Consider Mr. Wickham's function in the novel. What is the source of Elizabeth's attraction to in Mr. Wickham? What role does he play in her attraction to Mr. Darcy?
From the very first time she is introduced to Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth is drawn to him because of his good looks and undeniable charm. Before Elizabeth leaves for Hunsford the novel even states that "whether married or single, he (Wickham) must always be her model of the amiable and pleasing" (152) However, as the novel progresses she becomes more aware that her first impression of Wickham is not correct. Once she reaches Hunsford where her aunt calls her attention to the fact that Mr. Wickham had shown interest in Miss King as well, but only after she inherited her grandfather's money. Elizabeth then states, "If it were not allowable for him to gain my affections, because I had no money, what occasion could there be for making love to a girl whom he did not care about, and who was equally poor?" (153) Wickham also begins to talk in disgust of Mr. Darcy, stating that he made sure that Wickham did not recieve an inheritance he was after. In the beginning it seems like Elizabeth really believes what Wickham is saying, but her opinion begins to transform when she is slipped a letter from Darcy explaining the truth. We would presume that Wickham's bad talking about Darcy would pull Darcy and Elizabeth further apart, but it infact begins to bring them back together. Darcy lets Elizabeth know in his letter that Wickham had only been after money - and that is why he would not allow his sister and Wickham to marry. "He recommended himself to Georgiana, whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of his kindness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself in love, and to consent to an elopement." (199) If they married, the inheritance would be Wickhams. In the end, Elizabeth sees Wickham's true colors and realizes that Darcy did not really do the things that she had accused him of and it brings them closer to each other.
Mr. Wickham...what a charming, strong, handsome man he is...
Elizabeth Benett is of course initially attracted to this military man from the moment she saw him. At first it was George's good looks of course that she noticed. Later, when she experienced his graceful charm, she thought she'd be hooked forever. (not to mention, her parents would love him!) Then, the situation turned into a sort of 'tattle taling' case. Many things are said about Mr. George Wickham's "true" nature including the statement that, "Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his MAKING friends--whether he may be equally capable of RETAINING them, is less certain." The role that Wickham plays in Elizabeth's attraction to Darcy is when he too tries to pull Elizabeth away from him. The whole situation turns into a sort of he-said, she-said ordeal. Both, Wickham and Darcy have things to say about the other which leaves Elizabeth stranded in the middle. As the situation continues, Elizabeth receives a letter from Darcy which includes a description of certain qualities that Mr. Wickham possesses. Once the truth comes out Elizabeth is further attracted to Mr. Darcy for his honesty and care. So, because of Wickham's sneaky and untrue ways, Darcy and Jane were brought closer together.
Elizabeth is initially captivated by Mr. Wickham's charm, his eloquent manners and countenance. She grows fond of his appearance, but does not learn of his real character until after Mr. Darcy's letter. Even after Darcy's collective information, Elizabeth still finds herself doubtful of all that Wickham could have done. However, the more she reads into it, the more she agrees of Wickham's guiltiness and disproves of her own prejudice in the matter. She tells Jane, "One [Darcy] has got all the goodness, and the other[Wickham] all the appearance of it" (217). When back at her home and reunited with the officers of Meryton, she sees Wickham for the last time before he is to be reassigned elsewhere. Upon there meeting, Elizabeth is once more assured of the earnestness of Mr. Darcy by Wickham's blushes and apprehensive looks. After their talk, "they parted at last with mutual civility, and possibly a mutual desire never to see each other again" (226).
Wickham plays a role in influencing Elizabeth's likeness for Darcy. After learning of Wickham's deceit, she feels more obliged to almost respect Mr. Darcy. Then upon the unexpected meeting between Darcy at Elizabeth at Pemberley, Elizabeth is extremely impressed by Mr. Darcy's change of civility.Even though already stated in previous comments, Wickham's digrace led to Darcy's approval.
