In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennet begins as a jaded woman. She, first of all, believes that traditional courting rituals and the idea of marriage are asinine and don't suit her because of her intellectualism and sharp wit (women of the time were not expected to be sarcastic, and in fact, they were discouraged from being so). She is, secondly, prejudiced against the financially elite members of the novel, not believing Mr. Bingley is worthy of his sister and is likely vain, as well as having extreme displeasure for Mr. Darcy due to his wealth and haughty nature. In this way, she personifies both pride (her own intellectualism) and prejudice (against the wealthy).
By the end of the novel, however, she has been humbled by the actions Mr. Darcy has taken to care for her family and ensure that they do not receive a bad reputation (which, in that time, would essentially doom all the women to poverty and prevent them from being married), and realizes that, in spite of his status, he is a caring and kind individual. Her heart is softened towards Mr. Bingley, as well, as she can tell how much he is devoted to her sister, Jane. In these ways, Elizabeth's attitudes are changed throughout the novel and she becomes much more accepting.
Elizabeth Bennet is associated with the "prejudice" in the novel's title, while Darcy is associated with the "pride," though it has often been noted that both characters exhibit both pride and prejudice.
Nevertheless, the traditional association is solid, and Elizabeth has to mature from her tendency to jump to quick judgments in order to be a worthy wife for Darcy.
Elizabeth develops a strong prejudice against Darcy when she overhears him saying she is not pretty enough to dance with. This predisposes her to believe he is proud and disagreeable, as well as a jerk, and to quickly believe other unflattering gossip about his character, especially from the handsome Mr. Wickham.
Elizabeth also cannot conceive that her best friend, Charlotte Lucas, would want to marry Mr. Collins, and she misses the flirtation that occurs right before her eyes. She is nothing but dismayed at her friend—it is difficult for Elizabeth, who developed an instant prejudice against Mr. Collins, to understand that someone she respects could have a different point of view. Part of her maturation process is visiting the newly-married Charlotte and seeing that a marriage doesn't have to be based on romantic love to be successful.
Likewise, Elizabeth has to change enough to understand that she misjudged Mr. Darcy and to realize he is a person of character and a worthy husband. By the end of the novel, experience has made her more sober, and she is not as prone to snap judgments and prejudices as she was when the novel began.
Elizabeth is clearly a very bright and opinionated woman at the outset of the novel. Though she knows she must marry in order to provide a future for herself, she does not want to accept just any husband, and she rejects the pitiful Mr. Collins as beneath her. She has an independent streak that is rare for a woman in Regency England and that catches Mr. Darcy's eye.
However, Elizabeth also has a way of being quick to make decisions that is, as the title suggests, somewhat prejudicial. She judges Darcy as unworthy because he is occasionally impolite and uncouth, while she believes the charming and courtly Wickham deserves pity for the way Darcy has treated him. Only later, after Wickham runs off with her younger sister Lydia without being married (something only a cad would do in those times), does Elizabeth realize that she has been too quick to judge Wickham as worthy. While visiting Darcy's fine estate at Pemberley, Elizabeth realizes that Darcy is actually a man of good taste and admirable discretion (further proven when he forces Wickham to marry Lydia and save her—and the family's—good name). Elizabeth tempers her predilection to make snap judgments and becomes more subtle in her decision-making by the end of the novel. She sees the complexity in Darcy and accepts his hand in marriage.
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