Mr Darcy Foils

Lizzy’s Choice

Set in 18th-century England, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice features a clash between the middle and the upper classes as they navigate love and the challenging social struggles of the time. In the novel, multiple bachelors act as foils to highlight Mr. Darcy’s character traits and his character development throughout the story. By contrasting virtues of bachelors like Mr. Wickham, Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Collins, Mr. Darcy’s own traits like compassion, decisiveness, and willingness to improve are accentuated. These highlighted values eventually cause Elizabeth to fall in love with Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Wickham's inherently greedy personality contrasts with Mr. Darcy’s, showing his generosity, honesty, and care for his sister. Mr.

Collins’ overwhelming and unfounded pride in his patroness and lack of compassion. In Mr. Collins's proposal to Elizabeth, he states that the most important reason for marrying her is that his patroness has advised it and tries to persuade Elizabeth by talking about the superiority of his connections, particularly Lady Catherine. While Mr. Darcy does talk about how Elizabeth’s connections aren’t on par with his own, his proposal is motivated by his love for Elizabeth. Moreover, Mr. Darcy’s second proposal is purely out of love, providing a sharp contrast between the motivations of each bachelor and appealing to Elizabeth due to her belief that marriage is based on mutual love. Another instance where Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s dissimilar traits collide is when Lydia and Wickham elope. Mr. Collins sends a letter to Mr. Bennet expressing his harsh opinion on the matter, stating that “the death of his daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this,” leading him to believe that Mr. Bennet should “throw off [his] unworthy child from [his] affection for ever, and leave her to reap the fruits of her own heinous offence” (202), an opinion he probably gave per the request of Lady Catherine. This cruel and foul response contrasts greatly with Mr. Darcy’s handling of the situation, highlighting his generosity, genuine care for the Bennet family, and love for Elizabeth. He not only helps the Bennet family financially but chooses to keep it a secret, showing his humility and pride under regulation. Additionally, Mr. Collins’ reluctance to change, rooted in his pride, provides a contrast to Mr. Darcy’s willingness to change and improve. After their encounter at Pemberley, Elizabeth remarks on Darcy’s transformation, saying that “such a change in a man of so much pride, excited no only astonishment but gratitude-for to love, ardent love it