Prejudice and Pride

"But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away where either were concerned. Till this moment, I never knew myself." (Austen 196).

This passage is extremely important to the novel, I believe, because it states one of its most central themes, and also presents a major turning point. Elizabeth is saying that, because of her pride and vanity, she has held prejudices and been too quick to judge. When she first met Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy, she was immediately drawn to one and repelled by the other, but, as we now she, it was for the wrong reasons. Wickham was interested in her and showed her attention; immediately, she liked him and would hear no ill against him, although it was well-placed and correct. Darcy called Elizabeth, overheard by her, "not handsome enough to tempt [him]," insulting her pride and vanity. Therefore she thought of him as rude and unpleasant, and refused to see that he could be a good, kind man, and that he loved her. This theme of "pride and prejudice" is very important to the novel (as is shown by the title) because it reflect and creates the entire plot; all is based upon Elizabeth and Darcy's pride and their prejudice towards one another and others.
This passage also shows a change of heart in Elizabeth that is very important to the novel. She decides here that she was foolish to have held a grudge against Darcy and foolish to have believed Wickham to be so good. She sees now that she has made a grave mistake in something she previously thought herself very adept at: judgement of character. She realizes this, saying "till this moment, I never knew myself."