Page 54 - Middle Georgia State University - Knighted 2019

Elizabeth’s Turning Point: Volume Two, Chapter Thirteen
Annika Griffith

One of the most significant plot points in Pride and Prejudice is Mr. Darcy’s first
proposal to Elizabeth in chapter eleven, but the true turning point of the novel is in chapter
thirteen, in which Elizabeth reads and reacts to Mr. Darcy’s post-proposal letter. What Mr. Darcy
says to her in that letter overturns every belief which she held dear, causing her to experience a
range of emotions: shock, anger, denial, unwilling agreement, and mortification. Her pride is
stripped away as she is made to realize the seriousness of her family’s impropriety, to see the
true colors of Mr. Wickham, to give Mr. Darcy a second chance, and to realize that she is not
always right. Reading Mr. Darcy’s letter is a turning point for Elizabeth, whose leading
characteristics steadily change for the better in the remaining half of Pride and Prejudice.

It has been no secret that the Bennet family is less than respectable, despite their status as
gentry. Elizabeth and Jane, the most sensible of the family, realize that Mrs. Bennet and Lydia
especially have nothing to recommend them. However, Elizabeth has not truly considered the
implications of her family’s behavior. Apart from some irritation and embarrassment for her
mother and sisters, Elizabeth has not shown any particular care for their conduct. However, Mr.
Darcy explains in his letter how the Bennet family is a bad connection for anybody with a good
reputation, and that is why he separated Mr. Bingley from Jane. In his letter, he wrote that there
was a “total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly betrayed by [Mrs. Bennet], by
[Elizabeth’s] three younger sisters, and occasionally even by [Mr. Bennet]” (174). Poor family
reputation was what had caused Jane’s separation from Mr. Bingley and subsequent unhappiness.
Elizabeth realizes Mr. Darcy cannot be blamed for his actions in light of her family’s conduct. It

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