Darcy’s Proposal

Darcy’s abrupt proposal to Elizabeth focuses more on Elizabeth’s lower rank than him actually asking her to marry him; "In vain I have 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(130).” He goes on to tell her that he loves her despite her lack of wealth or connections to important people. I think the timing of the proposal couldn’t have been worse, because Darcy arrives right after Colonel Fitzwilliam mentions to Elizabeth that Darcy claimed to have recently saved a friend from an reckless marriage. With this new information, Elizabeth realizes that the friend Darcy claimed to save was Bingley, from an imprudent marriage to her sister Jane. Because of this new information she blames Darcy for her sister’s unhappiness. Elizabeth initially gives Darcy a polite rejection which quickly turns into the accusation that he destroyed the romance between Bingley and Jane, to which he admits. She declares him to be proud and selfish and that marrying him would be unthinkable. I think that Elizabeth is also outraged at Darcy’s assumption that she’ll say yes because it is such a great offer for someone in her position. Darcy is astonished and shocked that Elizabeth has disliked him from the beginning because of his personality.