Pride and Prejudice: The Use of Irony

Julia McGrath

EL 6520-GBL Professor Lee

28 September 2021

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Can romantic infatuation be ironic? Unconditional love can be a tedious yet confusing theme, yet, it is a recurring plot amongst literature. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tells the story of love and how pride can separate lovers. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have a confusing and rough start to a relationship. Elizabeth does not like Mr. Darcy because he does not consider Lizzie pretty enough, and Mr. Wichkam tells her that he did not give him any of the family fortunes. These two circumstances fuel Elizabeth's ego to find reasons in believing that Mr. Darcy is a prideful man. The irony is that despite Lizzie's prejudicial feelings toward Mr. Darcy, she marries him. Sometimes, two people cannot get along because they love each other, and find it difficult in admitting their feelings.

Darcy uses his words bluntly, which can easily mistake him as prideful. Because Darcy is opinionated, people might take him the wrong way and feel insulted towards his physical preferences. When one overhears someone saying something about them, it can make the listener dislike the other person. At the local ball, Mr. Bingley finds Elizabeth attractive; however, Mr. Darcy disagrees: "'Which do you mean?' Darcy asked. Turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, until, catching her eye, he looked away and coldly said: 'She is fairly pretty, but not good-looking enough" (7). Elizabeth feels angry that Mr. Darcy had said she was unattractive, but she overheard him give his opinion to Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy's reasoning should not affect Elizabeth because Mr. Bingley does find Elizabeth to be "beautiful" (7), but her sensitive response proves that she holds great pride in being desirable.

Elizabeth then tells her friends about what Mr. Darcy had said about her, even though Mr. Darcy did not remark about her physical appearance out of arrogance. The two make eye contact at a ball, where looks matter because it is an event where people meet and look their best. Mr. Darcy did not feel that Elizabeth looked great, so he did not find her attractive. The irony is that there was a man that found her pleasing, yet Elizabeth is more focused on Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth feels offended because she may be insecure about her appearance. Furthermore, she may think that all men should find her pretty. The scene shows that Mr. Darcy comes off as conceited only thinking about the physical, and Elizabeth as light-hearted, but the tension gradually rises.

When a person has an unfriendly impression of another, they will believe anything negative about their imposed enemy. Mr. Wickham is the antagonist who makes his entrance in chapter 5. Mr. Wickham is a con artist and a manipulator who is looking for nothing but trouble. Mr. Wickham views Elizabeth as an easier target, so he slanders Mr. Darcy's reputation. Mr. Wickham says, "... Mr Darcy's father left me, on his death, the best living to which he had the power to make an appointment, as soon as it became free. He was my godfather and he was very fond of me. He thought that he had provided for my future, but the living was given to somebody else" (25). Elizabeth is astonished that Mr. Darcy's pride could make him leave someone almost penniless and begins to hate Mr. Darcy more than ever.

In the beginning, there is no proof that Mr. Wickham is honest and a victim of Mr. Darcy's schemes, but Elizabeth dislikes Mr. Darcy so much that she becomes fixated on him. Elizabeth will believe anything negative and untrue regarding Mr. Darcy because she dislikes what he said about her to Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth holds a bias about Mr. Darcy because of his words, not his actions. The irony is that her subconscious biases framed around Mr. Darcy being prideful and boastful makes her an easier target for deception because she is easily brainwashed. She is looking for more reasons to dislike Mr. Darcy, as it proves that he is arrogant.

Elizabeth seems to be indecisive, as when Mr. Darcy apologizes for his selfishness, she agrees to marry him. What is ironic is that Elizabeth detests the man, but when he apologizes and admits his feelings, she likes him and accepts his proposal. Mr. Darcy says, "My aim then ... 'was to show you, by every attention, that I had no bad feelings for you, and I hoped to obtain your forgiveness, and lessen your bad opinion of me, by letting you see that I was trying to cure my faults" (121). As a reader, it is apparent that Mr. Darcy was not only aware of his flaws and fixed them but may have insulted Elizabeth to gain her attention. Insecure people name call and insult so that the person they admire will notice them. The act does not always work in their favor, but sometimes being rude works. Since Mr. Darcy redeemed himself, Elizabeth likes him enough to marry him. The two had awkward tension silently admired together, so it is interesting to see how they do not get along at first while secretly admiring each other. The love birds ironically forgive one another and confess their love, even though Elizabeth despised her lover. Sometimes, couples dislike one another before realizing their affection.

Romance can conduct irony because love can be confusing. Romance is a popular genre because it is relatable and attainable; everyone wants to feel loved. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tells the story of love and how pride can separate lovers but bind them together. Even though Elizabeth first hates Mr. Darcy, she realizes that she loves him while Mr. Darcy quietly admires her. The irony Austen makes is that Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth dismiss the connection they share; their prejudices and pride somehow bring them together. When two people have a rare bond like the two characters stated, nothing keeps them apart.

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Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin Readers, 1813.