During the nineteenth century, marriage was an important factor in a woman's life. In her letter of March 13, Jane Austen states, "Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong argument in favor of matrimony" (Austen n pag). During this time, women married for convenience and financial gain rather than love. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet defies these standards, as she rejects two marriage proposals and goes against the norms of society by marrying above her social class. Pride and Prejudice symbolizes the importance of marriage, wealth, morals, and social status through the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to convey her theme that despite troubles and tribulations, love conquers all.
In the beginning, Elizabeth's initial prejudice clouds her better judgment and prevents her from seeing Mr. Darcy's true self. Elizabeth's first impression of Mr. Darcy is harsh and she makes cruel judgments about him from his appearance. Elizabeth found Mr. Darcy "to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased" (Austen 12). This demonstrates the prejudice Elizabeth holds against Mr. Darcy already. This leads Elizabeth to foolishly believe Mr. Wickham's false allegations against Mr. Darcy when he proclaims Mr. Darcy stole his inheritance causing her contempt for him to grow. She and Mr. Wickham continue to talk about Mr. Darcy as Elizabeth exclaims: "I had supposed him to be despising his fellow creatures in general, but did not suspect him of descending to such malicious revenge" (Austen 70). Elizabeth shows her bad judgment in trusting Mr. Wickham, whom she hardly knows, because of her prejudices against Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth's misjudgments cause her to cruelly reject Mr. Darcy's callous proposal and accuse of him of foul play towards Mr. Wickham. She says to him, "I have never desired your good opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly" (Austen 161).
