When Elizabeth and her sister Jane came back home Mrs. Bennet was not happy. She wanted them to stay longer at Netherfield. Mr. Bennet, instead, was happy to see his daughters and missed them a lot. He told them about a letter he received from a man who was supposed to be, by law, the heir to their estate, Longbourn. He was also related to the Bennet family and was planning to stay in town with them for a while. His name was Mr. Collins and he was a clergyman. The day he arrived, he and the Bennet sisters, after having lunch and sermon reading, went out for a walk to Meryton. While they were walking they met a soldier called Mr. Wickham who was friends with a soldier they did know, Mr. Denny. The next evening they were invited to a dinner party at their aunt, Mrs. Phillip's, house. There, Mr. Wickham sat next to Elizabeth and in a conversation about Mr. Darcy, he told her the story between them. He said that they know each other since they were little. Mr. Darcy's dad liked, helped and appreciated Mr. Wickham a lot and this made Mr. Darcy jealous and feel hatred towards him. After talking with Mr. Wickham for a while, Elizabeth realized that she started liking Mr. Wickham and she couldn't wait to see him again. The next day Elizabeth told Jane the story between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham. They both couldn't stop wondering why Mr. Bingley was his friend. Good news came saying that there was going to be a ball at Netherfield! At the ball Elizabeth was expecting Mr. Wickham to ask her for the two first dances, but he didn't even attend to the ball and Mr. Collins asked her instead. She started to suspect a special liking for her in Mr. Collins. Mr. Darcy also asked Elizabeth to dance and while they were dancing she couldn't stop mentioning Mr. Wickham. They discussed about the topic along with Miss Bingley and Mr. Bingley the erst of the night. The next day something very unexpected happened, Mr. Collins proposed marriage to Elizabeth. She didn't accept him and this brought a lot of pressure from her parents. Mrs. Bennet threatened her by saying she was never seeing her again if she didn't accept Mr. Collins as his future husband. She thought that saving their inheritance was more important and that Mr. Collins marrying one of her daughters would solve this problem. Mr. Bennet talked to Elizabeth later but instead she told her that he was never seeing her again if she accepted Mr. Collins. After being rejected, Mr. Collins tried proposing to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's dear friend, and she easily accepted. Elizabeth was later shocked when she heard the news since she couldn't believe why Charlotte was giving up her happiness for such an unexpected marriage proposal. Later, Jane's hopes of marriage with Mr. Bingley are over when she receives a letter from Miss Bingley saying that they will be leaving Netherfield to London and that they wont be back in a long time. She also mentioned that they were visiting Miss Darcy, Mr. Darcy's sister. This made Jane feel that Miss Bingley did not want her brother marrying a lower class Bennet family member.
Just thought.......
“She had always felt that Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture! And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen.” (110)
I think that this quote says a lot about the way Charlotte thinks and how different she is from Elizabeth! By reading this quote we can see that Elizabeth doesn't agree with Charlotte. She thinks that marrying Mr. Collins is not worth losing her happiness. She thinks that marriage should not be pressured. In contrast, Charlotte sees matrimony and marriage as a way to free herself from her dependency on her parents and she also thought that it was worth sacrificing any feeling even if it was with a man that she didn't really love. There are very big differences between both and Elizabeth does realize it.
“Even Elizabeth began to fear -- not that Bingley was indifferent -- but that his sisters would be successful in keeping him away. Unwilling as she was to admit an idea so destructive of Jane's happiness, and so dishonorable to the stability of her lover, she could not prevent its frequently recurring. The united efforts of his two unfeeling sisters and of his overpowering friend, assisted by the attractions of Miss Darcy and the amusements of London, might be too much, she feared, for the strength of his attachment.” (113)
Jane just got a letter from Miss Bingley saying that they wont be coming back in the winter either. This is making Elizabeth really worried for her sister's happiness with Mr. Bingley. She is scared that hi sisters and Mr. Darcy will keep him away for too long from Jane. I am personally also shocked by this because I really thought that Mr. Bingley was really in love for Jane and that he would never leave her for anyone else, considering their relationship so far. But I am also wondering, what is making Mr. Bingley go away? Will he never come back for Jane?
In conclusion.......
I think this last chapters have been really interesting since a lot of surprising things and events have happened. I am still shocked by the fact that Mr. Bingley has left Netherfield and has forgotten about Jane. I am also very surprised by Charlotte marrying Mr. Collins soon. But I think that we shouldn't judge her because in those days it was the only way for a woman to live and stop depending from her parents. I think that on the next chapters, Mr. Bingley is coming back and he is going to apologize towards Jane for never writing or even telling her that he was leaving. I also think that Elizabeth and the people who don't like Mr. Darcy will find a different side to the story and will change the way they see him. What I like most about reading this book is Jane Austen's way of writing that is so proper that does make a impact on the reader and characters. I have to say that when I'm reading it, it suddenly takes me to a different world. I am so carried by the story that I sometimes forget where I am and where I am standing!
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