"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously... Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." (19)
This quote is spoken by Mary, who is known to be the "most accomplished girl in the neighborhood” and who is most probably a reliable speaker in the novel. Although it is somewhat of a spontaneous response to the Bennets’ criticism of the prideful Mr. Darcy, the quote struck me as a profound statement and a potentially significant concept for the future course of the plot as well.
In the context of personal and social relationships, vanity and pride seem to be wrongly manifested in similar ways. A person who appears to be overtly conscious and concerned of his/her own image may seem both prideful and vain. However, while a vain person, in the essence of the word, may be swayed easily by the trends of his/her surroundings, a person of moderate pride may rather learn to define and guard his/her own identity in a sincere manner.
Having understood pride and vanity from these two different points of view, it would thus be understandable that the prideful Mr. Darcy, in fact, turns out to be a respectable man of honor and integrity. Furthermore, I believe that I would find it ideal as a reader to see such a man give his heart and love to the also prideful Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a spirited young woman with personality and character.
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2 comments:
I do not understand why you would assume that prideful people are not people of honor and integrity. I would think that prideful people are mostly people of honor and integrity, because they are not ashamed of the actions they take. People who make regretful choices that they are ashamed of would not be able to be prideful because they would feel guilty. I do realize that some prideful men can be corrupted, because their minds are so messed up that they believe what shame they are putting themselves through is actually something to be proud of. For example, I know that Hitler was a very prideful man. He was proud of his actions. However, many people would agree he was not a man of honor and integrity. But unless there was a specific event that revealed Mr. Darcy was not a man of honor and integrity, I do not understand why you would assume he was not such a man.
You actually agree with you - it would not be right to assume pride as a inevitable sign of the absence of honor and integrity. I think this book shows the process of breaking down such false assumptions and discovering love that surpasses differences among people.
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