An Analysis of the Characters of Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

Abstract: Darcy is the hero in the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, a famous British woman writer. His character has two levels, that is, arrogance outside and love inside. The double interweaving of these two aspects constitutes this full-fledged character image, which enables readers to deeply understand the deep meaning of the article, and at the same time reflects Austin's excellent ability to portray the characters' hearts.

Keywords: impression; Arrogance; love

1. Introduction

Austen, an English woman writer, is a spring breeze in the history of English literature at the end of 18th century and the beginning of 19th century. When vulgar and boring "sentimental novels" and bizarre "Gothic novels" flooded the British literary world, Jane Austen's realistic approach made readers feel refreshed. In her works, the characterization of characters, especially the description of characters' personalities and hearts, is very nuanced, thus giving readers an immersive feeling and following the author's ideas to feel the fate of the protagonist in the article. Pride and Prejudice is one of the representative works. Although Jane herself is an expert in depicting women's psychology, in this work, the character description of the protagonist Darcy is also a highlight, which adds a lot of color to the whole work. Highlight the true meaning of the word "arrogance" in the title of this novel.

2. External arrogance

(1) initial impression

As we all know, Elizabeth's mother was ecstatic when she learned that Netherfield had been rented out, because she had five daughters to get married, and it was the wish of secular mothers to let these daughters find their husbands. For such a mother, Darcy, who has a prominent life and is rich and powerful, should undoubtedly be welcome. However, when Elizabeth's mother, Mrs Knight on duty, met Darcy for the first time at the dance, she began to hate him, and even had a hatred. Of course, there is only one reason, that is, the arrogant Mr. Darcy snubbed his daughter. Because of their different natures, some people are in front of strangers, and extroverts can blend in with them in a short time. But some people are introverted and don't like talking to strangers. Darcy belongs to the latter. Unfortunately, in addition, he was born in a rich family, with huge wealth and influence in various fields. Especially when he dances well, but there are few male guests and many female guests, he would rather sit without dancing. Is there no other reason for his arrogance? Look at the scene when he first met Elizabeth. When Mr. Bingley wanted to introduce him to Elizabeth, he said coldly, "She is ok, but her beauty is not enough to attract me." And I won't dance with a lady who is left out by others. "When he said this, he knew that Elizabeth could hear and see, but he could talk nonsense, which showed his pride and arrogance.

In fact, when Darcy first met Elizabeth, he was already attracted by her eyes. When he responded to Bentley, he met Elizabeth's eyes, which attracted him. But he was able to coldly refuse Mr. Bingley's introduction, which made Elizabeth feel very ridiculous. She told it to her friends as a very interesting thing. In order to attract Mr. Bingley, Mrs. Bennet invited his eldest daughter Jane, Bingley's lover, to ride to Bingley's house for an appointment. Just to make him pretend, he can stay at each other's house for a few more days. When Elizabeth visited, she met Darcy. During his stay, Darcy realized that he began to like this girl. However, he did not express his feelings according to normal logic. Instead, he listened to Elizabeth's conversation with others. Obviously, he wanted to ask her to dance, and he had to say, "Don't you want to seize this opportunity and dance a Swiss dance?" This gives people the impression that he invited her instead of him, and the result can be imagined.

When dealing with their housekeeper's son Weicon, Darcy's performance is also quite arrogant. As soon as Wickham saw him after a long absence, he turned away without saying a word or greeting the ladies present in front of Miss Bennet. This is of course because he disdains to associate with Mr. Wilken, but he also ignores others, which inevitably leaves an arrogant impression on others. At the same time, when Elizabeth mentioned Wickham at the Bingley ball, he didn't explain it. He knew all kinds of bad things about Weicon, but he didn't say it. He thinks people will find out after a long time. How much pride is needed for a person who knows all kinds of evil deeds. Of course, it is even more difficult for a flatterer like Collins to communicate with him. So he can turn around and leave like he didn't hear you.

