She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.
Darcy’s put-down is cutting because it reduces a person to a surface. The line reveals his early pride and the social lens he trusts—beauty, rank, and polish. Irony blooms later when the woman he snubs becomes the one who changes him. This moment fixes Elizabeth’s first impression and fuels her prejudice. It shows how identity gets flattened by a single comment in a crowded room. Austen lets one careless sentence ripple through many chapters.
