If Elizabeth had told her family about Mr. Wickham’s misdeeds, Pride and Prejudice would be a very different story.

        When Elizabeth received the letter that Mr. Darcy wrote explaining the situation with Mr. Wickham and his younger sister nearly eloping, Elizabeth decides to keep the information to herself. Mr. Darcy told her this information in confidence and she did not feel that it was important enough to share with her family. What she failed to realize was that Lydia is in love with the red coats, and Mr. Wickham is indeed a red coat. So, when Mr. Wickham offers to elope with Lydia, Lydia immediately agrees, excited that she will get to sign her name as Lydia Wickham (362).

        Had Elizabeth told Lydia what kind of horrible man Mr. Wickham was, Lydia likely would not have ran off with Mr. Wickham and become a woman considered impure to society. This is made clear by Elizabeth’s thoughts, when she thinks about how she “did not suppose Lydia to be deliberately engaging in an elopement, without the intention of marriage” (346). She regrets not telling Lydia sooner, saying, “When my eyes were opened to his real character. Oh! Had I known what I ought, what I dared, to do! But I knew not – I was afraid of doing too much. Wretched, wretched, mistake!” (345). However, if Lydia had not ran off, Mr. Darcy would have never gotten the chance to show Elizabeth how good a man he really was by paying for Lydia’s dowry (396). By paying for the dowry, he saved the reputation of the Bennet family and improved how liked he was by Elizabeth. While Elizabeth should have warned Lydia of Mr. Wickham’s past transgressions, her decision not to warn her caused a chain of events that insured her own marital satisfaction.

It is unclear whether Lydia would have been better off knowing about Mr. Wickham's misdeeds before their marriage. They do have a mutual desire for the finer things in life and are likely to exceed their income, but Lydia is a very happy newlywed and Mr. Wickham has his dowry. In addition, Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage makes it more socially acceptable for Lydia and Mr. Wickham to continue seeking financial support from Darcy. Lydia even writes to Elizabeth that “it is a great comfort to have you so rich,” and then asks if Elizabeth has money to spare for her (479-480). The Wickhams also rely very heavily on the Bingleys (480). Maybe, with so much support, the Wickhams will be able to find a way to be happy after all.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London, England, Macmillan, 2006.