Topic > Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth's First Impression of Darcy

IndexIntroductionFirst ImpressionsConclusionReferencesIntroductionIntroduction: Whenever anyone thinks of Jane Austen, it's no surprise that they might think of her best-selling novel Pride and Prejudice. When people ask me to recommend a book for a good read, I always choose this novel. However, many fail to realize that Pride and Prejudice was not the original title of her famous piece and that it took many editors to convince her to change the original title First Impressions to Pride and Prejudice. There are many moments in the book where first impressions of the characters play an important role and Austen did this to show readers that first impressions can be deceptive because, however, the characters may or may not be what they portrayed. Although the second title gained its fame compared to the book, one can believe that it is First Impressions that best suits the book because it better serves the plot along with the nature of the satirical characters created by Austin. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First Impressions Topic Sentence: The novel begins with multiple first impressions of the book's characters, particularly the arrogant Mr. Darcy and the bachelor Mr. Bingley. Evidence and Citations: Two members of English high society, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, visit an English town where middle-class hen parties await their arrival. The first volume focuses on these two different circles coming together to meet in imaginative dances held in honor of their arrival. To say the least, the two main characters of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, meet at the first ball and already their first impressions of each other are less than ideal, with both characters thinking so negatively of the of each other. Evidence and Quotations: Darcy observes that Elizabeth is “tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me,” while Elizabeth's first impression of Mr. Darcy is in response to what he said of her, leaving her with “no very warm feelings towards him.” Comment: In such a short time that these two have barely managed to meet, they have already begun to form a dislike that will blind them to each other for the entire first half of the book. Evidence and Quotations: Furthermore, Mrs. Bennet was quick to judge Mr. Darcy based on the first impression he had given to the people at the ball, especially when he spoke to Elizabeth's unpleasantness when asked if he would like to be presented to his. She said: “So haughty and so presumptuous that there was no way I could stand it! He walked here and there, thinking himself so great! ... I rather hate that man.” Already seeing how he presented himself at the ball, Mrs. Bennet had a first negative impression of Mr. Darcy. Many characters are quick to judge Mr. Darcy because of the first impression he got at the ball when he arrived from London and it is this first impression that blinds them from the reality of his life. Topic Sentence: First impressions have the greatest influence on others. Evidence and quotes: When Darcy makes his first impression on the Bennet sisters he comes across as rude and arrogant: “His temper was strong. He was the proudest and most unpleasant man in the world, and everyone hoped he would never return there again” (Austen 17). Darcy makes a terrible impression on the Bennet sisters. Comment: This shows how quickly people have to judge in this age. Evidence and Quotes: Jane is known to be very nice and sweet, but Elizabeth tells her she needs to work on her first impressions: “Oh! You're way too muchplace, you know, like people in general. You never see the fault in anyone." Commentary: Elizabeth tries to explain to Jane that she is naive and forgiving, but later demonstrates that Elizabeth judges people harshly and too quickly. This is shown when he begins to ask Darcy about his past with Wickham, but Darcy is resilient: “I remember hearing you say once, Mr. Darcy, that you almost never forgave, that your resentment once created was unquenchable. You are very cautious, I suppose, about its creation.” Evidence and quotes: This shows how Elizabeth is pushing Darcy to tell her about his past, she starts to insinuate that he is stubborn and that he is too quick to judge. Topic Sentence: Not only did Mrs. Bennet speak so negatively about Mr. Darcy based on what she saw at the ball and what she heard from Elizabeth, but she also commented and talked about the first impression she got from Mr. Bingley. The mother of the Bennet family made numerous comments about Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley at the ball. Evidence and Quotes: Despite disliking Mr. Darcy for rejecting Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet leaves because of how he complimented and danced with Elizabeth's sister Jane. She says, “Mr. Bingley found her very beautiful and danced with her twice. Just think about this, my dear; he actually danced with her twice; and she was the only creature in the room he asked a second time... I'm quite happy with him. It's so overly beautiful!” Mrs. Bennet was praising Mr. Bingley after the first impression he made at the ball when he asked Jane to dance with him twice. For her, dancing multiple times is considered a compliment and for this reason he becomes her favorite bachelor of the evening. After meeting Mr. Darcy in such a short time, he became the center of criticism of the entire town just because of how he portrayed himself at the ball. The exaggeration of people's rumors, irony, and gossip happening at that time demonstrates the satire that Austen uses in her novel. The satire that Austen shows when people gossip about Mr. Darcy is not even part of the satire that she defines in the book. Throughout the first volume, we often see Elizabeth making hasty decisions about characters despite little to no interaction with them, but it is in the next volume that we begin to see the discrepancies between real life and the characters in this satire. In this section of the book, Elizabeth begins to take events and bend them to fit her personal worldview, as seen when Jane sends her a letter about trying to locate Mr. Bingley in London. Despite the fact that Jane never interacts with Mr. Bingley, and Jane only speaks with her sister, Elizabeth immediately assumes that Mr. Bingley is behind everything, claiming that "His character has sunk (further) with each review of the film, ” (Austen 144-145) ignoring the likely possibility that Mrs. Bingley simply neglected to inform Mr. Bingley of Jane's arrival, which seems possible considering that Jane believes she is acting "anxious for her brother." (Austen 144) Why does he do this? Because he is friends with Mr. Darcy. Conclusion Closing paragraph: In “Pride and Prejudice,” the rich “do not alter their opinions to fit the facts. They alter facts to fit their opinions. We see this over and over again throughout the book. When a young soldier called Mr. Wickham arrives in town, he claims that Mr. Darcy was apparently responsible for his removal from his father's estate, despite the fact that Mr. Darcy himself claims that Mr. Wickham is lying about the whole matter, or at the very least, severely distorting the truth. One of the main characteristics by which Elizabeth tries to define herself is her love of rationality, but despite this,.