In every society, there exists expectations that influence people’s decisions and affect the way they are viewed by others. To maintain this image, one may go against their desires and choose what fits the contemporary standard. As they abide by the standard and are viewed positively by others because of it, adhering to society’s expectations starts to seem like the right thing to do. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the characters take it upon themselves to meet expectations to maintain their reputation, and in turn, their pride. Pride is much more complex than a virtue or a shortcoming; it is what restricts Modernity by forcing people to live up to society’s expectations. When one is Modern, he or she has freedom of choice; however, when one is prideful, his or her only choice is to accept what society deems as correct. Pride exists at different levels; when it is either minimal or excessive, ethical struggles cease to exist, but when it is anywhere in between, ethical struggles intensify. This is consistent with characters—such as Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Darcy—whose pride is almost parallel with their ethical struggle between choice and contemporary logic.
Lady Catherine’s pride parallels with society’s expectations as her desires for her reputation line up with what is considered socially correct. After hearing a rumor that her nephew may be married to Elizabeth Bennet, Lady Catherine makes her way to Longbourn to talk to Elizabeth. She explains that her “daughter and [her] nephew are formed for each other” (339), and goes on to say that “they are destined for each other by the voice of every member of their respective houses” (339). As exhibited, Lady Catherine’s interests correspond with those of each member of the Darcy household and the de Bourgh household. She helps to continue society’s standard with those around her and insists that others’ actions are also consistent with it. When Elizabeth asks, “why is not he to make another choice?” (338), Lady Catherine replies that “honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it.” Lady Catherine has no difficulty in stating that her nephew must marry her daughter, as her excessive pride in upholding the standard keeps her from understanding the importance of choice. She goes so far as to say that a young woman like Elizabeth, “without family, connections, or fortune” (339), would be a disgrace if she were to be married to Mr. Darcy. Being that Mr. Darcy is also related to Lady Catherine, his marriage with Elizabeth would also affect her. While she does not explicitly state this, Lady Catherine does not want Elizabeth’s status to affect her own. By marrying her daughter to a man from “the same noble line” (339), she tries to preserve her family’s name, along with her pride.
In a similar manner, when Mr. Darcy meets Elizabeth, he attempts to hold onto his pride, and reputation, by keeping himself from getting close to her. After the ball, they meet again at the Lucas Lodge, where Mr. Darcy finds Elizabeth to be intriguing, but is also quick to point out her flaws. At first, he “scarcely allow[s] her to be pretty” (21-22), and “look[s] at her only to criticize” (22), but soon enough, he notices “the beautiful expression of her dark eyes” (22). Mr. Darcy finds Elizabeth appealing, but instead criticizes her to try and pull himself away as he finds himself in somewhat of an ethical struggle regarding their statuses. It seems as though he points out Elizabeth’s flaws to convince himself that taking an interest in her would be a poor notion. He learned this from his parents, who taught him “to care for none beyond [his] own family circle” (351), and “to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with [his] own” (338). They gave him “good principles, but left [him] to follow them in pride and conceit” (338). Mr. Darcy was not born with pride, but learned to live up to society’s expectations, and now compares status before engaging with someone. His pride stems from how others view him, and the relationships he forms greatly affect his reputation, therefore making it in his best interest to please society.
As the ethical struggle intensifies for Mr. Darcy, he strays away from behavior akin to Lady Catherine, leaning toward choice. Society’s expectations start to become a burden for Mr. Darcy, and he attempts to decrease this burden, or become Modern, by making his own decisions. His pride has less of an impact, and this gray area is where the ethical struggle is at its highest intensity because of the larger internal battle of pride versus Modernity. Mr. Darcy decides to express his true feelings toward Elizabeth; he says, “have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you” (180-181). He admits to feeling a struggle, this being one between what society expects of him, and what he desires to do. He speaks both “on the subject of tenderness [and] of pride” (181), addressing “his sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination” (181). He says this as if her status has left him wounded, and although he may not realize it, it is a sign that his pride has taken a hit. In the larger battle of pride versus Modernity, this hit allows for society’s expectations to have less of a burden, thus bringing forth Modernity. It affects the ethical struggle between choice and contemporary logic by rejecting logic to pursue choice, or in Mr. Darcy’s case, to pursue love.
As Mr. Darcy’s perspective on pursuing his own desires changes, he expresses less concern for his reputation, indicating that his previous ethical struggles are resolved. Days after Lady Catherine expresses her discontent with any relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy arrives at Longbourn with Mr. Bingley. He explains that despite what his aunt may have said, his “affections and wishes are unchanged” (348), showing how he defies society’s expectations to pursue his own choice. Mr. Darcy no longer struggles when expressing his feelings, as made apparent when he says, “[...] for you, dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! [...] By you I was properly humbled” (351). Earlier on, it could not be imagined that Mr. Darcy would compliment Elizabeth without accompanying it with criticism, but his break from the contemporary standard removes the burden of abiding by society’s rules. Austen also exhibits realism as Mr. Darcy values Elizabeth as an individual, appreciating her headstrong nature. The change in his pride allows him to value her without regret of what, according to society, was supposed to happen. It establishes a precedent of lives being subject to change, and places significance in every decision.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice thus illustrates the effects of pride on decision- making. By the end of the novel, it is clear that the extent to which an individual displays pride is correlated to the feeling of obligation to societal norms. When pride nears arrogance, like it does with Lady Catherine, it can make society’s standard of living seem like the only option, eliminating the ethical struggle between choice and expectations. On the other hand, with a character like Mr. Darcy, it becomes more difficult to accept society’s expectations, causing him to take his own desires into account. As he pursues his desires, Mr. Darcy begins to realize that his perception of himself should not depend on how others view him. He finally lets go of his concern for his reputation, and becomes Modern, therefore not letting society’s expectations burden him. Mr. Darcy is able to appreciate Elizabeth without feeling negative consequences, thereby valuing her as an individual. His freedom of choice also allows him to connect with himself, overall placing emphasis and giving importance to his own distinction between right and wrong.