So when someone says something bad about us, we as people tend to get angry.
We want to make that person pay. We want them to suffer.
Grab your torches and sharpen your pitchforks!
And that explains how Elizabeth felt after Darcy dissed her at the ball.
“You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,’ said Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.
‘Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.’ [said Mr. Bingley]
‘Which do you mean?’ and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: ‘She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me…”
What a jerk!!!
How could he say that? Loser!
This part of the book always strikes a deep chord with me. Once when I was in middle school I was sitting a bit away from these two boys and accidentally overheard their conversation. Elijah and Kevin were discussing different girls at the school and rating their “hotness level”. Elijah had a girlfriend but Kevin was “on the prowl”. Elijah brought up my name and Kevin said “Nah, all the girls in this school are WAY hotter than her.”
I was crushed. Utterly upset at what he had said.
And it took a while to get over.
At the time I did nothing. I was a preteen and very vulnerable. Today I think I would have handled it differently. Either:
Or:
Just kidding about the second one. I wouldn’t get into a real fight, instead a verbal beatdown.
Anyways, I didn’t deal with the situation with the best aplomb. I was angry and upset and wanted to make Kevin suffer.
I got my payback at a school dance a year later. Kevin had changed his mind about me and was interested, but I didn’t have any of that. He asked me to a school dance and I turned him down, meanly.
Revenge completed.
I have to admit that Elizabeth handled the whole situation way better than me and you have to give her major props. It must be so hard to hear yourself compared to your sister constantly in your own home, but out in public? To hear other guys say you aren’t as hot?
I mean people want to hear that they are the good-looking ones.
But Elizabeth is one classy woman. Instead of striking against him, being rude or hurtful; she just let’s it roll of her back.
“Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings toward him. She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous.”
And that is just one of the many reasons why Elizabeth is a totally awesome person.
For more on Pride & Prejudice, go to Opening With…
For more on Elizabeth, go to First Impressions
For more on revenge, go to All I Know About Trilogies is That in the Third One, All Bet are Off
For more of my favorite quotes, go to The Little Moreland
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