Drawing from Pride and Prejudice (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Lately I have been thinking about laughter and its importance in marriage, friendship and life. My 88-year-old mother-in-law, Doreen, got me started down this path. Her son—my husband, Peter—and I visited her recently in her new home. She had only moved in a few days previously and was settling nicely. This particular morning, however, an unpleasant bout of GI trouble left her looking a bit peaked and weary. Her jolly, sparky self had sunk.
Our efforts to cheer her failed, until she asked about her medications, saying she couldn’t remember which pills she was taking. I explained that she took pills to regulate her heart and kidneys. We all ruminated for a minute until Peter said, “You know, most of your pills are designed to improve your personality.” She gasped and guffawed at this monstrous statement and was just catching her breath when he added, “We’re thinking of upping the dose.” We all had a good chuckle at his silliness.
A visit that began with worry about Mum’s happiness and health ended in a flood of affection sparked by laughter. Her good humor was restored and the next day she told us her personality pills had helped. “I’m thriving,” she said, a huge grin on her sweet face.
They say laughter is the best medicine, and so it proved during our visit with Mum: we all felt happy after a good belly laugh. What about Mr. Darcy? Is he capable of a belly laugh? Does he find anything funny?
Opposites Attract
They say opposites attract, and so it’s easy to see why Darcy is attracted to Elizabeth Bennett: she dearly loves a laugh and finds follies, nonsense, whims and inconsistencies quite diverting. Moreover, she is vivacious and self-confident—two qualities that likely appeal to Darcy’s more reserved and serious nature. He quickly finds himself bewitched by her fine eyes and lively mind.
What about Elizabeth? What is the attraction on her side? When she first meets Darcy at the Meryton assembly, she observes his fine person, admires his handsome features and noble mien, and learns of his income of £10,000 per year, but doesn’t think much of his manners after he declines to dance with her. Soon after, when she attends her sick sister, Jane, at Netherfield, she knows enough of his character to guess how to torment him: “Tease him–laugh at him. Intimate as you are,” she tells Miss Bingley, “you must know how it is to be done.”
Compared with the dashing Wickham, Elizabeth finds Darcy “very disagreeable” and considers him “an ill-tempered man.” By her reckoning, he despises his fellow-creatures and “his disposition must be dreadful.” In short, she is prepared to believe the worst of Darcy, particularly when she learns of his supposed slights against Wickham. She believes she sees Darcy clearly: he is arrogant, conceited and shows a selfish disdain for the feelings of others. Well!
Discovering Affection and Love
How does Elizabeth move from feelings of disgust to affection and love? It begins first with her being honest with herself after she receives Darcy’s letter, when the faults in her understanding of both Wickham and Darcy become clear. Next she sees a different side of Darcy when she visits his estate, Pemberley, in the company of her uncle and aunt Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. At Pemberley she learns of his good nature from his housekeeper and realizes how much the well-being of his staff and tenants and the villagers depends upon his generosity and compassion. After she learns of his role in arranging the marriage of her youngest sister, Lydia, to Wickham, she perceives his many fine qualities.
But does Darcy have a sense of humor? If he does, Jane Austen does not allow him to show it. I cannot imagine him telling a joke or making an outrageous comment or teasing a friend. It’s not possible! I believe he is far too serious and reserved to have an easily tickled funny bone. Fortunately, Elizabeth sees him in another light. After she becomes engaged to Darcy, she realizes that he has not yet learned to be teased, but she believes him capable of learning how to. Perhaps that is all that matters.