Mr Wickham Is A Dynamic Character Essay

Mr. Wickham is truly a scoundrel. During the turning point of the novel, when Elizabeth realizes Wickham’s true morality, the narrator states, “She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think without feeling she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd. ‘How despicably have I acted!’ she cried; ‘I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! Who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity in useless or blamable mistrust! How humiliating is this discovery’” (Austen 239). Darcy’s letter is the most dramatic moment in the entire novel, for it is in this moment when the satire becomes clear, that Elizabeth, smart, intelligent, yet quick to judge, was incorrect throughout the duration of the novel. In this
Debra Teachman in a separate book called Understanding Pride and Prejudice: A Student Casebook to Issue, Sources, and Historical Documents, supports this claim, stating, “Darcy’s comment on the Bennet’s disadvantageous connections indicated lack of examined judgment. He reacts automatically to the situation, judging human beings on their immediate relative social and financial positions rather than looking at the moral worth of the specific individuals involved…Darcy has always been capable of judging the individual case when it is within the realm of his personal interest and influence” (Teachman, Understanding Pride and Prejudice 17-18). However, this view forgets to take into account Mrs. Reynolds’s testimony, in which she says, “I have never known a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old” (Austen 281). Mr. Darcy, from the age of four, has displayed good morality, ruling out the point of his changing character, demonstrating how his morality was confused in his poor first