Pride and Vanity in Jane Austen's Pride and PrejudiceVanity and pride are different things, although the words are often used synonymously. A person can be proud without being vain. Pride has more to do with our opinion of ourselves, vanity has to do with what we would like others to think of us. In her novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen points out that too much pride or vanity is indeed a failure. Pride, Mary observed, . . . is a very common failure, I believe. From everything I have read, I am convinced that it is indeed very common, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that very few of us do not harbor a sense of self-satisfaction at the regard to certain problems. quality or other, real or imaginary. Pride and/or vanity are expressed in different forms by each character. The characters who know how to recognize their faults become the true heroes of the story. In many of the novel's minor characters, pride is a common characteristic. Mrs. Bennet, for example, is extremely proud when it comes to her daughters' marriages to mercenary advantage. She is so worried that her neighbors think highly of her that her own vanity does not allow her to even think about her daughter's love and happiness. The case of Elizabeth Bennet's proposed marriage to the esteemed Mr. Collins, a man she did not love, is the best example. Mrs. Bennet was so upset when her daughter refused Mr. Collins' offer that she did not want to speak to him for passing up such an opportunity. We can see an example of pride in imaginative qualities in Mary Bennet who was herself the speaker of this passage. Much to the embarrassment of her family, Mary took every possible opportunity to put on a show whenever she was in public... middle of paper... it's a flaw in their respective characters. Darcy realizes that he must control his pride in order to be seen in a good light by others. Elizabeth, the object of his affections, is so repelled by his pride that a hint of vanity allows him to change himself for her. Elizabeth, observing Darcy's transformations, realizes that she too has been guilty of too much pride. She sees that she was indeed prejudiced and that she must accept her family's failures. Darcy and Elizabeth are able to overcome their pride, allowing them to live happily ever after. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and prejudice. 1813. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton and Co., 1993. Johnson, Claudia L. “Pride and Prejudice and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Pride and prejudice. By Jane Austen. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton and Co., 1993. pp.. 367-376.