At last, we are privy to the spectacle of a marriage proposal - an analytic transaction, methodically performed with no semblance of romantic fervour. This unusual proposition, extended by the boorish Mr. Collins to our beloved Elizabeth Bennet, is an exercise in awkward formality rather than a heartfelt expression of love. Of the several reasons Mr. Collins gives that Elizabeth should accept him, exactly none have to do with actually making Elizabeth herself happy. Disquieted yet determined, she faces her suitor with a strength which admirably exhibits her independent spirit even as it secures her refusal.
In Chapter 20, the reverberations of Elizabeth's refusal continue to echo through the din of domestic life at Longbourn. The unwelcome prospect of matrimonial risk passed over to Mrs. Bennet, whose zealous pursuit of a beneficial match finds no receptive audience in either her unwilling daughter or her indifferent husband.