(2) Medium-term impression

On the occasion of Collins' visit, Lizzie (short for Elizabeth) met Darcy's cousin Colonel fitzwilliam. From him, she learned that Jane could not marry Mr. Bentley because Mr. Darcy was in the way. He thinks that Jane doesn't like Bentley, and Bennett's family status can't make Bentley happy from this marriage. So he concealed from Bingley that Jane had visited Miss Bingley in London. He doesn't know that Jane is not good at expressing her feelings, and his self-righteous behavior has caused great harm to Bentley and Jane. The scene of Darcy proposing to Liqi in this novel is the most vivid expression of Darcy's fatal weakness of arrogance and the climax of his characterization. After a fierce ideological struggle, he began to propose to Li Qi. But his proposal is unique. He admits that she is humble, and marrying him is condescending. At the same time, he thinks Lizzie should accept his proposal in return for his affection. And he is very conceited, thinking that Lizzie will definitely agree. But just as he thinks Jane shouldn't marry his friend Bentley, that's all his personal thoughts. Lizzie flatly rejected him. This made Mr. Darcy's self-esteem suffer a merciless blow, but at the same time, it also made him have a clear understanding of his behavior, which laid the groundwork for the final marriage of the two.

3. Inner love

We should already know that if a person is just arrogant and rude, then he is not a gentleman respected by everyone. So there must be a gentle heart hidden under Darcy's arrogant appearance, and only this love can finally impress the heroine. In fact, Darcy's character has been shown from the beginning. When he first met Lizzie, he was attracted by her beautiful eyes. This proves that although he is cold in appearance, he is still a loving person inside. Secondly, when he treated the villain Wei Ken again, he also showed strong love. Darcy was well aware of Wickham's bad behavior, but when he said he didn't want to be a priest, he forgave him, gave in and promised him some money. Finally, when Wei Ken tried to kidnap his sister, he had every reason to take the villain to court, but because he remembered that they had grown up and had deep feelings, and the old housekeeper was loyal to their family, he let him go again. This also proves from the side that he is a person who values affection and righteousness. When Lizzie visited Darcy's manor, the housekeeper's words also proved what kind of person Darcy was. She thinks Darcy is a gentle and kind person. The so-called arrogance means that you don't want to grandstanding. I care about my sister. These characteristics fully prove his love.

In fact, Lizzie's sister Lydia eloped with Wickham, which is also the true character of Darcy. Darcy was on pins and needles when he learned about it. I think it's my fault that I didn't expose Wilken's ugly face earlier. He went to great lengths to find the couple and gave him a considerable sum of money. At the same time, he was assigned to serve in the army just so that he could marry Lydia and reduce the humiliation suffered by the Bennett family. He didn't let Lydia tell her family, just didn't want them to feel embarrassed or guilty. At the same time, in order to make up for his guilt of breaking up Bentley's marriage with Jane, he explained the whole story to Bentley and encouraged him to see Jane. Finally, two people can get married.

4. Conclusion

The title of this novel is Pride and Prejudice, so the external arrogance of the protagonist Darcy, which she focuses on, vividly shows the reader the image of a proud English gentleman through words and phrases. But this character is a positive image, so the author should undoubtedly give him the brilliance of human nature, that is, the love contained in his heart. This kind of character image is extremely full. It also achieved the purpose of attracting readers' attention. Although Darcy's charm is universal in the world, after all, he is an English gentleman with an authentic English accent and lives an English life, so he is more loved by British women. According to a survey in The Times, in the eyes of modern British women, the dream date lover is Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, even the charming Bond, the melancholy Danish prince in Hamlet, and Jane? Mr. Rochester, who is calm in love, has to bend over behind his back to see his position.

The successful portrayal of Darcy, a complex character, has made considerable contributions to the success of this work. At the same time, it also proves that Jane Austen is good at depicting the inner feelings of characters.

References:

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Shanghai: World Book Publishing House, 2006.

[2] Leo Kirsch Baum "The World of Pride and Prejudice" [A]. Shanghai: Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company, 1985.

[3] Lenghe's On Austin's Practical View of Marriage. Journal of Yantai University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) 2002.

[4] Brown, Julia Prewitt. National library reader's guide

Nineteenth-century English novels. New york: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1985.

5. Nigel Liang Junnuo. The world of Jane Austen. new

York: Weidenfield and Liang Junnuo, 199 1.

The above is based on the revision of the paper. I hope it helps you.