Longbourn

In this section, another parallel between the servantry and the genteel world occurs when Sarah and James sleep together on the night of Mr. Collins’s wedding to Charlotte Lucas, both couples enjoying a new type of commitment. Being in love is transformative for Sarah; being with James eases the burdens of work and makes her feel anew in her own body, like it is a vessel for pleasure as well as labor, highlighting the intersection of Personal Happiness and the Satisfaction of Work. While marriage for those of Charlotte’s class is often transactional in nature—the woman exchanging her affection for economic security—which highlights the theme of The Attraction of Marriage, Sarah and James enjoy what each of the Bennet sisters wants—romantic, passionate love.

Sarah and James’s idyll is contrasted by Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Darcy’s suit: The subject of their discussion is not mentioned in Longbourn, but it is alluded to when Elizabeth wonders why Darcy pays such close attention to her and then visits her alone the next day, leaving abruptly after being rejected. Mr. Darcy, who is a focus of Austen’s novel, is a force that makes Sarah invisible, exaggerating the suggestion that domestic labor is often unacknowledged and undervalued, particularly by the most elite in society, like Mr. Darcy, who is among the wealthiest characters and the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Collins’s patroness. The servants are often invisible, highlighting the theme of Class Hierarchies and Visibility, like Sarah opening the door for Mr. Darcy or closing the gate behind him after a defining moment for him—he doesn’t even notice her then. Additionally, Sarah is brought to Kent precisely because Charlotte will need extra staff to see to her guests, and Mrs. Gardiner does not wash her own baby’s dirty diapers. Lydia’s flippant remark on Sarah’s return is further proof that, to the Bennets, she is valued for her household utility. Only to those of her own class is she valued as a person, gratefully returned to James and even Mrs. Hill. Their personal lives or goals simply do not enter the thoughts of those they serve, which is dehumanizing, suggesting that it is easier to enjoy the privilege of paying people for endless labor if they are made one dimensional.

James’s past is strongly foreshadowed in this section, creating suspense and increasing tension, particularly after a period of such happiness between James and Sarah. The officers have been an increasingly ominous presence, in part reflecting the historical reality that England was at war and feared invasion from Napoleon’s armies. However, the hints that officers pose harm to girls also increase in these chapters, offering greater foreshadowing of Mr. Wickham’s intentions with Lydia after he grabs Polly. James feels compelled to protect Polly, but in doing so, he coaxes out Mr. Wickham’s vengeful character, forcing him to leave instead of being exposed as a deserter.

Mr. Wickham’s portrayal adds a deeper and darker dimension to the world of Pride and Prejudice. In Austen’s novel, Mr. Wickham is a feckless liar only interested in his own advancement, as well as a danger to Lydia’s reputation rather than her person. In Longbourn, Mr. Wickham is depicted as a predator, making sexual advances at Polly, who is still a child, and being vindictive toward James. Mr. Wickham reflects on his own place in the world as in-between person right before he deprives James of the security and peace he has found at Longbourn. In a similar fashion, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who, in Austen’s novel, is full of her own importance for no other reason than her class status, here elects herself to a position of judgment and review over the servants. In Pride and Prejudice, she is interested in the details of her parsonage as a house, but in Longbourn, her meticulous review of details includes the servants, making her a more intimidating force. By humanizing the servants in sharing their thoughts and fears, the text demonstrates that to disappoint Lady Catherine would also mean to terminate one’s livelihood. She further demonstrates the pettiness of a person with no other active employment, a consequence of a life of ease and leisure. By contrast, the servants, who have to work for their survival, show more of a tendency to look out for one another. Mrs. Hill is a foil for Mrs. Bennett, the matriarch of her own little domain, looking after her girls, making her attempts to please Charlotte Lucas, who will be the eventual mistress of Longbourn. Mrs. Hill also watches mournfully as James, her son, leaves Longbourn, with no way to keep him safe in the world beyond.