The reader is left with the sense that s/he alone is privy to Elizabeth's innermost longings.
Austen has used various narrative and dialogue techniques within this extract, all of which are designed to progress the plot and engage the reader. Her subtle use of direct and free indirect speech has served to peel away some of the layers obscuring Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters, and has allowed us deeper access into their minds and deeper insight as to their personalities.
The juxtaposition of reliable narration with unreliable characters clearly illustrates the complexity of human experience. Although the narrator aims to provide as true a picture of life as possible, the limited understandings, values and beliefs of the characters clearly illustrates the "gap between life itself and the way individuals interpret it" (pg. 284, Thorne).
…
