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Shoot for Darcy Not Mr Collins
Love or Not
this lens' photo Everyone wants to fall in love, but picking the right person can be extremely difficult. How can you tell what you're feeling is real and not just a trick of your mind or your heart. A fancy that you yourself have created to stop from being lonely. Many of us have been responsible for our own one sided romances. These romances often only hurt ourselves.
Jane Austen understood such things and by looking at the sometimes dysfunctional relationships in Pride and Prejudice you can better understand the world of love and mistrust.
Mr. Collins
When I say shoot for Mr. Darcy and not Mr. Collins, I am not talking about wealth. Mr. Collins had a littleness in his character that would make him ill suited to be a good match for almost anyone.
Miss Lucas was not a very pretty woman, she was 27 and if she hadn’t married she would have been a large financial strain on her family since women would not leave their family homes unless they were married or employed as a governess. Which because of their sightly higher status would have been impossible for her.
He might have been her best or only choice in the end, but she wasn’t his only choice. Mary Bennet was even attractive than Miss Lucas, but she liked him. If he had taken better care he would have had a wife who actually loved him.
Mr. Bennet
It is not just women who pick the wrong spouse for themselves in Pride and Prejudice. Look at Mr. Bennet, he married his wife when they were young and his dear wife was not in ill humor yet. Mr. Bennet was a fun, sweet, humorous and intelligent fellow, his wife who was only in good humor while they were young in love and in no fear of having their estate entailed away after his death never understood him. Not even after 25 years of marriage. Her only goal in life was to have her five daughters married well, his goal is that they did not marry the wrong person as he did. Especially Eliza, because she was his favorite and Jane was his second favorite. He loves all his children, but they were a lot like his wife. Eliza had his smarts and wit, while Jane had the kindest heart of anyone in the household.
The Gardners
Darcy and Eliza were not the only true love match in this book. Though they lived in the cheap side of London, Mr. and Mrs. Gardner had money to travel and a deep love for each other and the rest of their family.
The Gardners became a favorite at Pemberly, because they were the means of bringing Darcy and Eliza back together, if they had not taken Eliza to the lake counties they may not have married.
Poor Lydia
And here we have the worst choice of all. Lydia choosing to runaway with Wickman. Why did he do it, sure he was in debt to his eyeballs and was soon going to have to move on anyway. Was it revenge, did he somehow know Darcy’s attraction to Eliza? I’m sure he realized by the change of Eliza’s countenance that she knew of his dealings with Mr. Darcy’s sister.
Charles and Jane
Charles and Jane were perfect for one another and seemed to fall in love at once, but interference from his family friends and his own fear of rejection almost ended their romance before it could start.
If it were not for Darcy telling Charles the truth about all that have happened these characters would have ended up sad and alone.
Love at Last
Love alone is never enough to change someone, it was the lack of Eliza’s love that changed Darcy in the end. He was forced by her strong words to him after her refusal that made him look at himself in the mirror and for the first time he did not like what he saw. He always thought of himself as a good person, he then had to realize how wrong his pride really was.
She had to get over her pride and prejudices, to realize that he really was a good person despite his blundering attempts to win her heart. She had to realize she didn’t know herself as well as she thought.
In the end they loved each other dearer than any other couple in this book and isn’t that what we’re all after, a good happy ending.
Guestbook Comments
Sylvestermouse Mar 24, 2012 @ 12:04 pm
It is a sad reality that often life circumstances, such as Charlotte's, intrude into many lives and people often cannot or simply do not wait until they find a good match for marriage. Tis also true, one must know themselves before they can know who they will be happy walking through life with.
Dec 01, 2011 @ 7:43 pm
To love with all your heart is the dream, especially if you're getting a whole heart back, the best of all possible endings indeed!
MintySea Oct 24, 2011 @ 3:11 pm
I like my husband better than Darcey :-) not offence to Mr. Darcey :-)
