Foil between Mr.Darcy and Mr.Wickham
Khaqhovia Lee
IB English HL
Mrs. Bolle
October 10, 2013
Path to Elizabeth's Heart Criticism and manners determine the image given to a person from society. The satire, “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, portrays the social life of young women who marry for love or money. The Bennet family becomes the center of attention through the conversing between Jane Bennet with Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth Bennet with Mr. Darcy. Women married the wealthy for security and fortunate living. However, the men devise their own ways of courting women. Mr.Wickham and Mr.Darcy become foils of each other, through their many acquaintances with Elizabeth.
First impressions create prejudice of a person, which cannot be easily changed. Elizabeth’s first encounter with Mr. Darcy is during a ball, “Mr.Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall, handsome features, noble mien… the gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man” (6). His physical features reflects his wealth, as well as the description of a fine figure of a man. However, his physical features were not the only characteristics that were revealed during their first encounter, “his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company” (6). Mr. Darcy’s conversations with strangers were turned into declarations of superiority and detestment. Elizabeth saw this as a ungentlemanly manner which lead her to hate Mr.Darcy on her first encounter with him that night. Mr. Wickham on the other, “was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation… that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting” (52) Elizabeth also notices Mr.Wickham’s charm to making friends as well as his gentlemanly manner of conversing with others.
IB English HL
Mrs. Bolle
October 10, 2013
Path to Elizabeth's Heart Criticism and manners determine the image given to a person from society. The satire, “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, portrays the social life of young women who marry for love or money. The Bennet family becomes the center of attention through the conversing between Jane Bennet with Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth Bennet with Mr. Darcy. Women married the wealthy for security and fortunate living. However, the men devise their own ways of courting women. Mr.Wickham and Mr.Darcy become foils of each other, through their many acquaintances with Elizabeth.
First impressions create prejudice of a person, which cannot be easily changed. Elizabeth’s first encounter with Mr. Darcy is during a ball, “Mr.Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall, handsome features, noble mien… the gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man” (6). His physical features reflects his wealth, as well as the description of a fine figure of a man. However, his physical features were not the only characteristics that were revealed during their first encounter, “his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company” (6). Mr. Darcy’s conversations with strangers were turned into declarations of superiority and detestment. Elizabeth saw this as a ungentlemanly manner which lead her to hate Mr.Darcy on her first encounter with him that night. Mr. Wickham on the other, “was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation… that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting” (52) Elizabeth also notices Mr.Wickham’s charm to making friends as well as his gentlemanly manner of conversing with others.