Okay so what normal young woman wouldn't be attracted to the young Mr. Wickham. His good looks, charm, and wit are certainly draw attention to him. I guess you could say that he's just one of those guys who has that sort of charisma about him that everyone likes until they know and understand the real him. Elizabeth of course is attracted to him at first, but when she recieves word from Darcy how he is basically only after money, she says "If it were not allowable for him to gain my affections, because I had no money, what occasion could there be for making love to a girl whom he did not care about, and who was equally poor?" Sillly little Elizabeth. She is very naiive, but luckily Darcy brings to her attention his financial 'wants.' This then drains Elizabeth's affection away from Wickham and brings her closer to Darcy because of his undeniable honesty and sincerity towards her. What a good, devoted man! =)
Elizabeth is a young teenage girl, and if you have ever been to or seen a N’sync concert, you would know why she is so easily attracted to him. He is charming, witty, and extremely handsome. In other words, he is pretty much the ultimate boy band member. As soon as she meets him, she becomes attracted to him and wants to learn more about him. However, "mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends— whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain" (Ch. 18). Therefore, her friendship with him did not last too long. Mr. Wickham played a vital role in Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr. Darcy because Elizabeth bases her whole point of view on Darcy off of what she hears from Wickham. However, after comfronting Mr. Darcy about it, Elizabeth learns the truth about Mr. Darcy’s past. It turns out Wickham was the one decieving her the whole time, not Mr. Darcy. Not until after learning the truth and accepting that she was wrong, is she able to view Mr. Darcy in a different way. A way she would have never thought possible. She begins to fall for him, and that my friends is when the “happily ever after” takes place. So bottom line is: in a strange twist of events, Mr. Wickham actually plays a vital role in bringing Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth together. Without going through that hard time, I do not believe Elizabeth would have grown as close as she did to Mr. Darcy.
Thank you, Mr. Wickham for being a deceitful liar. : )
The only source of Elizabeth’s attraction to Mr. Wickham is his physical appearance and his charm. However, as the novel progresses, Elizabeth realizes that his physical appearance and charm cannot make up for his other character flaws. The lies Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth about the relationship between him and Darcy, meant to bring Elizabeth closer to him, instead pulls them apart. When Elizabeth finally realizes who the honest man is she tells Jane, "One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it" (217). She realizes that things aren’t always what they seem, and that the man who appears to be such a gentleman is actually the exact opposite.
It is not very obvious at first, Mr. Wickham plays a very important role in the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Although Mr. Wickham initially pulls Elizabeth away from Mr. Darcy, in the end it is him who brings the couple together. Because of the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham both men try to win her over by telling them their sides of the story. At first Elizabeth believes that Mr. Wickham would not lie to her, but after awhile she realizes that Mr. Darcy is actually the one telling the truth. This shows that good looks and charm do not erase a bad character.
When considering Mr. Wickham's function in the novel, it is apparent that he is a test in the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth finds Mr. Wickham enticing on a physical level, fueling her interest for him.
In her relationship to Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham acts almost as a test. Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy cut Wickham out of an inheritance that was rightfully his. This story, Elizabeth later finds out from Darcy, is not true. The true story comes out when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and she quickly refuses. In his letter to her, he admits that the true story is that Mr. Wickham attempted to run away and marry Darcy younger sister.
When Mr. Darcy admits these facts to Elizabeth, she takes a step back and is able to reconsider her feelings for him. This is the 'making' rather than 'breaking' point in their relationship, all because of Mr. Wickham's lie.
I agree with what Molly said I think Mr. Wickham is used as a test in their relationship. Elizabeth is instantly drawn to him because of his charm and looks and at dinner he is the center of attention. Elizabeth and him just have a conversation amongst themselves. He told her about himself and when she was on her way home she couldn’t think of anything “but Mr. Wickham, and what he had told her, all the way home.” She believed everything he had told her and even after Jane stuck up for Darcy and Miss Bingley warned her she still believed him. Talk about one of those dumb girls. She started believing however, after Darcy slipped her the letter. In the end Wickham actually brings them closer together.Wickham goes for another woman because she is rich and this makes Elizabeth realize that Darcy doesnt need any money, he likes her for HER>
When we are first graced with Mr. Wickham's prescence, there seemed to be no way that we couldn't like him.
"His appearance was greatly in his favor; he had all the best parts of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address." (p. 73 ch15)
Why shouldn't Elizabeth be attracted to Mr. Wickham? As she talks to him for the first time, she learns that him and Mr. Darcy aren't on good terms. Despite her undeniable attracted to Mr. Darcy, she was glad to talk to somebody who didn't like Mr. Darcy either. It was like Elizabeth's and Mr. Wickham's time for bonding.
