Mr. Wickham In Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

On the other hand, Mr. Wickham’s nature is originally perceived favorable. His good looks and manners attribute to determining that he is a man of a good nature (Kaplan). Also, there seems to be a prejudice in the novel that all officers are “agreeable” men (Austen 77). However, Mr. Wickham is said to be “[…] far beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk […]” (Austen 77), suggesting Mr. Wickham’s good nature is determined by his behavior surpassing the other officers.
Furthermore, Mr. Wickham’s nurture has given him the ability to hide his true nature. Mr. Wickham himself admits in a conversation with Elizabeth that his nurture was not so different from Mr. Darcy’s when he said: “‘We were born in the same Parrish, within the same park, the greatest part of our youth was passed together; inmates of the same house, sharing the same amusements, objects of the same parental care’” (Austen 81-2). This implies that his

Wickham’s sense of entitlement should not be ignored. In Mr. Wickham’s conversation with Elizabeth he asserts a property was promised to him by Mr. Darcy’s father, however Mr. Wickham is unable to provide proper documentation of this promise, and Mr. Darcy states that he had “[...] forfeited all claim to it by extravagance, imprudence, in short anything or nothing” (Austen 80). Actually, Mr. Darcy’s words should be considered a warning towards Mr. Wickham’s ill-nature. However, Mr. Wickham is capable of weaseling his way around and making it a matter of Mr. Darcy’s pride rather than acknowledging that Mr. Darcy owes him nothing. He even dares to speak ill of Georgiana after his