In writing, one can express feelings they can never convey aloud. Letters allow
one to reveal their thoughts more personally and intimately than they can in
person. Staring at a blank page of paper is definitely less intimidating than
looking into someone’s eyes. Communication is such an important vitality, and
letter-writing the lacks loss of words, stuttering, awkward silences, and
uneasiness that conversations can sometimes carry. In the novel Pride and
Prejudice, letter-writing is almost as much a form of communication as
face-to-face conversation. In fact, letters provide some of the most intense and
important climaxes in the story, not to mention some of the most intense
secrets. This method that Austen uses effectively conveys the situation without
any interruption or delay. The most obvious example of a letter revealing
intimate feelings is Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth. After Lizzy accuses Darcy of
being greedy and lying, he leaves immediately without justifying his actions. In
the letter he writes her after their meeting, he explains, “You may possibly
wonder why all this was not told you last night. But I was not then the master
enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed.” (pg. 137-138)
Even though Darcy’s character is very stubborn and intolerant, he was
threatened by her forceful nature, he felt as if he couldn’t confide in her.
Perhaps he is intimidated more by his feelings towards her because he has never
been so infatuated with a woman before. Nonetheless, his letter makes Elizabeth
realize the prejudice that lies in herself, as well as her love for Darcy. Jane
Bennet, Elizabeth’s older sister, expresses her feelings the most through her
letters to her sister. The ongoing relationship with she and Bingley often
brought grief to her, which she would write about to Elizabeth. After Bingley
failed to visit Jane in London, she wrote to Lizzy, “…if he (Bingley) had at
all cared about me, we must have met long, long ago… I cannot understand it.
If I were not afraid of judging harshly I should be almost tempted to say, that
there is a strong appearance of duplicity in all this.” (pg. 102) Through this
letter, and many others Jane wrote to her sister, she reveals her feelings of
betrayal, depression, and weakness. The only character who brings comic relief
through his letters is Mr. Collins. Even in his writing his pompous, egotistic
attitude is visible. The letters he wrote to the Bennet’s provided a way for
Mr. Collins to not only gloat about his relationship with Lady Catherine de
Bourgh, but also to condescendingly rehash the Bennet family troubles without
receiving a reaction. In his first letter to Mr. Bennet, he writes, “…I have
been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right
Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh…whose bounty and beneficence has preferred
me to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be by earnest endeavor
to demean myself with grateful respect towards her Ladyship…” (pg. 42) After
the news is said of Lydia’s running away with Wickham, Mr. Collins writes Mr.
Bennet another letter, stating, “the death of your daughter would have been a
blessing in comparison of this.” (pg. 198) And, in yet another letter, he
writes, “I am truly rejoiced that my cousin Lydia’s sad business has been so
well hushed up, and am only concerned that their living together before the
marriage took place, should be so generally known. I must not,
however,…refrain from declaring my amazement, at hearing that you received the
young couple into your house as soon as they were married.” (pg. 244) It is
obvious that Mr. Collins uses his letters as a way to ridicule the Bennet family
for their imperfections and place his station in the hierarchy of society well
above theirs. Letters are not only used throughout the novel to convey feeling,
but to also provide important developments. The first we hear of Lydia Bennet
running away with Mr. Wickham is through a letter from Jane explaining to
Elizabeth, “An express came at twelve last night…from Colonel Forster, to
inform us that she (Lydia) was gone off to Scotland with one of his officers; to
own the truth, with Wickham!” (pg. 182) This occurrence is a great surprise
because not only is Lydia less than sixteen years old, but Wickham was, at one
time, pursuing Elizabeth. The news is one of the most scandalous events in the
novel, and by presenting it through a letter, Austen can more blatantly present
it without any distraction or interruption. Throughout the novel Pride and
Prejudice, letters are effectively used for a variety of purposes. Not only do
they reveal secrets and lies, but they also give a more in-depth insight to
certain characters. Every time a letter is written, the reader can expect to be
intrigued by what they learn from it. This clever form of narration that Austen
uses brings out the readers curiosity and makes the story more interesting
overall.