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Chapter 58
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Pride and Prejudice, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Pride
Prejudice
Family
Marriage
Class
Summary
Analysis
That night, Elizabeth tells Jane everything. Jane thinks Elizabeth is joking. After all, doesn't Elizabeth hate Darcy? Elizabeth explains how her affections gradually changed, and Jane is absolutely delighted.
Even the closest person to Elizabeth doesn't know her feelings, which shows how closely people guarded their emotions.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
Mrs. Bennet is annoyed when Darcy returns the next day with Bingley. She apologizes to Elizabeth for the inconvenience of having to go on long walks with him.
Mrs. Bennet here provides some comic irony with her misplaced prejudice against Darcy. She should be encouraging him.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
Later Darcy visits Mr. Bennet in private to ask his consent to marry Elizabeth. Mr. Bennet calls in Elizabeth. He's stunned at the proposal, and wonders why Elizabeth would marry a man she hates. Elizabeth explains everything, and Mr. Bennet happily gives his blessing.
Like the rest of his family, Mr. Bennet needs Elizabeth to interpret Darcy. This serves as a metaphor for how Elizabeth helps Darcy identify and correct his own flaws, bringing out his best attributes.
Themes
Literary Devices
Quiz
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Elizabeth tells her mother the news that night. After a moment of shock, Mrs. Bennet joyfully stutters that Elizabeth will be genteel and rich—even richer than Jane! Elizabeth fears that her mother will continue to embarrass Darcy, but Mrs. Bennet, because she's intimidated, treats him with uncharacteristic respect.
Mrs. Bennet never changes. She measures her daughters' successes by the size of their husbands' bank accounts. She doesn't recognize that Jane and Elizabeth have chosen their husbands for better reasons.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
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