Thursday, February 5, 2015
The Drama Surrounding Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham
I cannot ignore the relationship that Mr. Darcy and
Mr. Wickham share. Much like Elizabeth, I too want to know the truth behind their
resentment for one another. Mr. Wickham
and Mr. Darcy have considerably different personalities. Most of the characters in the story find Mr.
Darcy’s personality repulsive, but Mr. Wickham is “universally liked” (62). Mr.
Wickham tells Elizabeth the “truth” behind his resentment for Mr. Darcy, but
like I always believe, I think there are two sides to every story. Although Mr.
Darcy is disliked by many people, I think he still deserves an unbiased opportunity
to tell his side of the story. When Elizabeth asks Mr. Darcy about his relationship
with Mr. Wickham his face turns “a deeper shade of hauteur” (63). My
understanding of Mr. Darcy’s changed appearance is that he is both disgusted
and angered by the thought of Mr. Wickham. However, Mr. Darcy does not give the
reader the same detailed objection to Mr. Wickham as Wickham gives to Darcy.
Instead, Mr. Darcy simply states, “Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy
manners as may ensure his making
friends—whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain” (63). Although ambiguous, I think
Mr. Darcy’s comment that Mr. Wickham is able to “make friends” but not “retain
them” shows that Mr. Wickham may not be the “universally” pleasing man that
everyone thinks he is. Even though Mr. Darcy is rude to the people he does not
know and is not friends with, he seems to be very well liked by the friends he
does have, especially Mr. Bingley and Caroline. What do you guys think? Should we
give Darcy a chance or write him off like Elizabeth has done?
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Rachel, based upon the title of the book and what I have read thus far, I suspect that a role reversal of Darcy and Wickham's respective characters may be in store for us. In other words, I think many of the characters in the book have misjudged these men based upon their preconceived notions about them. But I might well be wrong. Read on!
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe there is more to the story here, like you say, there are always two sides. Mr. Darcy's disdain for Mr. Wickham is clear, but his reluctance to offer a reason for this shows more class on his part. I am very interested to get more details of this situation.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Charles here, I think we come to find throughout reading this book that first impressions are moot, and sometimes become precisely the opposite of our later understandings of the character! It is very much worth noting the polar opposite descriptions of Wickham and Darcy, though, particularly when considering their respective relationships with Elizabeth. For readers that have never read this novel before, look out! Twists and turns are coming with those three especially.
ReplyDeleteAs both Eileen and Charles have pointed out first impressions can be thrown out the window. Part of the point of this story, these people, this "upper class", is that they don't look at things on a deeper level. When we're first introduced to Mr. Darcy it's said that everyone thought he was the most attractive man etc etc at the party until they were put off by his attitude. That instance right there shows us how fickle these people are and while Mr. Darcy still may be a bit of a jerk sometimes, I feel I should get to know him more before judging him as the other characters have done.
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