Pride and Prejudice Chapters 45-48

The next day, the men go fishing, leaving the women at Mr. Darcy’s estate. Caroline is vaguely rude towards Elizabeth, but Elizabeth assumes it is just jealousy.  

Mr. Darcy returns from fishing, Caroline’s comments become even more derogatory towards Elizabeth, as Caroline attempts to make her and her family look bad. However, she only succeeds in making herself appear petty and immature. Caroline suggests that it must be quite a disappointment for the militia to leave Meryton, but Elizabeth deftly avoids discussion of Mr. Wickham. This saves Georgiana from embarrassment, as she had come close to marrying him. Caroline is further humiliated when later, after Elizabeth has left, she attempts to deride Elizabeth’s appearance, and Mr. Darcy responds by saying that he finds Elizabeth to be quite beautiful.  

Elizabeth then receives correspondence from Jane, explaining that Lydia has run away with Mr. Wickham. They were last seen headed to London, so their father was en route to find them. The letter requests Mr. Gardiner’s assistance in finding Lydia. Elizabeth is upset, but when she goes to convey the request to her uncle, she runs into Mr. Darcy instead. She then explains the situation to both men.  

Mr. Darcy fears that his own silence regarding Mr. Wickham’s irresponsible and shady nature may have led to this.  

Elizabeth comes to the realization that she loves Mr. Darcy, but at the same time, realizes that this family scandal of Lydia’s doing will ruin any chance of ever marrying Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is heartbroken and angry. Soon, she leaves with the Gardiners.  

Upon arriving at home, Elizabeth discovers that Jane is heading the household for now. Mr. Bennet has left to find Lydia, and Mrs. Bennet is too upset to perform her duties. The other sisters are busy with their own pursuits. No word has yet come to offer Mr. Bennet’s progress in finding Lydia, so Mr. Gardiner departs to join the search.  

Shortly after Mr. Gardiner’s departure, though, Mr. Bennet returns, saying that he has given up, and admitting that Elizabeth’s original advice to deny Lydia’s trip was the wiser advice.  

Gossip around town revolves around Mr. Wickham’s less- than- stellar reputation. Lydia’s honor is in question, threatening to bring disrepute to the entire Bennet family. A letter from Mr. Collins even advises the Bennets to formally disown Lydia, in order to avoid family shame.  

Analysis:

Elizabeth realizes that her first impressions of people can go both ways: Some, she has a negative opinion of, but later finds worthy of high regard. She also finds that there are those for whom she originally had thought well of, but turn out to be people of poor character. Her growing awareness of the fallibility of making hasty judgments is one of the ways that we see Elizabeth grow.  

Austin adds tension to the story by delivering a dash of hope to the possible romance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy when he utters his opinion of her great beauty… but then quickly dashes that hope with a complication brought on, in part, by ignorance, and  also by her sister’s petulance and immaturity.  

Further distress is found in the fact that gossip and rumors surrounding Lydia’s activities threaten to do real harm to the reputations of those around her, mostly her family. Moral standards of the time bound young women to virginity until marriage, and if Lydia has run off with a man who she is not to be married to, then people will condemn the entire Bennet family