Initial Thoughts Regarding "Pride and Prejudice"

            The main issue that occurs continuously throughout Pride and Prejudice is, of course, class in society.  Miss Bingley makes this painfully obvious, it seems, every time that she opens her mouth.  Individuals of higher class, such as Darcy and the Bingley’s, are looking for spouses who are of a higher class.  The Bennet sisters, on the other hand, seem to be more interested in marrying for love, which is interesting considering they come from more of a middle class setting.  Which leads one to question, are the desires of individuals in these social settings really that vast?  Even more interesting is the fact that Mrs. Bennet desires for her daughters to marry for money rather than love, which her husband Mr. Bennet clearly disagrees with.  (On another random note, Mr. Bennet is my favorite character of the novel, thus far, due to his care-free attitude, and simple philosophy of wanting his daughters to be happy.)

            While there is still clearly a middle and upper class in society today, the issue is not as relevant, in my mind, as it was at the time this novel was written.  However, I believe that the metaphorical title can still be viewed in a modern day setting in many ways.  Darcy, who symbolizes pride, has such high, and in some ways impossible to find, standards for a girl.  He wishes to marry someone who stands out in a crowded room, per se.  In many ways that is still the philosophy of many males in today’s world.  Typically, men tend to look for attractiveness on the outside rather than on the inside.  Elizabeth, however, symbolizes prejudice.  Her first impression of Darcy has tainted her feelings toward him up until this point in the novel.  I believe that this novel revolves around the concept of first impressions quite frequently, and how they can sometimes alter an individual’s true personality.  For example, Elizabeth’s misguided perception of Darcy and Wickham.  From what I have heard about this novel, I think we as a class will see as we read on that Elizabeth’s first impressions will prove to be quite the opposite.