Georgiana Darcy
Georgiana Darcy is the younger sister of Fitzwilliam Darcy, a figure whose quiet presence and hidden history exert a powerful influence on the novel's central conflicts. Though she appears in person only late in the story, her near-elopement with George Wickham is a pivotal secret that shapes Darcy's conduct, fuels Wickham's villainy, and ultimately becomes a measure of Elizabeth Bennet's changing understanding of both men. Georgiana's own character—shy, gentle, and deeply attached to her brother—provides a counterpoint to Elizabeth's liveliness, and her eventual acceptance of Elizabeth as a sister marks the completion of the novel's central union.
Identity and Background
Georgiana Darcy is more than ten years younger than her brother Fitzwilliam Darcy, and was left to the joint guardianship of Darcy and their cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam after their father's death. She is described as tall, on a larger scale than Elizabeth, and though little more than sixteen when she first appears in the story, her figure is formed and her appearance womanly and graceful. She is less handsome than her brother, but there is sense and good humour in her face, and her manners are perfectly unassuming and gentle. She is highly accomplished, playing and singing all day long, and a new instrument has been sent to Pemberley for her as a present from her brother. Her education has been superintended by a lady who lives with her in London, and she is under the constant, affectionate care of Darcy, who is a very kind and careful guardian.
The Ramsgate Crisis and Its Aftermath
The most dramatic event in Georgiana's life occurs before the novel's main action. About a year before the story opens, she was taken from school and an establishment formed for her in London. The following summer, she went with the lady who presided over it, Mrs. Younge, to Ramsgate. There, George Wickham—who had been a childhood companion and was the godson of the late Mr. Darcy—followed her, undoubtedly by design. Mrs. Younge, whose character had been unhappily misjudged, was in prior acquaintance with Wickham and aided his scheme. Through her connivance, Wickham so far recommended himself to Georgiana, whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of his kindness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself in love and to consent to an elopement. She was then only fifteen. Darcy, however, joined them unexpectedly a day or two before the intended elopement, and Georgiana, unable to support the idea of grieving and offending a brother whom she almost looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to him. Darcy immediately wrote to Wickham, who left the place, and Mrs. Younge was removed from her charge. Wickham's chief object was Georgiana's fortune of thirty thousand pounds, though Darcy also believed that the hope of revenging himself on Darcy was a strong inducement. This event is the foundation of the deep enmity between Darcy and Wickham, and it is the secret that Darcy reveals in his letter to Elizabeth to vindicate himself.
Character and Temperament
Georgiana is characterized above all by extreme shyness, which is often mistaken for pride by those who do not know her. When Elizabeth first meets her at Lambton, she finds that Georgiana is at least as much embarrassed as Elizabeth herself, and it is difficult to obtain even a word from her beyond a monosyllable. Elizabeth, who had expected to find in her as acute and unembarrassed an observer as Darcy himself, is much relieved by discerning such different feelings. Georgiana's shyness is evident in her difficulty in joining conversations, and she looks as if she wishes for courage enough to participate. Her brother's recommendation is enough to ensure her favour; his judgment cannot err, and he has spoken in such terms of Elizabeth as to leave Georgiana without the power of finding her otherwise than lovely and amiable. This deep trust in her brother's judgment is a defining trait, and it is her affection for him that ultimately prevented the elopement.
Relationship with Fitzwilliam Darcy
Darcy's relationship with his sister is one of the most consistently positive aspects of his character. He is described as having brotherly pride, which, with some brotherly affection, makes him a very kind and careful guardian. The housekeeper at Pemberley, Mrs. Reynolds, testifies that whatever can give his sister any pleasure is sure to be done in a moment, and that there is nothing he would not do for her. A sitting-room at Pemberley has been lately fitted up with greater elegance and lightness than the apartments below, just done to give pleasure to Georgiana, who had taken a liking to the room when last at Pemberley. Darcy speaks of her with affectionate praise, and when he introduces her to Elizabeth, he is anxious for his sister and Elizabeth to get acquainted, forwarding as much as possible every attempt at conversation on either side. Georgiana, for her part, looks up to her brother almost as a father, and her respect for him almost overcomes her affection, though she loves him deeply.
Relationship with Elizabeth Bennet
Georgiana's relationship with Elizabeth evolves from a formal introduction to a genuine sisterly bond. Darcy's wish to introduce his sister to Elizabeth is a compliment of the highest kind, and the introduction itself is formidable for both young women. However, Elizabeth soon perceives that Georgiana is only exceedingly shy, and the two begin to form a connection. After Elizabeth's marriage to Darcy, Pemberley becomes Georgiana's home, and the attachment of the sisters is exactly what Darcy had hoped to see. They are able to love each other even as well as they intended. Georgiana has the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth, though at first she often listens with an astonishment bordering on alarm at Elizabeth's lively, sportive manner of talking to her brother. By Elizabeth's instructions, Georgiana begins to comprehend that a woman may take liberties with her husband which a brother will not always allow in a sister more than ten years younger than himself. This education in the dynamics of married intimacy marks Georgiana's own growth and her full acceptance into the new family order.
Thematic Significance
Georgiana Darcy serves as a crucial narrative device and a thematic counterpoint. Her near-elopement with Wickham is the hidden truth that, once revealed, completely overturns Elizabeth's understanding of both Darcy and Wickham, catalyzing her moral and emotional growth. Georgiana's character also embodies the theme of reputation and vulnerability: a young woman of fortune and high birth, she is nearly ruined by a charming villain, saved only by her brother's vigilance and her own last-minute confession. Her shyness, contrasted with Elizabeth's vivacity, and her eventual warm sisterhood with Elizabeth, symbolize the harmonious blending of Darcy's world of Pemberley with Elizabeth's world of intelligence and feeling. In the end, Georgiana is not merely a plot device but a fully realized young woman who, under Elizabeth's influence, begins to find her own voice and place within the family.