She gets confused, however, when she talks to Darcy later and hears his side of the story and wonders who to believe. When she leaves Hunsford, she gets her answer when her absence causes Mr. Wickham to turn to someone else.
However, it wasn't her being gone that made Mr. Wickham wonder, it was money. Elizabeth was able to distinguish between the two stories of Darcy and Wickham and realized that Darcy was being truthful. Elizabeth was turned off to Wickham, causing her and Darcy to get closer.
Mr. Wickham gives a good first impression. Elizabeth is immediately attracted to Mr. Wickham because of his looks and charm. He has this “agreeable manner in which he [can] immediately [fall] into conversation” (57). Because of this superficial appeal Elizabeth believes Mr. Wickham’s story of Mr. Darcy not giving Mr. Wickham the inheritance. Elizabeth is disgusted by Mr. Darcy and thinks that Mr. Wickham will “suffer all his life” because of Mr. Darcy’s actions (70). It is not until later that Elizabeth finds out the truth with a letter from Mr. Darcy. With this letter Elizabeth finds out that first impression aren’t always right. Through Mr. Wickham Elizabeth finds that Mr. Darcy holds many characteristics of a respectable man such as sincerity and compassion.
I think that Mr. Wickham plays the part of a deversion in the novel. If the only romantic lead in the novel was Darcy, the novel would be pretty straightforward and boring. We pretty much know that Elizabeth and Darcy are going to end up together, but Mr. Wickham's presence throws a wrench into things.
At first it seems as though Mr. Wickham is the opposite of Darcy: amiable, intelligent, kind and of course, handsome. He is described as being " the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker" (Chapter 16). He is charming and this is why Elizabeth's first impression of him is a good one.
Not only is he sort of a blocking figure, later on he also drives the conflict of the novel by running off with Lydia. This provides Darcy with an opportunity to play the good guy and win Elizabeth's love.
When considering Mr. Wickham's function in the novel, it is apparent that he is a test in the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth finds Mr. Wickham enticing on a physical level, fueling her interest for him.
In her relationship to Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham acts almost as a test.
"We are not on friendly terms, and it always gives me pain to meet him, but I have no reason for avoiding him but what I might proclaim to all the world: a sense of very great ill usage and most painful regrets at his being what he is. HIs father, Miss Bennet, the late Mr. Darcy, was one of the best men that ever breated, and the truest friend I ever had; and I can never be in company with this Mr. Darcy without being grieved to the soul by a thousand tender recollections. His behaviour to mself has been scandalous; but I verily believe I could forgive him anything and everything, rather than his disappointint the hopes and disgracing the memory of his father." (59)
Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy cut Wickham out of an inheritance that was rightfully his. This story, Elizabeth later finds out from Darcy, is not true. The true story comes out when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and she quickly refuses. In his letter to her, he admits that the true story is that Mr. Wickham attempted to run away and marry Darcy younger sister.
When Mr. Darcy admits these facts to Elizabeth, she takes a step back and is able to reconsider her feelings for him. This is the 'making' rather than 'breaking' point in their relationship, all because of Mr. Wickham's lie.
Mr. Wickham is a mysterious man. he is with the militia, so he's all buff and strong. To any young girl he is a dream. So when Elizabeth sees him it's no wonder that she is attracted. Even her sisters were trying to get his attention. When Elizabeth talks to him he tells her that Darcy took the money that he was supposed to have and "it was given elsewhere"(80). She already had a bad image of Darcy at this point and all that her talk with Mr. Wickham did was reinforce her view to a new extreme. If it hadn't been for Wickham Darcy and Elizabeth would have settled their differences a lot sooner.
I'm pretty sure that if I were in Elizabeth's situation, I would've done the same thing. I always fall for the good looking, sweet talking, bad boy - who turns out to be a sneaky, deceiving lair. In this case, Mr. Wickham is the good looking, sweet talking man that Elizabeth is initially strongly attracted to. However, Elizabeh finds out through Mr. Darcy that Wickham is interested for reasons other than love and respect.
Elizabeth may not have known it at the time, but Mr. Wickham had a huge part in bringing her and Mr. Darcy's relationship to a whole new level. When Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth the truth about himself and Wickham, Elizabeth slowly gains a new respect for Darcy which eventually brings them closer together. She realizes Wickham is not all he's cracked up to be, and realizes she made a mistake.
