A comparison of darcy's proud character and humble character in the novel.

1. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
COMPARING COLDNESS OF DARCY’S CHARACTER WITH HIS WARMTH

2. COMPARISON
First half of the novel Second half of the novel
Proud Affiable
Unfriendly Understanding
Uncommunicative Considerate
Hard to please Hospitable
Continually giving offense Eager to please
A loving brother
A kind master

3. DARCY’S CHARACTER:
 It should be noticed right in the beginning that
Darcy is a ROUND CHARACTER.
 The character has DEPTH and EMOTION.
 The character develops and transforms with the plot
of the novel.

4. Transformation of Darcy’s character
 His rejection by Elizabeth, whom he had approached without any doubts of being
accepted. He was just stunned and non-plussed by her angry refusal.
1. She brings home to him the insufficiency of all his pretensions, "to please a
woman worthy of being pleased”
2. She also accuses him of not be having in “a gentleman-like manner”.
 This forces him to cast a fresh look on his character and the next time when they
met he seemed to be act in a very humble manner.
 Moreover, he played a prominent role in saving the bennet family from social
grace.

5. Darcy's proud character:
 When we see him for the first time at Meryton Hall,
1. He is definitely proud.
2. He is contemptuous of the people below him in social status and feals no needs of
concealing his contempt.
 In chapter 58, he himself confesses his being proud,
“- I was given good principles, but left to follow them
in pride and conceit.”

6. Darcy’s proud character:
“- to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all
the rest of the world,”
 Darcy is definitely proud in the beginning and his over developed sense of self
respect makes him appear more unfriendly than he really is.
 He has enough virtues to redeem him.

7. NOTE:
 His character in the novel changes very gradually and if we are not conscious of
this change, it is because we are looking at him through Elizabeth’s eyes.
1. Elizabeth was prejudiced against him and preferred to overlook his positive
attributes.
2. The dramatic structure of the novel requires all negative evidence against him to
be piled up in the first half of the novel. but