Deception in Pride and Prejudice: Appearance vs Reality
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Pride and Prejudice: Appearance vs Reality
By Paula Alvarez
The Theme of Appearance vs Reality
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the theme of appearance versus reality is recurrent. Austen wants to prove to us that often one’s appearance hides one’s true character. This theme is clearly evident in the case of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham and how they appear to Elizabeth Bennet.
Elizabeth’s Misguided Conclusions
From her first impressions of both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth comes to misguided conclusions about their true character. Elizabeth spends most of the novel thinking of both of these characters. She later comes to realize that her judgments of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham are inaccurate and incorrect. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Austen demonstrates that an individual’s true character can often be hidden by appearances.
The First Impression of Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth is introduced to Darcy at the Meryton Assembly and although the general impression is that he is quite handsome, her opinion suddenly changes to an unfavorable disposition towards him. She perceives his behavior as cold and uninterested in her friends and family. Along with the rest of the people in Hertfordshire, she decides that he is ‘the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world.’
His air of superiority does not impress Elizabeth and she observes that he does not converse with anyone who is outside his party: ‘speaking occasionally to one of his own party.’ She grows particularly angry towards Darcy when she overhears him say, ‘She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.’ Elizabeth thinks Mr. Darcy sees himself as superior to others and notices he does not talk to anyone outside his class. Mr. Darcy’s unfriendly manner increases every time Elizabeth sees him, and she becomes particularly hostile towards him.
The Deceptive Charm of Mr. Wickham
As opposed to Elizabeth’s first impression of Mr. Darcy, she had a very favorable initial meeting with Mr. Wickham. Mr. Wickham is very different to Darcy, or at least that’s what Lizzy believes of him. Wickham is outgoing, lively, and eager to fall into conversation. Wickham’s friendly and polite manners are quite the opposite of Darcy’s, and Elizabeth takes an immediate interest in him. She believes him to be ‘far beyond’ the other officers in the militia, ‘in person, countenance, air, and walk.’
Social Conduct vs. True Character
The theme of appearance versus reality is clearly seen throughout the novel. Society in the novel greatly values social manners and conduct. However, good conduct does not always reflect good character. Jane Austen seems to warn us about this. She points out that appearances are not reality. In fact, appearances help people to hide their true personalities. If one is led by appearances, it can prove to be dangerous.
This fact is later proved by Wickham. He has all the appearances of charm and openness, but these traits hide his true faults. Even Elizabeth, who is intelligent and sensible, is entirely charmed by his civility and gentlemanly manners. Darcy’s pride also hides the goodness that is actually in him.
Darcy’s Evolution and Judgment
Darcy’s manners are disagreeable and arrogant, but as the novel progresses, he proves to be superior in understanding and character. But Darcy also has the weakness of judging people by first impressions, their behavior, and even their family, as it happens to Elizabeth. At first, he sees nothing so attractive about Meryton or Elizabeth. Later, he values Elizabeth’s beauty and spirit much more than her appearance. ¡Escribe tu texto aquí!