Chap. 35-48: Appearance vs. Reality

Hi again! Today I am going to be talking about a major thematic idea that came up several times throughout the third section of my reading: the idea of appearances vs. reality.

In the first half of Pride and Prejudice, it is established that Mr. Darcy is a very proud and arrogant man, who believes that he is too good to dance with any girls at balls, and generally does not show much respect for others. Or so we thought. 

As mentioned in my earlier blog posts, Mr. Darcy was originally very rude to Elizabeth in particular, sparking her persistent dislike of him. Elizabeth then meets Mr. Wickham, a young soldier that grew up with Darcy, and is told the story of Mr. Wickham's past with him. Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy deprived Mr. Wickham of a fortune that was rightfully his, that was left to him by Mr. Darcy's father. This portrays Mr. Wickham as the "good guy", as he is nothing but polite and attentive to Elizabeth, and furthers Elizabeth's dislike of Darcy. Even after speaking with Darcy again during her visit with Mr. and Mrs. Collins, Elizabeth is quick to reject Darcy's confession of love and his proposal, citing all the reasons that he is not a good person and proving to him that she will not, under any circumstance, marry him. 

However, at the beginning of the third section of reading, Elizabeth receives a letter from Mr. Darcy in which he explains that Mr. Wickham was angry with him because he refused to give him money to pay off all the debts that he acquired. Darcy's letter shows that Mr. Wickham may actually be in the wrong. Elizabeth is shocked by the letter, unwilling to change her entire perspective on both Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. At first, she attributes Darcy's confessions and his lack of apology for his actions as "all pride and insolence" (pg,. 148). However, as time passes, Elizabeth begins to feel shame for her accusatory reaction to Darcy's proposal, and dreads having to face him ever again, for fear of embarrassment. She returns home and tells Jane about the contents of the letter, and they both recognize that they may have judged Mr. Darcy too harshly, as it seems that he "has got all the goodness, and [Mr. Wickham] all the appearance of it" (pg. 163). Regardless of their thoughts about the two men, both girls decide not to mention any concerns about Mr. Wickham's character to the rest of their family, as they fear that "it would be the death of half the good people in Meryton to attempt to place [Mr. Darcy] in an amiable light," and that Mr. Wickham is likely "sorry for what he has done, and anxious to re-establish a character" (pg. 164). Despite knowing that Mr. Wickham was wrong in his actions towards Mr. Darcy, both Jane and Elizabeth can't yet truly believe that Mr. Wickham is a bad person, and Mr. Darcy a good one. 

Later, Elizabeth agrees to accompany her aunt and uncle on a trip, stopping to overnight at Pemberly, Mr. Darcy's estate, on the way. Still viewing Darcy as proud and off-putting to others, both Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle are quite surprised to hear Darcy's housekeeper describe him as "the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world" (pg. 178). The housekeeper continues to explain how she never experienced any of the "pride" that others often see in his personality, and that he has been nothing but the "best landlord and the best master" to her (pg. 178). Later, Mr. Darcy arrives at the estate, earlier than expected, and Elizabeth observes that "never in her life had she seen his manners so little dignified, [and] never had he spoken with such gentleness as on this unexpected meeting" (pg. 181). Elizabeth's aunt and uncle are very skeptical of Elizabeth's previous views towards Darcy, wondering how she could ever feel that way towards this composed and polite man. 

This dramatic shift in Darcy's countenance surprised me, although I suspected earlier that Darcy's personality may be different than how he usually portrays himself in public. Nevertheless, his drastic change in character reminded me to be aware that appearances are not always representative of reality. This ongoing motif throughout the novel is not just evident in Darcy's character. After meeting Darcy at Pemberly, Elizabeth receives notice from Jane that their youngest sister Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham, and he may intend to marry her for reasons that no one can guess. Elizabeth immediately returns home to find her family distraught and her father gone to search for them, to force them apart or convince them to get married. Instead of being seen as the "hero" of Meryton, Mr. Wickham is now seen as the "villain," as he tore Lydia away from her family, and they are now fearful that she will be lost to them forever. Everyone is shocked by the reality of Wickham's character, as it is revealed that he owes the town many debts, including over a thousand pounds in gaming debts. Mr. Wickham's total shift from the ideal solider and man to the worst thing to visit Meryton in a while again shows how essential it is to think before believing anything you are told, something that the entire town fails to do, with very negative consequences. 

The idea of appearance vs. reality is also evident in smaller details of the novel. For example, Elizabeth's friend Charlotte may seem very similar to Elizabeth, but in reality is not filled with the same dreams and expectations that Elizabeth is. Elizabeth is caught off-guard by her acceptance of his proposal because she really didn't consider what Charlotte wants in order to be happy, and how that may be different from what she wants. Furthermore, to an outsider, Charlotte and Mr. Collins' marriage may seem peaceful, but Elizabeth's knowledge of her friend's character shows the reader that it is, in reality, full of tension and successful only due to Charlotte's ability to ignore her husband's existence the majority of the time. Although they are composed in public, we as readers know that their appearance is not telling of the true reality of their relationship. 

Likewise, blinded by her dislike of Darcy, Elizabeth is quick to believe Mr. Wickham's story about Darcy, and doesn't think twice about what she is told almost purely due to the fact that it proves what she already thinks about Darcy. This is part of the reason that she feels so shameful after reading Darcy's letter- she is ashamed that she let her prejudice rule her instead of looking for the true facts of the situation. Even Elizabeth, who prides herself on being quick-witted, falls into the trap of believing the first thing she is told. Through the characters' many discoveries in this section of reading, the need to look deeper into people and the world around you is sharply depicted throughout the novel, and is not just applicable in the 1800s, but in modern times as well. In our world of social media, people are often shown only the most manicured and often inaccurate depiction of others, an appearance that hardly ever matches the reality of that person's life. As is often said, social media apps like Instagram are only a "highlight reel" of a person's life, and don't actually show the true nature and personality of someone. Mr. Wickham's deceiving story, which depicts him as humble and good-natured, is not too unlike the "best versions" of ourselves that we strive to show others, even if that "best version" may not be the real version. 

I still have one burning question: why does Mr. Darcy feel the need to act so different around strangers than he does at Pemberly? I am sure Elizabeth will be curious to find out in the last quarter of the book.

Thanks for reading! Until next time, 

Emma