The Dramatic Changes of Elizabeth’s Thoughts and Feelings in The Pemberley Chapters of The Novel

Throughout the novel, Elizabeth Bennet’s opinion of Me Fitzwilliam Darcy is constantly changing: From the horrible first impression to the fast turn of feelings due to the events that happen at Pemberley.

It all started at the Netherfield ball, when Elizabeth overheard Mr Darcy’s conversation with Mr Bingley, and she saw how proud he was due to his offensive comment. Or did it? The very first impression of Mr Darcy was from afar when all the ladies saw Mr Darcy and his fine, tall person, handsome features and noble mien.

Of course, this only lasts for about half of the evening, as Elizabeth overhears a conversation between Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy. This is the first time that she realises what a proud man he was, and continues with this opinion of him until later on in the novel. She develops a hatred so deep for him that she, rather ironicly, states, ‘I believe, ma’am, I may safely promise you to never dance with him’. This is proof of her resentment, but also proof of how much her feelings change during the later chapters of the book.

However, it is not until Chapter 43 in which Elizabeth takes a tour of Pemberley with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner that her mind becomes even more changed about Darcy. While touring Pemberley, she especially has the opportunity to admire Darcy's taste. For example, she notes that the banks of the river flowing in front of Pemberley House were "neither formal, nor falsely adorned" and that the natural beauty of the grounds had not been "counteracted by an awkward taste". She also has the opportunity to admire his taste with respect to the house's furnishings. While the rooms are large and expensively decorated, she also sees that the furnishings are "neither gaudy nor uselessly fine," like at Rosings. Instead, the furniture is genuinely elegant. Seeing Darcy's taste certainly opens Elizabeth's heart up to better see his character however, his housekeeper's praise of him best helps her to see Darcy with less bias. She has assumed that Darcy is the type of man who is always grumpy and out of sorts; however, the housekeeper claims that she "never had a cross word from him in [her] life". The housekeeper further asserts that, even when she knew Darcy as a boy, he had been the "sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted, boy in the world". The housekeeper even contradicts others' opinion that Darcy is a proud man, saying that he only appears proud because "he does not rattle away like other young men".

If hearing his character described by Darcy's housekeeper is not enough to change Elizabeth's mind about Darcy, seeing him person is. Darcy even surprises her by asking to be introduced to her aunt and uncle. She observes that he is surprised to learn that they are some of her working-class relations, but instead of turning away as she would have expected, he continues walking the grounds with them, conversing with Mr. Gardiner and inviting him to fish on the estate. He even asks her permission to introduce her to his sister. It is meeting and conversing with Darcy in this way, plus seeing the change in his behaviour, that truly makes Elizabeth put an end to her biased opinions of Darcy.

In fact, Elizabeth’s monologue during chapter 44 even leads us to see that not only have her feeling towards him completely changed, but she has become ‘ashamed of ever feeling a dislike against him’. She finally realised, after he visit to Pemberley, that she respected, she esteemed, she was grateful to him