Eyes, Intimacy, Clarity: The Imagery of Vision in 'Pride and Prejudice' Anonymous College

Throughout the interactions between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, Austen uses eye contact as a symbol for the literal blindness each has for the other regarding their true situation. This blindness regarding situational reality reflects a deeper blind spot of each character’s own behavior. While Mr. Darcy is blind to his tendency to come off as prideful, he does so because of his quick temper to judge without knowing all the facts of the matter. Mr. Darcy’s entire perception of strangers is tainted due to this flaw. Similarly, Elizabeth is blind to how her unwavering confidence in judging people’s characters on first impressions prevents her from seeking the full truth of circumstances. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth receive a figurative pair of glasses when their own vision is swapped for the other’s knowledge about reality.

Physical eye contact is a launchpad into an emotional connection that instigates an actionable means to pursue the relationship. It is not certain where the phrase “window to the soul” about a person’s eyes originated. Still, it is certain that whether it was The Bible, Leonardo da Vinci, or Shakespeare who first coined the concept, Jane Austen was aware of a potent truth in the saying and...