All in al: Mr. Wickham's function in the novel = jerk!
14 comments:
From the very first time she is introduced to Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth is drawn to him because of his good looks and undeniable charm. Before Elizabeth leaves for Hunsford the novel even states that "whether married or single, he (Wickham) must always be her model of the amiable and pleasing" (152) However, as the novel progresses she becomes more aware that her first impression of Wickham is not correct. Once she reaches Hunsford where her aunt calls her attention to the fact that Mr. Wickham had shown interest in Miss King as well, but only after she inherited her grandfather's money. Elizabeth then states, "If it were not allowable for him to gain my affections, because I had no money, what occasion could there be for making love to a girl whom he did not care about, and who was equally poor?" (153) Wickham also begins to talk in disgust of Mr. Darcy, stating that he made sure that Wickham did not recieve an inheritance he was after. In the beginning it seems like Elizabeth really believes what Wickham is saying, but her opinion begins to transform when she is slipped a letter from Darcy explaining the truth. We would presume that Wickham's bad talking about Darcy would pull Darcy and Elizabeth further apart, but it infact begins to bring them back together. Darcy lets Elizabeth know in his letter that Wickham had only been after money - and that is why he would not allow his sister and Wickham to marry. "He recommended himself to Georgiana, whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of his kindness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself in love, and to consent to an elopement." (199) If they married, the inheritance would be Wickhams. In the end, Elizabeth sees Wickham's true colors and realizes that Darcy did not really do the things that she had accused him of and it brings them closer to each other.
Mr. Wickham...what a charming, strong, handsome man he is...
Elizabeth Benett is of course initially attracted to this military man from the moment she saw him. At first it was George's good looks of course that she noticed. Later, when she experienced his graceful charm, she thought she'd be hooked forever. (not to mention, her parents would love him!) Then, the situation turned into a sort of 'tattle taling' case. Many things are said about Mr. George Wickham's "true" nature including the statement that, "Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his MAKING friends--whether he may be equally capable of RETAINING them, is less certain." The role that Wickham plays in Elizabeth's attraction to Darcy is when he too tries to pull Elizabeth away from him. The whole situation turns into a sort of he-said, she-said ordeal. Both, Wickham and Darcy have things to say about the other which leaves Elizabeth stranded in the middle. As the situation continues, Elizabeth receives a letter from Darcy which includes a description of certain qualities that Mr. Wickham possesses. Once the truth comes out Elizabeth is further attracted to Mr. Darcy for his honesty and care. So, because of Wickham's sneaky and untrue ways, Darcy and Jane were brought closer together.
job well done George Wickham...
Elizabeth is initially captivated by Mr. Wickham's charm, his eloquent manners and countenance. She grows fond of his appearance, but does not learn of his real character until after Mr. Darcy's letter. Even after Darcy's collective information, Elizabeth still finds herself doubtful of all that Wickham could have done. However, the more she reads into it, the more she agrees of Wickham's guiltiness and disproves of her own prejudice in the matter. She tells Jane, "One [Darcy] has got all the goodness, and the other[Wickham] all the appearance of it" (217). When back at her home and reunited with the officers of Meryton, she sees Wickham for the last time before he is to be reassigned elsewhere. Upon there meeting, Elizabeth is once more assured of the earnestness of Mr. Darcy by Wickham's blushes and apprehensive looks. After their talk, "they parted at last with mutual civility, and possibly a mutual desire never to see each other again" (226).
Wickham plays a role in influencing Elizabeth's likeness for Darcy. After learning of Wickham's deceit, she feels more obliged to almost respect Mr. Darcy. Then upon the unexpected meeting between Darcy at Elizabeth at Pemberley, Elizabeth is extremely impressed by Mr. Darcy's change of civility.Even though already stated in previous comments, Wickham's digrace led to Darcy's approval.
