How Did Darcy Declare his Love For Elizabeth?

Answer

How did Darcy declare his love for Elizabeth and illustrate the importance of his love letter? [NU: 2017, 19, 22] ★★★

Mr. Darcy’s love for Elizabeth is one of the most powerful moments in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen (1775-1817). His words and actions show how deeply he cares for her. His first proposal and the love letter become two turning points in the novel. At first, he fails. But later, his letter changes everything.

Darcy’s First Proposal Was Full of Pride: When Darcy first tells Elizabeth he loves her, he does it with too much pride. He talks about her lower status and poor family. Then he says,

“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

This line is romantic, but his proud attitude ruins it. Elizabeth becomes angry. She says he is rude and arrogant. This moment shows that love is not just words. Love must have respect.

The Letter Shows His True Heart:  After Elizabeth rejects him, Darcy writes a long letter. In this letter, Darcy explains the truth about Mr. Wickham and why he stopped Bingley from marrying Jane. Wickham had once received £3,000 from his (Darcy’s) father to study law, but Wickham wasted it on drinking. Again, Darcy thought Jane didn’t love Bingley because she was too quiet. So, he told Bingley to stay away from her.  Elizabeth reads the letter and starts to think differently. She realizes she was wrong about him. This letter is full of honesty. It helps Elizabeth understand the real Mr. Darcy.

The Letter Changes Elizabeth’s Mind: The letter becomes a mirror for Elizabeth. She sees her own mistakes. She says,

“Till this moment, I never knew myself.”

Now she starts respecting Darcy. She understands his pain and love. This letter becomes the first step in their true love.

Mr. Darcy’s first proposal failed, but his letter opened Elizabeth’s heart. It showed his honesty, pain, and deep love. Through the letter, Austen shows