"Pride and Prejudice": The Truth
Sometimes I read classic literature and wonder if there is a reason I am reading it besides the fact that it has been honoured with the title “classic”. Pride and Prejudice is an exception. Jane Austen had a talent for creating characters that come alive in any era, and that is the truth behind the success of Pride and Prejudice: the characters are real.
Austen does not attempt to make her characters flawless, rather she makes them human. She paints a refreshingly honest portrait of human nature because humans, by nature, are judgemental and prideful (it takes a very special kind of person to possess neither quality).
In Elizabeth Bennet, Austen creates a character who is kind, gentle, and so obviously juxtaposed with Mr Darcy who is harsh and seemingly selfish. However, we learn that Mr Darcy is also kind and considerate in his own way, Elizabeth can be equally judgemental in her views, and both of them can be hindered by pride and prejudice. In fact they are not as different as we are first led to believe. Today we might say that opposites attract or call it ying and yang, but Austen shows it for what it really is: human nature. At their core, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy possess the same human qualities.
The truth is that Elizabeth and Mr Darcy have become a literary golden couple because they are real. They are a true reflection of real people in any era. Love did not come easily for them; they had to fight other people, each other, and even themselves to make it. But they did it. They fought, they won, and we can relate. That is why they stand the test of time.
And, yes, every woman is doomed to fall in love with Mr Darcy.
