Pride and Prejudice

These are my last questions, I swear!

1. If Elizabeth dislikes Darcy so much, why does she cry after turning down his proposal?

2. How does Darcy's letter make Elizabeth reconsider her own behavior and judgments?

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The thing is she really doesn't mind him. It is one of those love/hate things. She appreciates who Darcy is inside yet is frustrated by his behaviour. Initially she can't accept his social elitism. Darcy's letter does spell things out for Elizabeth especially when it comes to Wickham. Elizabeth sees her own rashness to judge without sober reflection.

1) She cries because she really doesn't dislike him.

2. Elizabeth reads the letter "with a strong prejudice against everything he might say." She does not at all believe his claim that he prevented Bingley from proposing to Jane because he thought Jane was not attached to him. After reading Darcy's account of his dealings with Wickham, she does not know how to react and tries to convince herself it must be false. She puts away the letter, resolving not to think about it, but then examines it slowly, line by line. After long deliberation Elizabeth begins to rethink her previous judgment of Wickham. She realizes that his communications to her in their first conversation were indelicate, improper and inconsistent, and that his attentions to Miss King were purely mercenary.

She begins to see that she judged Darcy completely wrongly, and she grows ashamed, concluding that she been "blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd," in spite of the fact that has always prided herself on her judgment. She realizes that vanity has been the cause of her prejudice.

After this realization, she rereads the first part of the letter which deals with his reasons for preventing Bingley's proposal to Jane. She now sees that he had reason to be suspicious of Jane's attachment. Elizabeth also admits that Darcy's criticisms of the impropriety of her mother and younger sisters is just, and is ashamed and depressed.

After wandering through the park or two hours, engrossed in her reflections, she returns to the Parsonage to find that both Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam have stopped by to take leave of them, but have since left. She is glad to have missed them.

Source(s)

http://www.gradesaver.com/pride-and-prejudice/study-guide/section5/