Okay so what normal young woman wouldn't be attracted to the young Mr. Wickham. His good looks, charm, and wit are certainly draw attention to him. I guess you could say that he's just one of those guys who has that sort of charisma about him that everyone likes until they know and understand the real him. Elizabeth of course is attracted to him at first, but when she recieves word from Darcy how he is basically only after money, she says "If it were not allowable for him to gain my affections, because I had no money, what occasion could there be for making love to a girl whom he did not care about, and who was equally poor?" Sillly little Elizabeth. She is very naiive, but luckily Darcy brings to her attention his financial 'wants.' This then drains Elizabeth's affection away from Wickham and brings her closer to Darcy because of his undeniable honesty and sincerity towards her. What a good, devoted man! =)
Elizabeth is a young teenage girl, and if you have ever been to or seen a N’sync concert, you would know why she is so easily attracted to him. He is charming, witty, and extremely handsome. In other words, he is pretty much the ultimate boy band member. As soon as she meets him, she becomes attracted to him and wants to learn more about him. However, "mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends— whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain" (Ch. 18). Therefore, her friendship with him did not last too long.
Mr. Wickham played a vital role in Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr. Darcy because Elizabeth bases her whole point of view on Darcy off of what she hears from Wickham. However, after comfronting Mr. Darcy about it, Elizabeth learns the truth about Mr. Darcy’s past. It turns out Wickham was the one decieving her the whole time, not Mr. Darcy. Not until after learning the truth and accepting that she was wrong, is she able to view Mr. Darcy in a different way. A way she would have never thought possible. She begins to fall for him, and that my friends is when the “happily ever after” takes place. So bottom line is: in a strange twist of events, Mr. Wickham actually plays a vital role in bringing Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth together. Without going through that hard time, I do not believe Elizabeth would have grown as close as she did to Mr. Darcy.
Thank you, Mr. Wickham for being a deceitful liar. : )
The only source of Elizabeth’s attraction to Mr. Wickham is his physical appearance and his charm. However, as the novel progresses, Elizabeth realizes that his physical appearance and charm cannot make up for his other character flaws. The lies Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth about the relationship between him and Darcy, meant to bring Elizabeth closer to him, instead pulls them apart. When Elizabeth finally realizes who the honest man is she tells Jane, "One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it" (217). She realizes that things aren’t always what they seem, and that the man who appears to be such a gentleman is actually the exact opposite.
It is not very obvious at first, Mr. Wickham plays a very important role in the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Although Mr. Wickham initially pulls Elizabeth away from Mr. Darcy, in the end it is him who brings the couple together. Because of the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham both men try to win her over by telling them their sides of the story. At first Elizabeth believes that Mr. Wickham would not lie to her, but after awhile she realizes that Mr. Darcy is actually the one telling the truth. This shows that good looks and charm do not erase a bad character.
When considering Mr. Wickham's function in the novel, it is apparent that he is a test in the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth finds Mr. Wickham enticing on a physical level, fueling her interest for him.
In her relationship to Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham acts almost as a test. Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy cut Wickham out of an inheritance that was rightfully his. This story, Elizabeth later finds out from Darcy, is not true. The true story comes out when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and she quickly refuses. In his letter to her, he admits that the true story is that Mr. Wickham attempted to run away and marry Darcy younger sister.
When Mr. Darcy admits these facts to Elizabeth, she takes a step back and is able to reconsider her feelings for him. This is the 'making' rather than 'breaking' point in their relationship, all because of Mr. Wickham's lie.
I agree with what Molly said I think Mr. Wickham is used as a test in their relationship. Elizabeth is instantly drawn to him because of his charm and looks and at dinner he is the center of attention. Elizabeth and him just have a conversation amongst themselves. He told her about himself and when she was on her way home she couldn’t think of anything “but Mr. Wickham, and what he had told her, all the way home.” She believed everything he had told her and even after Jane stuck up for Darcy and Miss Bingley warned her she still believed him. Talk about one of those dumb girls. She started believing however, after Darcy slipped her the letter. In the end Wickham actually brings them closer together.Wickham goes for another woman because she is rich and this makes Elizabeth realize that Darcy doesnt need any money, he likes her for HER>
When we are first graced with Mr. Wickham's prescence, there seemed to be no way that we couldn't like him.
"His appearance was greatly in his favor; he had all the best parts of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address." (p. 73 ch15)
Why shouldn't Elizabeth be attracted to Mr. Wickham? As she talks to him for the first time, she learns that him and Mr. Darcy aren't on good terms. Despite her undeniable attracted to Mr. Darcy, she was glad to talk to somebody who didn't like Mr. Darcy either. It was like Elizabeth's and Mr. Wickham's time for bonding.
She gets confused, however, when she talks to Darcy later and hears his side of the story and wonders who to believe. When she leaves Hunsford, she gets her answer when her absence causes Mr. Wickham to turn to someone else.
