- "Good gracious! Lord bless me! only think! dear me! Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! my sweetest Lizzy! how rich and great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane's is nothing to it -- nothing at all. I am so pleased -- so happy." (p. 255)
Moments before Elizabeth explains the news of her engagement with Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Bennet is not fond of the man. She reminds Elizabeth of his excessive pride and rude manners. Jane Austen proves that wealth and reputation matter by Mrs. Bennet's complete one-hundred-eighty degree turn in this passage. During this time period, the ultimate goal was to be married. Reputations of family and women truly decided social and marital status. Mrs. Bennet's sudden excitement reveals her greedy, pushy character. Obviously her opinions can easily be swayed since literally moments before (when Elizabeth wasn't associated with Darcy) she didn't care for him. The longing hope Mrs. Bennet had for her daughter to marry a wealthy man clearly took over her negative feelings toward Darcy. Immediately she realizes that Elizabeth will share Darcy's wealth and make an advancement in social class.
Photo Credit:
Overjoyed! Photograph.
Flickr.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3340634361_e9e035962e.jpg.
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