Pride and Prejudice
Social Atmosphere Portrayed through the Ball Scene Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, contains numerous scenes involving parties or other social occasions. One extremely significant social event is the ball at which Elizabeth first encounters Darcy. This scene thoroughly portrays the society to which they belong, as well as the pride, prejudice, and general feelings of superiority of many of the characters. The society that the Bennets belong to is the upper middle class; below royalty, but still wealthy. The society in general is extremely superficial. When Darcy, Bingley, and their companions enter the ball, "...Mr. Darcy soon [draws] the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien-and the report which [is] in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance of his having ten thousand a year" (Austen 6). The society is also very capricious; first declaring Darcy to be an exemplary man, then deciding that he is not worth comparing to Bingley. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for abo
The pride of the two leading characters prohibited them from discovering their true feelings for each other. Based solely on her looks, Darcy concludes that Elizabeth is not worthy of his attentions. The reader views the scene and the characters as if he or she is a guest at the ball. The scene of the ball depicts the pride in the characters, particularly in Darcy. At this point in the novel, the only thing the reader knows of Darcy is his refusal to associate with people he does not know and his automatic dismissal of the prospect of Elizabeth's company. Darcy's pride is the most evident in the ball scene, but Elizabeth's is shown through her comments following the ball. The opinions formed provide the reader with a sense of familiarity that gives insight into the society and it's members. The prejudice of the crowd judges Darcy to be great, then on a deeper but still shallow look, perceives him to be horrible. Both Darcy and Elizabeth find the other to be disagreeable without having a single conversation. The crowd's insolent prejudgment of Darcy exhibits their feelings of supremacy in this scene, an attitude carried throughout the novel. (Austen 6)The society's first prejudgment is that Bingley is very desirable, but after observing his arrogance, they deem him entirely unworthy of notice. The ball scene is a crucial scene in Pride and Prejudice because it shows how the society in which they live is, as well as how the characters are in terms of their pride, prejudice, and impudence.
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