The debonair Mr. Darcy thinks he has everything until he falls in love with Elizabeth Bennet. Despite her family's lower position within the gentry he proposes to her, confident that his looks and wealth will win her over. But Elizabeth fervently rejects him because of two great offenses she believes he has committed, on top of her general dislike for him. Filled with grief, but determined to defend his honor and possibly change her opinion in the process, he writes her a letter. This important letter reveals to Elizabeth in several ways that Fitzwilliam Darcy is not such an evil man as she had thought.
The first ingredient I should mention concerning Elizabeth's gradual change of opinion is the opening paragraph of Darcy's letter. By appeasing her fears of another proposal and displaying his own discomfort with writing the letter he may have given her a reason and enough courage to continue reading the letter. Darcy also made it a point to ask her for her forgiveness for "' the freedom with which I demand your attention'"
Darcy begins his refute of Elizabeth's accusation, that he had gone against all that is decent by ruining any hope Mr. Wickham had of leading a prosperous life, by denying it wholly and declaring his ability to produce witnesses "'of undoubted veracity'" (177). While conveying to Elizabeth his side of the story, Mr. Darcy continues to apologize for any instances that might cause her pain and not once did he make an outright attack on Mr. Wickham. Instead he chooses only to describe the actions of Mr. Wickham that reveal his true character, even going so far as to confide to Elizabeth, an embarrassing family secret. Mr. Darcy also explains his reason for not revealing all this at the moment of accusation. He was simply too emotionally distraught to convey such an important message clearly. The final touch to this appropriate and courteous letter was the simple farewell that really showed Darcy's sincerity and fondness for Elizabeth. "'I will only add, God bless you'" (181).
The first charge addressed by Darcy was that he had severed the relationship bet
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