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Chapter 18
I remember hearing you once say, Mr. Darcy, that you hardly ever forgave, that your resentment once created was unappeasable. You are very cautious, I suppose, as to its being created.
In Chapter 18, during a ball at Netherfield, Elizabeth finds herself dancing with Darcy. She is feeling somewhat hostile toward him in this moment, as she suspects he is the reason Wickham did not attend. Their stilted conversation culminates in Elizabeth recalling what Darcy once said about his good opinion, once lost, being lost forever. She criticizes his stubbornness and quickness to judge, which is ironic, given that Elizabeth is prone to the same tendencies. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: The Impact of First Impressions (the fourth quote).
[H]er mother was talking to that one person (Lady Lucas) freely, openly, and of nothing else but of her expectation that Jane would be soon married to Mr. Bingley.
In Chapter 18, during the Netherfield Ball, Mrs. Bennet behaves rather foolishly by talking to Lady Lucas about Jane’s engagement as if it is a forgone conclusion. In reality, Bingley has not proposed yet, and Mrs. Bennet’s loud, public, and overconfident assumption is what later convinces Darcy that this is not a family Bingley should be marrying into. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Character: Mrs. Bennet (the second quote).
Nothing that she could say, however, had any influence. Her mother would talk of her views in the same intelligible tone. Elizabeth blushed and blushed again with shame and vexation.
At the Netherfield Ball in Chapter 18, Elizabeth quietly implores her mother to stop speaking, loudly and at length, about the wealthy circles Jane’s engagement (which has not yet happened) will likely bring the family into. Elizabeth is aware this paints the family in an unfavorable light, even if Mrs. Bennet is not.
To Elizabeth it appeared, that had her family made an agreement to expose themselves as much as they could during the evening, it would have been impossible for them to play their parts with more spirit, or finer success
In Chapter 18, at the end of the Netherfield Ball, Elizabeth concludes that her family could not have embarrassed themselves more if they tried. Though she cares for them, she is keenly aware they lack social awareness and often make fools of themselves (and, by association, her) by conducting themselves poorly in public. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: Family Influence (the fourth quote).
Chapter 19
‘I am not now to learn,’ replied Mr. Collins, with a formal wave of the hand, ‘that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second, or even a third time. I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long.’
In Chapter 19, following his proposal of marriage and Elizabeth’s subsequent rejection, Mr. Collins assumes Elizabeth is only rejecting him as a formality. This, he believes, is something all ladies feel they must do before they can accept. As a result, he is undeterred by Elizabeth’s swift and adamant refusal, further highlighting the fact that he is pompous and presumptuous to the point of being quite ridiculous.
‘Indeed, Mr. Collins, all praise of me will be unnecessary. You must give me leave to judge for myself, and pay me the compliment of believing what I say.’
Elizabeth continues to reject Mr. Collins’s ill-advised proposal in Chapter 19 by telling him the only praise she wants from him is the acceptance of her decision. Mr. Collins’s response serves as a contrast to Mr. Darcy’s later in the narrative; indeed, when Elizabeth rejects his proposal, Darcy takes her words at face value and does not try again until he has reason to believe she wants him to.
…in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made you. Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications.
Mr. Collins rudely responds to Elizabeth’s rejection in Chapter 19 by explaining why he thinks she can’t possibly mean what she says: chiefly, because any potential suitor would gain so little wealth by marrying her that her beauty and good humor won’t be much help in securing her a husband, and as a result it’s entirely possible this is the only proposal she’ll ever receive.
Chapter 20
Oh! Mr. Bennet, you are wanted immediately; we are all in an uproar. You must come and make Lizzy marry Mr. Collins, for she vows she will not have him
When Mrs. Bennet learns in Chapter 20 that Elizabeth has rejected Mr. Collins’s proposal, she appeals to her husband. This illustrates her disregard for her daughters’ wishes in her pursuit of advantageous marriages for them, and the fact that Mr. Bennet, in a patriarchal society, is expected to have the final say. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: Gender Roles (the third quote).
An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.
Mr. Bennet is called upon to weigh in on Elizabeth’s refusal to marry Mr. Collins in Chapter 20. When his wife insists that she will never see Elizabeth again if she does not wed him, Mr. Bennet, who is no fan of Mr. Collins, counters that he will not see Elizabeth again if she does. His humorous response affords the situation some levity and makes it clear he does not take the issue as seriously as his wife; neither intends to actually shun Elizabeth forever, and Mr. Bennet dryly ridicules Mrs. Bennet’s overwrought reaction while simultaneously allowing Elizabeth the agency to make her own decision. While it is true Mrs. Bennet has practical reasons for wanting Elizabeth to capitalize on this proposal, and Mr. Bennet is somewhat careless about his daughters’ futures, it’s also true that Mr. Bennet wishes Elizabeth happiness and recognizes that a life with Mr. Collins would make her miserable.
Chapter 22
Mr. Collins, to be sure, was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. But still he would be her husband. Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.
In Chapter 22, the narrator offers a glimpse into Charlotte’s perspective as she accepts a proposal of marriage from Mr. Collins. Unlike Elizabeth, Charlotte desires neither romance nor happiness, necessarily; she’s aware that Mr. Collins is self-interested and oblivious, but she’s focused on securing her future. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Symbol: Marriage (the second quote).
She had always felt that Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she could not have supposed it possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage.
In Chapter 22, Elizabeth is shocked to learn that Charlotte has accepted a proposal from Mr. Collins. Though aware of Charlotte’s practical approach to marriage, Elizabeth didn’t believe Charlotte would go so far as to actually marry someone entirely for financial gain, something Elizabeth sees as a compromise of one’s principles. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: Integrity (the first quote).
‘Indeed, Mr. Bennet,’ said she, ‘it is very hard to think that Charlotte Lucas should ever be mistress of this house, that I should be forced to make way for her, and live to see her take her place in it!’
Mrs. Bennet directs this quote to Mr. Bennet in Chapter 23. Charlotte Lucas is set to marry Mr. Collins after being rejected by Elizabeth, causing Mrs. Bennet to lash out in jealousy. Combined with the fact that Mr. Bingley has left Netherfield with no immediate plans to return, leaving doubts as to whether he intends to marry Jane, the situation looks grim. Previously, Mrs. Bennet believed she was to have two daughters married imminently; now she is faced with the possibility that not only will her daughters remain unwed, but she will be forced to one day cede Longbourn to Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas, someone she looks down upon and believes to be less suitable for marriage than her own daughters. Though Mrs. Bennet usually comes across as comical in her foolishness, this turn of events renders her bitter and cruel. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Character: Mrs. Bennet (the third quote).
