"Really, Mr. Collins," cried Elizabeth with somw warmth, "you puzzle me exceedingly. If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal [of marriage] in such a way as may convince you of its being one" (Austen 95).
A brash Mr. Collins decided that he wished to marry Elizabeth, and so he proposed to her; she rejected his proposal, and yet he continued to vex her by saying that he would continue to try and convince her to marry. Elizabeth's disposition on the subject does not change, and still Mr. Collins barrages her with thoughts of marriage. The dynamic between these two characters is interesting, where Mr. Collins is seemingly desperate in his attempts to woo Elizabeth, and Elizabeth shows her willpower and headstrong attitude which is unlike that of most women in her time. What's more interesting is how Elizabeth tries to be amiable in her refusal, which would only encourage Mr. Collins even more to try again. But why is it that Elizabeth would refuse a marriage? Is it because she does not know Mr. Collins well enough to warrant a marriage? Or is there another man in her thoughts, one who she will come to like further on in the novel?
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