The main theme of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is marriage.
1. Collins's proposal: Collins proposes to Elizabeth on Wednesday November 27th at her own house (Ch.19). Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth at the parsonage at Hunsford during the Easter season when she was visiting her friend Charlotte who is now married to Mr.Collins (Ch.34).
Collins is a cousin of Mr.Bennet who will inherit Mr.Bennet's estate after his death. This is why he is so arrogant and confident that Elizabeth will not reject his proposal. Darcy is also a very proud man because of his immense wealth and his large estate and he is also confident that Elizabeth will not reject his proposal. Both of them take Elizabeth for granted and impress upon her that they are actually doing her a great favour by marrying her and try to exploit her financial distress to their advantage. They do not care to find out leave alone respect her feelings with regard to marrying them.
Both of them are completely unromantic men. Their arrogance prevents them from praising her beauty or her intelligence or flattering her before seeking her consent.
In Collins' case Elizabeth was aware that Collins had decided to marry her as early as Ch.17:
"It now first struck her that she was selected from among her sisters as worthy of being the mistress of Hunsford Parsonage."
but she never had any inkling that Darcy was interested in her and his first proposal in Ch.34 takes her completely by surprise.
Collins gives three general reasons why he wants to marry without specifying why he wants to marry Elizabeth in particular. Darcy, however, blurts out his love and admiration for Elizabeth in particular.
2. Darcy's first proposal: Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth in Ch.34. She is alone in Collins' house as Charlotte and Collins have gone over to Lady Catherine's house for tea. Elizabeth is suffering from a head ache which was a consequence of her being upset and crying after she had learnt from Col. Fitzwilliam Darcy that Darcy was responsible for separating Bingley from Jane:
"he [Darcy] congratulated himself of having lately saved a friend [Bingley] from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage." (Ch.33)
Just then Darcy arrives and Elizabeth is indifferent to his preliminary queries about her health. Then all of a sudden he blurts out his marriage proposal to her saying "you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Elizabeth is "astonished," and for a few moments speechless, and then composes herself and rejects him.
Darcy is in turn is shocked and surprised and "his complexion became pale with anger and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature," and after he had composed himself with great difficulty he asks why she has rejected him. Elizabeth gives three reasons why she rejects him and concludes that Darcy would be "the last man in the world whom [she] could ever be prevailed on to marry."
3. Darcy's second proposal: Darcy's second proposal takes place at Longbourn in Ch. 58. He proposes to her when both of them go out for a walk. This time, the scene begins on a very happy note as Bingley and Elizabeth have already been united in Ch.55 and more significantly, Elizabeth thanks Darcy for all that he has done to make Wickham marry Lydia and thus saving the Bennet family honour. Darcy replies that he did this only for her sake:
"I thought only of you."
Elizabeth is "embarrassed" and Darcy asks whether her feelings towards him have undergone any change since he first proposed and was rejected by her. Elizabeth admits "that her sentiments had undergone so material a change," and at once Darcy proposes to her "as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do" and is accepted by her.
On the first occasion Darcy is still proud and haughty and he is certain that Elizabeth will accept him, because after all he is wealthy and rich:"he had no doubt of a favorable answer." He is complacent and takes Elizabeth for granted. To make matters worse, he confesses to her that he has fallen in love with her much against his own wishes: "in vain have I struggled." Elizabeth of course is strongly prejudiced against him and hates him and rationalizes her prejudices and dislike for him by giving him three reasons for her rejection. This in turn leads him to reply to her accusations in his long letter in Ch.35. On reading this letter and after patiently analyzing its contents Elizabeth remarks:
"Till this moment I never knew myself."
From then onwards both the characters undergo a complete change. However it looks as though Lydia's elopement might permanently separate them. Ironically, Elizabeth imagines that Lydia's elopement will mark the end of Darcy's love for her not realizing that it is this same unsavory incident which will actually unite them:
"and never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved him, as now,when all love must be in vain." Ch.56.
The language of both the characters in Ch.34 when Elizabeth rejects Darcy is harsh, aggressive and hostile: "so immoveable a dislike," "and pale with anger." On the contrary the language in Ch.58 is gentle, polite and affectionate: "the expression of heart-felt delight diffused over his face." This is because in Ch.34 Elizabeth was "astonished" at his temerity in proposing to her whereas in Ch. 58 she is "embarrassed" at his excessive love and affection for her.
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