Getting the Whole Truth in Pride and Prejudice

Tara Ghoshal Wallace’s article mainly discusses the many inconsistencies that are present throughout Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. First, Wallace gives one specific example found in a dialogue where Mrs. Bennet made a remark and every body was surprised; however, Austen gives no reason or cause for the other characters’ shock and leaves the audience wondering why exactly that comment was made. Wallace’s next example is more of a plot inconsistency where she points out how the Gardiners had many children, revealed when Elizabeth visits them at their home, but do not bring their children when they go to the family Christmas celebration at Longbourn. Wallace states that this is a major theme throughout Pride and Prejudice, when the characters’ dialogue or actions does not match the image that Austen has drawn up for them. However, Wallace mentions that even Austen writes in her novel about “‘the inconsistency of all human characters’” and that people will inherently contradict themselves. On the other hand, despite all of these apparent contradictions, Wallace still believes that Austen was “too meticulous a reviser to have overlooked unwittingly even so small a point” and that, therefore, these inconsistencies are meant to enhance Austen’s statement on “truths” not always holding true in every circumstance. Wallace then goes on to say that Darcy is ultimately the character who installs order within the chaotic world of the other characters once they realize that there are no universal truths that they can live by.  Overall, Wallace does point out a few contradictions within the novel but still manages to show the audience different ways to appreciate the intricate work that Austen created.