Explore Jane Austen's approach to the character Emma in the novel of the same name. What are the effects of social, historic and cultural influences upon Emma's development?
Lama Sankoh
Explore Jane Austen's approach to the character Emma in the novel of the same name. What are the effects of social, historic and cultural influences upon Emma's development?
'Handsome, clever and rich' are the complimentary words Jane Austen lavishes upon Emma; accurate as they may be, they paint a picture contrary to the Emma portrayed during the first half of the novel. Set against the nineteenth century patriarchal society, structured by the privileges and constraints of money and status, both of which she acquires, a complex mental journey faces her. The journey, however is one she is oblivious to and one to which the predominate barrier is her apparent good fortune.
Jane Austen plays the role of an omniscient narrator providing dialogue whilst also supplying constant commentary into the thought process of the heroine. Armed with her arrogance and additional ' unsavoury traits' Emma interacts with influential acquaintances that act as catalysts along her journey to self- discovery.
Emma Woodhouse has, as a result of various events, had to grow- up quickly and therefore has mistaken her power, authority and prestige at an early age for maturity. Due to her mother's death and her sister's marriage she is the mistress of her house, which in her time was the main objective of a woman's life, so Emma having achieved this status so early in her life is regarded as being superior to other females. Austen is suggesting that she is a victim of her ' indulgent father's affection and being so well thought of within her community, furthermore having encountered no source of criticism from her father or governess regarding her behaviour, has prevented her recognising and therefore correcting her imperfections.
During Emma's time, young ladies could not work and therefore had vast amounts of time on their hands. So living at home with only her elderly father, who is 'no companion' for her, Emma's spare time, is spent arranging individual's marriage destinies. Emma has lived a confined existence, which has obstructed her from developing any aspirations.
The occasion of her ' beloved' governess' marriage is to Emma the result of her match making. She is full of self- praise for being successful at what she describes as the 'greatest amusement in the world'. Austen is introducing Emma, at the very beginning of her journey as a bored self- important young lady who 'indulges in her imagination', as a source of entertainment.
Mr Knightley is Emma's bachelor brother- in- law and neighbour who is a key factor to her progress. He is one of the few people 'that could see faults in Emma' and certainly the only one who informed her of them. Being wise, possessing great experience and holding a 'gentleman' status enables him to confront Emma in a way most people could not, ' Emma knows I never flatter her'. He helps Emma to free herself of delusions.
Harriet Smith unknowingly becomes Emma's protégé providing the first demonstration of Emma's arrogance and immaturity. Harriet is inferior ...
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Mr Knightley is Emma's bachelor brother- in- law and neighbour who is a key factor to her progress. He is one of the few people 'that could see faults in Emma' and certainly the only one who informed her of them. Being wise, possessing great experience and holding a 'gentleman' status enables him to confront Emma in a way most people could not, ' Emma knows I never flatter her'. He helps Emma to free herself of delusions.
Harriet Smith unknowingly becomes Emma's protégé providing the first demonstration of Emma's arrogance and immaturity. Harriet is inferior to Emma in most ways, which is what intrigues her towards their friendship, it during their initial meeting she begins forming schemes on how 'she would form her opinions and her manners'. Harriet is the 'natural daughter of somebody' and looks up to Emma in owe of her beauty, wealth and status, this stops Emma from viewing them as equals. Mr Martin, a 'well thought of' farmer proposes to Harriet but Emma's interference and opinions prevent her from accepting, she discourages her by belittling him in Harriet's presence, informing her that his class are, ' precisely the order of people with whom (she) feels she can have nothing to do with'. She impresses on Harriet that he lacks class, and displays all the signs of social snobbery. By allowing Emma to dictate and manage her life Harriet is fuelling Emma's arrogance and hindering her development.
Emma is impractical, has an unrealistic notion of the hierarchical society and above all is unable to accept her mistakes even if she recognises them. Mr knightley and Emma engage in a heated discussion over Emma's involvement in Harriet's decision to decline Robert Martin's marriage proposal, ' you wrote her answer'. Mr Knightley tries to educate her in matters of the heart, but Emma's intelligence deceives her into justifying her actions, ' I should not feel I had done wrong'. She is blinded by her plans to better Harriet and cannot even begin comprehending how her actions affect others, at this point in her journey she cannot even entertain the idea of changing her ways.
Unsatisfied with Mr Martin as a prospective suitor for Harriet, she selects Mr Elton, the local priests, as being a more appropriate match due not to their compatibility but to his wealth. She takes the idea, supposes it and will ' make everything bend to' it, using a series of methods including requesting Mr Elton write a riddle and drawing a portrait of Harriet she manipulates Harriet's and Mr Elton's thoughts to suit her plans. Having been warned of Mr Elton's undesirable attributes, ' he knows the value of a good income' she is still persistent in forming the match.
The first sign of progress in Emma's journey appears following her miss- interpretation of Mr Elton's manners. Austen provides Emma's reaction to Mr Elton's outrageous proposal, in the form of self-analysis, this is very important as it reveals Emma's true state of mind. Her first and main concern is Harriet, ' how could she have been so deceived', she is displaying her capability of showing remorse, her ability to identify her mistakes and that she has respect and genuine affection for Harriet. Emma also recognises that Mr Knightley and Mr John Knightley are better judges of character than she is, ' those brothers had penetration' and describes her behaviour as 'foolish' and 'wrong'.
