First Impressions in Pride and PrejudiceFirst impressions are very important in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. As the story develops, we discover how the prejudices and first impressions of each of the main characters change. The main focus is on the character of Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth's judgments of other characters' dispositions are accurate about half the time. Although she is right about Mr. Collins and how absurdly selfish he is and Lady Catherine de Bourgh and how proud and snobbish she is, her first impressions of Wickham and Darcy misguide her. At first everyone thinks Wickham is a gentleman. His good looks and easy manner fool almost everyone, and Elizabeth undoubtedly believes everything he tells her about Darcy. Elizabeth's first impressions of him are contradicted when she realizes that he lied about Darcy. Elizabeth and many of the other characters see... in the center of the paper... her proudly married daughters, and Elizabeth is said to be proud of Darcy for what he had done for Lydia. First impressions of many other characters beyond those discussed here can be discussed, and prejudice is illustrated not only in Elizabeth's behavior, but also in Darcy and Lady Catherine's reactions to the status of Elizabeth's family. Work Cited: Austen, Jane. Pride and prejudice. 1813. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton and Co., 1993.