Of course he wasn't Wickham! I think he may be worse!
Posted by Peggyn on October 28, 1997 at 17:27:03:
In response to not Wickham, written by Rita on October 28, 1997 at 13:36:59
] Willoughby was not a Wickham! Just Cad and scum in a very superficial sense, used to describe his choice.
] But, his choice was not simple. In an age where professional capacity was not mobile and class played a big role, his choice was limited.
I don't know why Willoughby is considered a better man than Wickham just because he confessed and just because he loved Marianne. So what? If Wickham had encountered his soulmate instead of having to marry Lydia, maybe he would have seen the light and apologized to Darcy as well. Fact is, Willoughby impregnated a girl and left her to fend for herself. I mean, yes, Lydia might have ended up the same way, but in sheer consequences, what Willoughby did was worse than what Wickham did. Yes, Willoughby is complex; if he were just a one-dimensional villian, Austen wouldn't have been a great writer. The truth is, Willoughby didn't deserve Marianne and lost her before he ever met her. If he had never met Marianne, he may never have regretted his actions. If a jewel thief steals a necklace and gets away with it, he'll be ever content. If later on he meets some marvelous girl, discovers that the necklace belonged to the girl's mother and loses the girl as a result, you can be damn sure he'll regret his past actions. If his heart were broken enough, he might even join the police or something like that! But, he still stoled the necklace. And in this case, we're not taking about stones, but a woman's virtue and, possibly, all her hopes and dreams for the future. So, sorry for the long tirade, but I can't see Willoughby as a better person than Wickham. More fun, more passionate, and definitely contrite, but he made his bed long ago.
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.