However, it wasn't her being gone that made Mr. Wickham wonder, it was money. Elizabeth was able to distinguish between the two stories of Darcy and Wickham and realized that Darcy was being truthful. Elizabeth was turned off to Wickham, causing her and Darcy to get closer.
Mr. Wickham gives a good first impression. Elizabeth is immediately attracted to Mr. Wickham because of his looks and charm. He has this “agreeable manner in which he [can] immediately [fall] into conversation” (57). Because of this superficial appeal Elizabeth believes Mr. Wickham’s story of Mr. Darcy not giving Mr. Wickham the inheritance. Elizabeth is disgusted by Mr. Darcy and thinks that Mr. Wickham will “suffer all his life” because of Mr. Darcy’s actions (70). It is not until later that Elizabeth finds out the truth with a letter from Mr. Darcy. With this letter Elizabeth finds out that first impression aren’t always right. Through Mr. Wickham Elizabeth finds that Mr. Darcy holds many characteristics of a respectable man such as sincerity and compassion.
I think that Mr. Wickham plays the part of a deversion in the novel. If the only romantic lead in the novel was Darcy, the novel would be pretty straightforward and boring. We pretty much know that Elizabeth and Darcy are going to end up together, but Mr. Wickham's presence throws a wrench into things.
At first it seems as though Mr. Wickham is the opposite of Darcy: amiable, intelligent, kind and of course, handsome. He is described as being " the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker" (Chapter 16). He is charming and this is why Elizabeth's first impression of him is a good one.
Not only is he sort of a blocking figure, later on he also drives the conflict of the novel by running off with Lydia. This provides Darcy with an opportunity to play the good guy and win Elizabeth's love.
I am updating this post to add a quote!
When considering Mr. Wickham's function in the novel, it is apparent that he is a test in the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth finds Mr. Wickham enticing on a physical level, fueling her interest for him.
In her relationship to Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham acts almost as a test.
"We are not on friendly terms, and it always gives me pain to meet him, but I have no reason for avoiding him but what I might proclaim to all the world: a sense of very great ill usage and most painful regrets at his being what he is. HIs father, Miss Bennet, the late Mr. Darcy, was one of the best men that ever breated, and the truest friend I ever had; and I can never be in company with this Mr. Darcy without being grieved to the soul by a thousand tender recollections. His behaviour to mself has been scandalous; but I verily believe I could forgive him anything and everything, rather than his disappointint the hopes and disgracing the memory of his father." (59)
Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy cut Wickham out of an inheritance that was rightfully his. This story, Elizabeth later finds out from Darcy, is not true. The true story comes out when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and she quickly refuses. In his letter to her, he admits that the true story is that Mr. Wickham attempted to run away and marry Darcy younger sister.
When Mr. Darcy admits these facts to Elizabeth, she takes a step back and is able to reconsider her feelings for him. This is the 'making' rather than 'breaking' point in their relationship, all because of Mr. Wickham's lie.
Mr. Wickham is a mysterious man. he is with the militia, so he's all buff and strong. To any young girl he is a dream. So when Elizabeth sees him it's no wonder that she is attracted. Even her sisters were trying to get his attention. When Elizabeth talks to him he tells her that Darcy took the money that he was supposed to have and "it was given elsewhere"(80). She already had a bad image of Darcy at this point and all that her talk with Mr. Wickham did was reinforce her view to a new extreme. If it hadn't been for Wickham Darcy and Elizabeth would have settled their differences a lot sooner.
I'm pretty sure that if I were in Elizabeth's situation, I would've done the same thing. I always fall for the good looking, sweet talking, bad boy - who turns out to be a sneaky, deceiving lair. In this case, Mr. Wickham is the good looking, sweet talking man that Elizabeth is initially strongly attracted to. However, Elizabeh finds out through Mr. Darcy that Wickham is interested for reasons other than love and respect.
Elizabeth may not have known it at the time, but Mr. Wickham had a huge part in bringing her and Mr. Darcy's relationship to a whole new level. When Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth the truth about himself and Wickham, Elizabeth slowly gains a new respect for Darcy which eventually brings them closer together. She realizes Wickham is not all he's cracked up to be, and realizes she made a mistake.
All in al: Mr. Wickham's function in the novel = jerk!
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