Mostly Pride

    

       I was recently confronted with the realization that I am perhaps like Elizabeth Bennet in ways I'd probably rather not admit. It seems that pride should be an obvious failing in the way that Darcy is readily judged as haughty and nasty when he first appears on the Merrytown social front. But where Darcy's high opinion proves blatant, Elizabeth has her own arrogance which lies cloaked beneath good judgement and wit.
        Just to clarify, I'm far from claiming good judgement or wit for myself, but the pride part--um, yes. It is there in disguise to me but probably plain to all other eyes. It reminds me of a line from a fictional film about Jane Austen's life where another character accuses the young authoress of secretly considering herself a cut above the company.
         Perhaps it's Lizzy's pride which leads her to maintain a certain standard of expectations. And this in turn leads to a First Impression of Darcy that is negative as he continues to fall beneath her expectation of what "a young man ought to be."
         The good news is that eventually Elizabeth is effectively humbled and realizes her own arrogance in judging Darcy and other characters such as Charlotte Lucas. But had she not allowed herself to change her mind and abandon expectations, she would probably have grown up to be the full-time aunt of Jane and Bingley's brood and we wouldn't have Pride and Prejudice.