Money and Wealth

No, Austen was concerned with much more than that. Pride and Prejudice devotes considerable attention to self-discovery. The ancient Greeks so valued self-knowledge that they inscribed the words "Know Thyself" at the entrance to one of their most sacred shrines, the Temple of the oracle at Delphi. At the beginning of the novel, both Elizabeth and Darcy are ignorant of their own shortcomings. Elizabeth readily perceives the faults of others but fails to perceive a serious character flaw in herself: her tendency to prejudge others, notably Darcy. Likewise, Darcy quickly recognizes the deficiencies of the people he meets but overlooks a considerable defect in himself: great pride. As the novel progresses, however, Elizabeth and Darcy begin to discover their own imperfections and eventually acknowledge and apologize for them. Knowing themselves, they realize, enables them to root out the pride and prejudice that has stood between them and then prepare the way for their life together.