1.Introduction

Pride and Prejudice shows the love story between the aristocratic class Darcy and the commoner class Elizabeth, and interspersed with the marriage lines of Elizabeth’s sisters, their different marriages show different class views and marriage views. However, the story of Darcy and Elizabeth from prejudiced love to equal love is the most vividly showing the title of this book and the infinite reverie behind the title. Although in the 18th and 19th centuries, Britain has experienced the Industrial Revolution, the thought of entire British society did not completely penetrate and change since the wave of capitalism was just rising, and the old ideology and morality still existed. Especially in the townships, women's social status was extremely low, money and pedigree were particularly important in women's marriage. It seems that the majority of women marry for money and social status, not their loved ones. Being born into an aristocracy, becoming an officer, or having a decent job can make a man win the favor of many women of ordinary family. In this social context, many women were more like commodities sold by their families, and it seems more practical to their parents that whether this marriage can get the maximum profit. Women themselves, also influenced by the social atmosphere, became vain and lose the sense of independence, and focused on finding those decent men of higher status, thinking that this was their most trustworthy haven. Marriage and love seemed like a business at this time.

Even now, love is not the primary consideration in marriage for many people ，while some people prefer to consider the ability and social status of their spouse first. Families who are entangled and famous sometimes make people feel superior and often have more choices. Money and status give love more motivation. In addition to these, prejudice often affects people's choice of feelings. The difference in status is a hotbed of prejudice. The poor sometimes look at the rich like this: they are really extravagant people! They must look down on us! And the rich look at the poor like this: idleness makes them poor; they are vulgar and short-sighted. Ignorance of each other also gives birth to prejudices, and sometimes the understanding of a person may be just a few words heard in a chit-chat, or just a look at each other, or even just a description from the other person. If you misunderstand someone because of these stupid mistakes, this person may be your best friend, maybe your good teacher, maybe your lover, isn't it a great regret!

2.Analysis

In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy's love with Elizabeth does not seem to be a well suited or successful love as the public thinks. One is the daughter of a squire, the other is the son of a noble landowner. The castle and the wooden house seem to have nothing to do with each other, but who can say for sure when there is also endless freedom of thought in the wooden house, and there will be someone in the castle overlooking the field paths? As a descendant of the nobleman and the son of the manor owner, Darcy is inevitably a little arrogant towards many people, but in my opinion, this arrogance is not only the blessing of status, but more about learning and thought. After a person has an aesthetic and concept beyond the majority of society, it is inevitable to look at others with a slightly examined attitude. However, some prejudices will also be silently born. Darcy may consider squire families to be vulgar and barbaric, all of whom valued money and status. Therefore, he initially interacts with Elizabeth and her family with the arrogance and prejudice of aristocracy. But if this prejudice is not abnormal, it will appear that the characterization is plain and similar to the male protagonist image (perfect and sacred) that people are familiar with in novels. Personally speaking, any sciential and thoughtful person will have some disdain and prejudice against what Mrs. Bennet since she sells her daughter vigorously, clings hardly to the powerful, and behaves in a crude manner without grace and dignity.

As for Elizabeth, just from my personal point of view, I think her prejudice is more or less nonsensical. When reading this book, it is impossible to understand why Elizabeth has prejudice towards Darcy for the first time, is it just because of Darcy's arrogance in the crowd? In my opinion, these prejudices may also come from the contradiction between adoration and inferiority or vanity. She may have paid attention to Darcy from the beginning and has been attracted to his temperament, but the combination of squire and nobleman was precisely one of her own most disdainful behaviors which most women in the township and her mother admire: marrying into a wealthy family. For Elizabeth, she has always insisted on pursuing a kind of love that is not swayed by money, an equal and pure love. She wants a lover, a confidant, a man who can respect her. Therefore, at first, when she is not sure about her own mind and also hasn’t know Darcy well, she looks at Darcy with a sense of defense and repulsion. However, she couldn't help thinking about his words and deeds due to a kind of curiosity. On a deeper level, she may also be worried about whether Darcy will look down on herself and despise herself because of her squire family. In addition, Wickham's lies deceived Elizabeth, but here we might as well think about why the clever and meticulous Elizabeth believed Wickham's words this time? I think it's also an elaborate plot in this book, maybe Elizabeth just needs the fact that she shouldn't pay too much attention to Darcy to confirm her prejudices. This is what I understand as the cause of Elizabeth’s prejudice. The germination of love is not just simply due to one or two simple causes. Before discovering love, people's hearts are complex and go through many processes, and this is especially true for the combination of Elizabeth and Darcy, squire and nobleman. Moreover, they are all people with freedom and unique ideas.

I think the wonderful thing about the novel is the subtle change of pride and prejudice between two lovers. The pride and prejudice of Darcy and Elizabeth didn’t disappear gratuitously, nor vanish due to a touched event. Instead, Darcy and Elizabeth grow and change together while getting along with each other, and finally eliminates prejudice and let go of the arrogance in their hearts. The various descriptions in the novel delicately show this process.

