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Lizzy's lack of courage   Written by Cheryl (5/16/2010 10:47 p.m.)
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Bingley and Darcy have just arrived at Longbourn for the first time and Jane and Elizabeth are all aflutter when we get this line:


"But Elizabeth had sources of uneasiness which could not be suspected by Jane, to whom she had never yet had courage to shew Mrs. Gardiner's letter, or to relate her own change of sentiment towards him."(ch. 53)

That phrase "she had never yet had courage" stood out to me this time. I wonder why? I can well understand why she didn't show Jane Darcy's letter - the stuff in there about her and Bingley would have been too painful, but she did tell Jane about the proposal and the info about Wickham. Why wouldn't Lizzy have told Jane about her "change of sentiment" toward Darcy? After Lydia's elopement, she believed that there was no hope of a future for them, but to not tell her sister, the person closest to her - it puzzles me. And because she didn't tell her about Darcy, she couldn't show Jane her aunt's letter, so Jane doesn't know anything about how Lydia was rescued. It just seems to me that Elizabeth is holding on to a lot of unnecessary secrets when she get some comfort and perhaps ease her burden by sharing them with Jane.

Why do you think Elizabeth kept all this to herself? Would sharing it give her more pain than it would comfort?


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