Related Analysis Pages
Themes in Pride and Prejudice
Themes Examples in Pride and Prejudice:
"Mr. Bennet..." See in text (Chapter I)
Mr. Bennet is being prideful but not as obviously as Mrs. Bennet. His refusal to take Mrs. Bennet seriously suggests that he feels he is above (or too good for) his wife’s concerns. When she urges him to visit Mr. Bingley for the sake of his daughters, he tells her that she and the girls should go on their own—which would have been quite scandalous—and jokes that Mr. Bingley would probably prefer Mrs. Bennet.
"his wife..." See in text (Chapter I)
The themes of pride and prejudice have already begun to take shape in Mrs. Bennet’s character by the end of the first chapter. For example, she exhibits prideful behavior when she implies that her daughters are more deserving of Mr. Bingley than other eligible daughters in the neighborhood. She is also being prejudicial because she believes other girls, such as the Lucases, are inferior to her daughters—though she doesn’t have any real reason for thinking this way.
"may turn you all out of this house..." See in text (Chapter XIII)
The Bennets' estate is entailed to another person. When Mr. Bennet dies, the rightful heir will arrive to claim his inheritance and the Bennet women will have to move. Austen uses the entailment of the estate as a primary basis of the plot; it is the reason Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with matchmaking and so forcefully pushes Jane and Mr. Bingley together.
"Till this moment I never knew myself.”..." See in text (Chapter XXXVI)
Elizabeth realizes that she was prejudiced against Mr. Darcy. She misgauged his motivations and indulged her vanity "in useless or blameless mistrust." He interfered with Jane's engagement to Mr. Bingley because Jane did not express her feelings for Mr. Bingley, so Mr. Darcy suspected that she wanted to marry him for his money. Mr. Darcy acted out of genuine care and concern for his friend, not pride or prejudice. Elizabeth, however, has been both prideful and prejudicial.