"No"_said Darcy,"I have made no such pretension.I have faults enough ,but they are not ,I hope ,of understanding.............My good opinion ,once lost ,is lost forever."
this quotation is said by Mr Darcy in a conversation between him and Elizabeth which took place in Netherfeild when Elizabeth was staying there to look after her sick sister Jane.
In this quotation Darcy is giving an account of the traits of his character. He cannot forget others' offences against him. Elizabeth thus warns him that this a defect in his character that he should overcome. Though this confession shows a great deal of courage ,it also shows Darcy's share of pride ,arrogance and prejudice. There is no gain saying the fact that Darcy is proud man. There can be cited at least two indisputable instances of his pride. In the Meyrton ball when he refuses to dance with Eilzabeth saying:"She is tolerable ,but not handsome enough to tempt me."And even when he makes his first proposal of marrige to Elizabeth , his tone is very proud and haughty:
"He was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride .His sense of her inferiority of its being a degradation of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding ,but was very unlikely to recommend his suit."
There are attempts to justify or explain his pride .Charlotte Lucas ,for example, does not feel offended by it:"One cannot wonder that so very fine a youngman ,with famiy, fortune , everything in his favour should think highly of himself. If I may so express it , he has a right to be proud."And the evidence of his house keeper Mrs.Reynolds when Elizabeth visits Pemberly"Some people call him proud , but I am sure I never saw anything of it . To my fancy. it is only because ha does not rattel away like other youngmen."Even Darcy himself tries to justify his behaviour at the Meyrton ball by saying"Iam ill quolified to recommend myself to strangers." But the reader starts to change his mind about Darcy's pride in the second half of the novel
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