Pondering Lydia

[ksmith]

Posting like a mad poster before I dive into the wip.

Why exactly did Wickham elope with Lydia? This question may have been answered somewhere in Pride & Prejudice, but I don't recall anything offhand. In the televised versions I've seen, I haven't seen it discussed to any great extent. Was it simply because she was a wide-eyed innocent that he could bed for a few days/weeks, then dump? Was it that simple? Was he avenging himself on Lizzie for beginning to favor Darcy--I don't recall the timeline offhand, but I think she mentioned him favorably to Wickham at some point prior, which took him aback.

It's just that he seemed so calculating, so determined to find a rich wife to bail him out. Granted, he had gotten himself in trouble previously as impulsiveness overcame reason--I think he's a decent enough study in run-of-the-mill sociopathy, and extended periods of failure to think past the end of one's nose is a trait of the type. I just don't see any reason for Lydia other than that she was convenient, and maybe that's reason enough. But he shot his wad with the regiment, which had seemed like a decent posting, and there was certainly no inkling that someone with Darcy's wealth would turn up to make things right. Did he need to flee creditors, and take Lydia along because she was there? But she slows him down and attracts all manner of attention.

I just don't get it.

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

At the end of the meeting, Lydia goes to Meryton with the Captain's wife. How much she knows about Elizabeth's relationship to Darcy is never said. Elizabeth divulges her secrets only to Jane. But surely Lydia would have noticed that Elizabeth has had some interaction with Darcy. I would guess that Austen would have had Wickham pump Lydia for info, and then gamble that Darcy would be interested enough to rescue Lydia to save Elizabeth's reputation.

I would think that if he meant to do that, though, he'd have sent a message to Darcy arranging for a meeting rather than waiting to be tracked down.

I keep leaning toward the simplest explanation--that he saw the chance for some nookie and took it without really thinking things through. Maybe he wanted to hurt Eliza in the bargain. But it boiled down to him simply not thinking, which I wouldn't have expected from someone who gave the impression of being shrewed, if not necessarily intelligent.