’s words against him. So she mistook Darcy as a wrong person and began praising Wickham, which ultimately gave temptation to Lydia.

[Gladys]

The “prideful” attitude of Mr. Darcy at local dance led Elizabeth to believe Wickham’s words against him.

Quite agree - it's a while since I read the novel.

[kiki1982]

I also think that Ausen not only made a point of impressions are everything (Wickham v Darcy), but I believe she also criticised or at least extended the whole 'discretion'-thing:

What happened between Georgiana Darcy and Wickham can absolutely not be disclosed because of Georgiana's reputation, and Darcy's and colonel Fitzwilliam's connected with that. Through that spiral of discretion, people of Wickham's kind get away with doing certain things over and over. It would maybe have pained Darcy that Elizabeth and Lydia were so keen on Wickham, but on the other hand he could only hint at his bad nature. But the fact that he is extremely off-putting, does not help him to be believable. Compared to colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy is less accessable and is not so easily believed as him. Colonel Fitzwilliam is more of a Wickham-type: a type of man, like Bingley, who is friendly and open. As a result, Wickham and Fitzwilliam are more positively held and their opinions matter more than Darcy's. 'What Darcy says is probably down to his pride,' is what probably everyone thinks and so no-one actually takes notice. When Darcy writes his ltter to Elizabeth, he also quotes Fitzwilliam as another source of Wickham's bad behaviour. Why? Because two opinions make a stronger impression, but also because Elizabeth talks to Fitzwilliam and esteems him. She is more likely to believe Darcy if Fitzwilliam agrees, than if Darcy stands alone (which is proven by her disbelieving Darcy's hints before).

Love compells Darcy in the end to disclose his secret, but then he urges Elizabeth not to tell anyone, just because of his and Georgiana's reputation. She understands and she doesn't disclose it, but the same problem drags on, now with her involved.

In the end the discretion-laws proove to be one of the fundamental problems. Had she been allowed to disclose that secret, her sister Lydia had never been allowed to go to Brighton. If Lydia had never been allowed to Brighton, she had not had the chance to elope...

[Gladys]

Love compels Darcy in the end to disclose his secret, but then he urges Elizabeth not to tell anyone, just because of his and Georgiana's reputation. She understands and she doesn't disclose it, but the same problem drags on, now with her involved.

You've opened my eyes, Kiki, to the importance of 'discretion' in the novel. And having lived in Kent for a year, I see that 'discretion' is as important for the English now as then, and remains the source of much ironic humour.