Recently, I was given the opportunity to sit down and read Pride and Prejudice. I’m sure many of you did this back in high school, or have also been told to do so for a college course. As I read, I learned that I very much enjoyed the book. That being said, I feel very called out and I don’t like it. Especially since I can’t decide if I am more Lizzy or Mr. Darcy.
Why I Might Be Mr. Darcy:
1. Extraordinarily awkward around people — Just like Mr. Darcy, if I were to be introduced at a ball, I’d likely appear to be a stuck-up prick. I’m not the social person who can just put herself out there and interact with those who I don’t know. Instead I create a lot of incredibly awkward moments that guarantee that one of the things almost everyone I become friends with tells me, which is “when I first met you, I thought you were a bitch.” I’m also an awful dancer. So, please, don’t drag me to any balls.
2. Poor conversationalist — Don’t have high expectations for what comes out of my mouth when left alone with someone. If anything, be surprised if I speak at all. Mr. Darcy is at least honest when it comes to this part of his personality, that is, if he can get people to stick around long enough for the explanation. If given the opportunity, we may be eloquent, but, most times, it’s just awkward silences as we attempt to figure out what an appropriate response is to even the simplest of small talk.
3. Express my love through actions — As a writer, you’d think that I would be better at words, yet spoken affection is one of my biggest weaknesses. Mr. Darcy stutters through these as well, often insulting when he means to be charming. With this, we both prefer a grand gesture that we can brush aside to show that we just did it because we care. It’s much easier to smile and shrug when someone is happy to discover you did something that made their day than stand there and stumble your way through a declaration of love.
Why I Might be Elizabeth:
1. Stubborn and prideful — While this trait fits both, I find that Elizabeth tends to fit it much more than Mr. Darcy. Maybe this is because the movie is more fresh in my mind, but Elizabeth’s actions tend to surround maintaining her pride. She does not let anyone degrade her and is unwilling to compromise what she believes. While this tends to be a good trait, it does delay the ending by quite sometime and likely is causing more harm than good in my own life.
2. Unafraid to insult those who think highly of themselves (whether or not it’s deserved) — I find arrogance to be incredibly unimpressive. As far as Elizabeth and I are concerned, the moment that you assume yourself to be better than someone purely because you have money or some skill, you have opened yourself up to ridicule, and we are more than happy to oblige. This especially goes if you have insulted our families or have looked down upon us.
3. Mother’s priorities — While I am not being forced to marry a cousin, I am constantly reminded that “dating is a good thing” and that I’ll “find someone someday”. As far as I’m concerned, he’s required to pay for my sister to get eloped at 15, coach his best friend through proposing to my sister, gush about me to his own sister, write me a wonderful letter explaining why he’s so awful, and then we can talk. Maybe.