However this progress is not sustained. Emma criticises Mr Elton for wanting to marry her to improve his status and 'enrich himself' which is ironic, as she wanted Harriet to marry him for this very reason. The reason why she never considered Mr Elton having an interest in her is because he is inferior to her ' in talent and all the elagancies of mind' once again her arrogance is in full effect. Although this misunderstanding reveals an aspect of Emma's character and she 'resolved not to' indulge in anymore match- making it is not long before she begins finding an alternative match for Harriet, outlining her lack of self control.
Frank Churchill takes full advantage of Emma's immaturity and need for attention by using her for his own benefit. Before even meeting him Emma imagines him to be a good match for her, ' she felt she should like him', because of their similar social positioning and she also believes the feeling to be mutual. Frank however, has ulterior motives and uses her to conceal his unexceptable relationship with Jane Fairfax. Emma is too conceited to realise that Frank is playing on her vanity and cannot imagine why Frank would be in love with anyone but her self, her ego ' convinced her that he came intending to be acquainted with her'. Her vulnerability disadvantages her character and she fails to penetrate his act despite the hints, Jane's account of her acquaintance with Frank ' leaves so much to be guessed'. Just as Harriet was a victim of Emma, Emma is a victim of Frank and this makes him an important part of her journey as he makes her feel the way she makes others feel.
Emma is incapable of liking any female she is unable to use or control as she does Harriet. Jane Fairfax is 'very elegant' with 'very pleasing beauty', Emma's jealousy prevents her from admiring Jane's elegance in the way she does Harriet's. Mrs Elton and Emma are similar in some ways; both women are vain largely due to their wealth and also share a desire to dominate and meddle as shown by Mrs Elton concern with Jane's future. Emma wants to dominate all situations so by not being passive Jane and Mrs Elton are seen as threats to her. They assist Emma's journey by forcing her to improve herself, for instance when Jane is proven to be the more superior pianist, Emma who does not gracefully except second place, then practises in order to improve her own playing. A part of Emma conscience agrees when Mr Knightley says Jane is 'the really accomplished young woman which she wanted to be thought herself'.
Harriet becomes the victim of the Elton's inelegance and Emma's reaction displays love and maturity. Mr Elton refuses to dance with Harriet in an attempt to insult Emma, this was at this period of time was the height of uncivil behaviour and outlines his unpleasant character. Emma has a genuine loyalty to Harriet as shown by her 'delight' and 'gratitude' when Mr Knightley rescues Harriet from her humiliation. There are no signs of jealous in Emma's manner, it seems as though Emma is capable of showing joy for other people's happiness, especially as she is of a lower class. Austen also uses the ball as an opportunity to develop the relationship between Emma and Mr Knightley, He compliments her on having 'chosen better for him than he has chosen for himself' and she compliments him on showing that he can dance. Although Emma's journey is progressing she is still meddling in Harriet's life by keeping her away from the martin's and after realising she her self was not in love with Frank imagines him to be a good match for her.
Emma displays the height of her arrogance during the picnic at Box Hill; this however proves to have a positive affect on her Journey. Frank provides the ammunition for Emma's attack on Miss Bates, who by being an unmarried woman is an object of pity and far less superior than Emma, by ' making her his first subject' and flirting 'excessively' with her. Mr Knightley is outraged that 'Emma could not resist' to be so 'unfeeling' to Miss Bates. Although having previously experienced and excepted Mr Knighley's disapproval, this time it is different, she is ' forcibly struck' by his words and feels ' anger against herself'. This event provokes a significant change in Emma's character; she is terrified that she may have destroyed Mr Knightley's good opinions of her. Her good nature is shown when she visits the Bates in order to apologise and shows compassion to her rival Jane when she is ill; 'the tears running down her cheeks' are truly symbols of her self-realisation.
Emma's new found maturity is continued when Emma plan of teaching Harriet to aspire to persons socially superior to her ironically backfires, as Harriet falls for Mr Knightley. Emma never had the ability to fully assess the extent of her feeling towards Mr Knightley and is shocked to discover her true feeling, 'Mr Knightley must marry no one but herself!' Emma shows class and compassion by disregarding her own feelings and sparing Harriet's, earlier in the novel Emma may have reacted to Harriet's revelation in a less sophisticated manner by discouraging her, but she now has enough self-control to hide her emotion from Harriet. She can now ' thoroughly understand her own heart' and can see the error of her ways.
Mr Knightley's proposal is largely due to the completion of her journey as he was unable to reveal his feelings previously, as she did not have the degree of maturity to deal with it. Mr Knightley recognises Emma's development, he reveals that he loves her, ' if I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more' and after proposing to her she accepts only after expressing concern for her father displaying her loyalty and love for her father. She also feels for Harriet and pities her during a time of elation. Unlike the all the other marriages entailed in Emma, neither Emma nor Mr Knightley seek economic security or social elevation through their marriage, Austen is insinuating that they will prove to be a successful match.
Emma Woodhouse embarks on a journey to self- discovery, this journey encounters various set- backs as well as use full experiences. It is only when acquaintances directly or indirectly compel her to discontinue her vain attempts to manage people's lives and focus on her own that her journey is concluded. Emma is moulded into the accomplished young woman whom she always had the potential to be.
