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Chapter 5
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
Bingley's sisters soon start exchanging visits with Jane and Elizabeth. Elizabeth suspects they are only nice to Jane because of Bingley, whose admiration for Jane seems to grow with every meeting.
Social interaction among gentry had to follow precise guidelines, making it difficult to discern how people really felt. Elizabeth must read between the lines.
Themes
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Suspecting that Jane is falling in love, Elizabeth admires her sister's composure. She privately mentions it to Charlotte Lucas, who warns that women who don't show their affection risk losing the objects of it. Elizabeth considers this attitude too businesslike; besides, Jane can't know her true feelings yet. Charlotte replies that happiness in marriage happens only by chance.
Elizabeth believes that an individual should act with dignity and follow his or her feelings. In Charlotte's view, one's dignity and emotions must come second to the pragmatic concerns of finding financial security through marriage.
Themes
Literary Devices
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Meanwhile, as he spends more time with her, Darcy begins to notice Elizabeth's beauty and verve. At a party, Sir William Lucas tries to set up Darcy and Elizabeth to dance, but she refuses. Later, Darcy tells Caroline that Elizabeth has captured his admiration, though to Caroline's relief he seems to show no interest in marrying Elizabeth and gaining Mrs. Bennet as a mother-in-law.
Darcy was prejudiced against Elizabeth because of her lower social standing, but time and exposure starts to change his first impressions. This shift shows Darcy's capacity to change. Even so, he still deplores Elizabeth's family's behavior and can't imagine joining their family through marriage.
Themes
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