Pride and Prejudice Chapter 58 Summary

Summary

Mr. Bingley returns to Longbourn and brings Mr. Darcy with him; the two gentlemen arrive early and propose a walk, which quickly separates them into smaller groups. Mrs. Bennet and Mary do not join the walk, while Bingley and Jane fall behind together. Elizabeth, Kitty, and Darcy remain to entertain one another; Kitty soon leaves to call at the Lucases’, and Elizabeth takes the opportunity to walk alone with Darcy.

During their long walk Elizabeth thanks Darcy for his efforts in discovering Lydia’s situation and rescuing her sister from scandal. Darcy responds with surprise that Elizabeth learned of his involvement and reveals that Lady Catherine’s visit and report actually encouraged him rather than discouraging him. He then asks Elizabeth directly whether her feelings for him remain what they were the previous April; Elizabeth, after some hesitation and awkwardness, tells him that her feelings have changed and accepts his renewed declarations. The pair discuss the earlier painful incidents between them—Darcy’s proud behavior, Elizabeth’s accusations, and the letter he once wrote—each acknowledging past faults and how those moments have led to self-reflection and change.

Darcy explains that his visit to Derbyshire and his attentions to Georgiana were partly motivated by his desire to show improvement and to earn Elizabeth’s forgiveness; he also confesses that he had resolved to follow Elizabeth in order to find out the truth about her family. They learn, on returning home, that Bingley and Jane are engaged; Darcy had already informed Bingley of his error in earlier interference and had persuaded him of Jane’s affection. The chapter closes with Elizabeth and Darcy parting in the hall, newly reconciled and intimately aware of the mutual transformations that brought them together.

Key events

1. Bingley and Darcy arrive at Longbourn and propose a walk.
2. Elizabeth walks alone with Darcy after Kitty leaves for the Lucases.
3. Elizabeth thanks Darcy for helping her family and discovers Lady Catherine's visit aided him.
4. Darcy asks if Elizabeth's feelings remain; she admits they have changed and accepts him.
5. They discuss the painful letter, past pride, and how each has changed.
6. Darcy reveals he counseled Bingley and confirms Bingley and Jane's engagement.

Analysis

This chapter functions as the emotional and moral reconciliation between Elizabeth and Darcy, converting prolonged tension into mutual understanding and commitment. Structurally it serves as a dénouement for the Darcy–Elizabeth plotline by resolving misunderstandings—the letter, the Pemberley visit, and Lady Catherine’s interference—and by showing the characters’ internal development rather than relying on external events. The long, private walk creates an intimate, conversational space where candid confession and subtle power shifts occur: Darcy drops much of his formal reserve to confess vanity and selfishness, while Elizabeth tempers her earlier prejudice with gratitude and self-awareness.

The narrative technique emphasizes free indirect discourse and close third-person focalization through Elizabeth’s perceptions: we feel her embarrassment, courage, and later the difficulty of meeting his eyes, which preserves her subjectivity even during Darcy’s long speeches. Darcy’s lengthy self-reproach functions thematically to dramatize pride’s correction; his admission that he was “a selfish being” reframes previous actions and provides moral closure. Lady Catherine’s attempt to control outcomes ironically catalyzes a hopeful result—her report gives Darcy new hope—showing Austen’s recurrent irony about social interference. Overall, the chapter ties personal repentance to social reconciliation and prepares the novel for its final movement toward domestic settlements.

Important quotes

“Mr. Darcy, I am a very selfish creature, and for the sake of giving relief to my own feelings care not how much I may be wounding yours.”

Elizabeth BennetElizabeth opens the walk’s conversation by thanking Darcy and acknowledging her own motives, starting the candid exchange that leads to reconciliation.

“You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once.”

Mr. DarcyDarcy presses Elizabeth for the truth of her feelings, directly asking whether her earlier rejection still stands and prompting her acceptance.

“I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle.”

Mr. DarcyDarcy honestly confesses his lifelong pride and selfishness, framing his moral change as owed significantly to Elizabeth's influence.

Characters in Chapter 58

• Mr. Bingley
• Mr. Darcy
• Elizabeth Bennet
• Jane Bennet
• Kitty Bennet
• Maria Lucas
• Mrs. Gardiner
• Lady Catherine de Bourgh
• Georgiana Darcy
• Lydia Bennet
• Mary Bennet