“That the wish of giving happiness to you might add force to the other inducements which led me on, I shall not attempt to deny. But your family owe me nothing. Much as I respect them, I believe, I thought only of you… If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me forever.” (305)
It’s amazing to see how the story of one man’s love for the woman of his dreams or one woman’s fantasies for the love of the man of her dreams fails to change while apparent changes are seen through the passing of time and the coming of new generations. I suppose that this may be the reason why such a film as Pride and Prejudice and such a proposal as this second one by Mr. Darcy could capture the hearts of so many young women in our day. In this single event, Mr. Darcy presents to Elizabeth his gallantry through the chivalrous and courageous manner of his service towards her, his earnestness by committing such acts of service toward the sole fulfillment of his love’s happiness, his determination by proposing his feelings for his love a second time after rejection, and his honor through the promise to respect and accept Elizabeth’s decision with all his heart. Mr. Darcy was by no means presented as a perfect character or as the ideal man that every woman needs in her life, but the process by which Mr. Darcy learned to overcome himself in order to stand up to love now seems to call upon each individual to follow in his steps of searching, finding, and loving love.
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2 comments:
Jane~ What a wonderful quote. As you know I am reading the Wedding and there is a similar theme-love. Love takes time, hard work, and patience. A love that is rushed and jumped into will most likely end in a sudden downfall. I have yet to see Pride and Prejudice, but as I hear, everyone loves it. I think our society is fascinated to see "true love." Yes we all know that it is only fictional, but deep down inside we long for the same feelings and hope that one day someone will love us enough to be willing to work hard at the problems and do it together. There are so many divorces in today's day and age- is it because people are not patient enough to work out the knots? Or could it be that pain is so easy to force on the ones we love so dearly, but to those we love it is also so terribly hard to ask for forgiveness for fear of rejection. I hope that as people watch films such as Pride and Prejudice that they will take notes and try and make their love affairs work; I hope that everyone doesn't give up on love. As easy as it may be, the liberation in the end is worth all the struggles in between.
Love is... painful yet liberating? :)
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