Later, Darcy and Elizabeth slowly begin to understand each other. Through his silent dedication to Elizabeth, he eventually makes Elizabeth think differently of him. And Elizabeth seems to hesitate in this relationship, but in fact does not hesitate, and the seemingly contradictory is not contradictory at all. Once she has determined her heart, she is fearless, she is no longer bound by the world, but firmly understand the love of her heart for Darcy. Even in the face of Lady Catherine's high-spirited questioning, she does not shy away or give up because of the differences in doors, showing her image as an independent woman—brave, confident, self-loving, determined, intelligent.

3.Evaluation

There are many marriages in the novel, which I will call marriage momentarily, because if it is called love, it is even more inappropriate. Lydia's marriage to Wickham seems laughable to me, their love is completely ridiculous, Lydia takes a fancy to his status as an officer, and Wickham did not have the slightest love for Lydia, so that their later life was very miserable. Charlotte and Collins' marriage looks like a supply and demand relationship, not involving love, but still stable. Although Jane and Bingley's marriage is based on love, it lacks a respect, and in their marriage, Jane does not get much respect. These symbols also reflect many marriages in this world, some people just want to partner to live, some people only for the impulse of the moment, some people rush to love but don't know that they have lost part of themselves... How many people can really let go of pride and prejudice, put aside money and status, respect and understand each other?

Through the love between Darcy and Elizabeth, obviously from different families, but can move towards an equal love, what is the truth of this?

Love, sometimes just look like the product of too much romance and fantasy, many people no longer support the concept of "all love and no bread". Admittedly, love cannot replace the bread, leaving the material base, just living in love will only make people unbearable. But if you really love each other deeply and respect each other, you will be willing to work hard for each other. This effort can not only for men to support a family, since it is mutual respect, it has put the status of both parties on the same level, so women should also strive to make a home better. Of course, this must under the premise that her husband trusts her and support her, otherwise there will be all kinds of arrogance and prejudice. However, if two people in love can firmly open their hearts, do not have to be inferior or arrogant, do not have to be influenced by others, and do not have to hesitate, then this love has at least a good beginning. But it is far from enough for any story to just have a wonderful beginning. A couple should learn from each other and grow together, if you don't even have the courage and ability to become better for each other, this love will be hasty and fleeting like fireworks, because soon, the arrogant one will find that this arrogance cannot disappear, and there is also no reason to disappear.

Today's society is still about door-to-door management, and I partly support it. The reason is that most people can't completely ignore about pride and prejudice, and to be honest, it is very difficult for me. Therefore, those of us who choose to avoid this intermediate risk and choose the other half of the household, so as to prevent each other from completely eliminating pride and prejudice or breeding new ones in the days to come. There is even a ridiculous saying that "spouses are either stepping stones or stumbling blocks", which has fundamentally put the two people in love in an unequal position, two people do not have to push each other to glory, nor can they pull each other into the abyss. As long as two people can respect each other and love each other to spend the long river of life, it is a rare blessing. And why bother with whether there are any benefits or disadvantages?

Arrogance, born from uneven; Prejudice, born from unfamiliar. For people who are worse than ourselves in some way, we subconsciously look at them with an arrogant attitude, even if we become friends and partners, we will be unwilling to spend effort to respect and understand at some moments because of this arrogance which may shouldn’t existed. For people who are different from ourselves, we are always prone to have prejudice, even if we do not understand them safely, we will still blame or ridicule, which often breeds many emotional bumps in our hearts, and makes us unable to cross these bumps. The final result is silent separation, and occasionally silent nostalgia for a moment.

4.Conclusion

The book Pride and Prejudice represents Jane Austen's view of love in her time, in such an era of low female status, Jane Austen, who has the same personality as Elizabeth, may also very much hope that her love can also cross class, cross arrogance, cross prejudice and head towards equality and respect.

After reading this book, I think every reader, including me, will think about whether I have had pride and prejudice in love or a relationship, and whether I have overcome pride and prejudice. Whenever I talk about this, I am always glad that I have a relationship that is free from pride and prejudice, and although we have taken different paths in many ways over the years, the relationship is still the original sincerity, no matter who is better than whom, still want the other to be better.

Finally, I wish that we will all walk towards love or feelings without pride and prejudice, truly adore each other, appreciate each other, respect each other, grow and progress together.

Reference

1 Du LiHong."Study on the Effect of Cognitive Style on Love in Pride and Prejudice." Frontiers in Educational Research 3.7(2020).

2 Fatma Zainab, et al."Revisiting the economics of marriage and romance in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Pride and Prejudice (1813)." Academic Discourse 11.1(2022).

3 Derek E. Daniels."Stammering Pride and Prejudice: Difference Not Defect, P. Campbell, C. Constantino, & S. Simpson, J&R Press (2019).." Journal of Fluency Disorders 65.(2020). doi:10.1016/j.jfludis.2020.105777.