The real reason Emma dismisses Frank’s odd behaviour is that Mr Weston tells her that Frank thinks she is beautiful and charming therefore she is ready to disagree with Mr Knightley’s comment that Frank is a “trifling, silly fellow.” However the real excuse arises from Emma’s vanity. Emma believes herself to be a good judge of character and tells herself that Frank’s attitude towards the whole incident upon his return proves that he is neither trifling nor silly since he does not “glorify in the achievement” nor is he ashamed of it. However, Austen reveals the irony of this when Frank’s engagement to Jane Fairfax is revealed and that he was simply using Emma to cover their relationship is known to all. Through the character of Frank Churchill, Austen shows how dangerous it is to judge someone before you really know them.
Emma truly believes Frank Churchill to be an ideal gentleman and even considers herself in love with him for a while. However, as revealed through the scandal with Jane, Frank lacks many of the qualities of a true gentleman. Austen gives Frank’s character flaws which reveal this to the reader. The first example of Frank not behaving correctly is in the very second chapter, when the reader first hears of him. Frank should have visited Highbury as soon as his father married to pay his respects to Mrs Weston however, using the excuse of his dominating aunt Frank does not leave Enscombe until he knows Jane Fairfax is in Highbury. This reveals that not only does he not fulfil the duty of a son to his father’s new wife but he only comes to Highbury so that he can see Jane.
Another imperfection that can be found in Frank Churchill is his lack of rational, logical thought, as shown in the incident with the pianoforté. Frank impulsively dashes to London, claiming he needs a haircut, which is not only a slight on Highbury, since he could have had it cut there but is also a spontaneous action, which in Austen’s society was regarded as foolish. The real reason Frank went to London, however, is revealed later as on a sudden whim to buy Jane a pianoforté, which was a pleasant idea but an inconsiderate one. Mr Knightley states, “the inconvenience of it …might…exceed the pleasure” this was true since it was given anonymously and therefore caused Jane grief, which no gentleman in that society should ever do. Since no one could work out who it came from and since Jane could not reveal the truth, it became awkward for Jane when people came to the conclusion that is was from her adopted father, Col. Campbell.
Frank frequently leads Emma astray in her thoughts by encouraging the thought or so it appears to Emma, that Jane is in love with Mr Dixon, the husband of her best friend, which is a scandalous and improper form of thought. To heighten the inappropriate nature of this Frank then torments Jane, loudly hinting at this forbidden relationship to amuse Emma. This behaviour is not acceptable of a gentleman since not only has he created an awkward situation for Jane but he embarrasses her by implying she is the object of admiration of a married man. Frank also is laughing at Emma since she has revealed in confidence many of her personal reflections on Jane to him and he seems to agree yet he is actually in love with Jane. In this way, he laughs at Jane because she is in a helpless situation and at Emma because he is leading her astray and giving completely the wrong impression.
The worst flaw in Frank’s character stems from his relationship with Jane. Frank has placed her in an uncomfortable, scandalous situation by being secretly engaged to her and then mercilessly teases her about it in public, hinting and implying things that only Jane will truly understand. Jane actually becomes ill as a result of lying to her friends and family yet because Frank has asked her to, Jane keeps silent. Jane represents the perfect woman in Austen’s society, therefore lying and going against that society causes her great pain, all of which is a result of the flaws in Frank Churchill. Mr Knightley later observes that Frank Churchill has “great faults, faults of inconsideration and thoughtlessness” as a result of the pain he puts Jane through.
However, despite his defects, Frank is a gentleman in some senses. Frank is described as being a “very good looking young man,” which, refers to the way he presents himself to others, the way he speaks and his physical appearance, both in height and features. In a society dominated by material issues, Frank is also a gentleman because of his wealth and family connections. Frank is the son of Mr Weston, which means that he has roots in Highbury, a factor which contributes to his popularity. Frank not only is the son of a respected gentleman of Highbury but is also the adopted son of his aunt and uncle, the Churchills, whose wealth and power also give him the title of a gentleman. However, there other factors which combine with wealth and appearance to make a gentleman.
Frank’s personality is far from perfect but he has many redeeming qualities, which make, as Mr Knightley points out, “He has used everybody ill- and they are all delighted to forgive him.” A gentleman in Austen’s society must always be well bred in manners, have a pleasing countenance, know how to make good conversation and be sociable, Frank Churchill fits into all of these categories though his strongest quality is his pleasing manners; he knows how to make conversation and he also knows the right compliments to say, and slip in the correct words to impress and please; “in coming home I felt I might do anything.” Frank is fully aware of how highly the residents of Highbury rate family connection with living there and in emphasizing ‘home’ Frank deliberately “makes himself agreeable,” which Emma picks up upon but is impressed that he should want to be accepted into their society.
These qualities, it could be argued are not wholly true in Frank Churchill however since he could simply be pretending since he deceived everyone about his relationship with Jane. However, as Emma thinks, “if it were a falsehood it was a pleasant one,” which shows that Frank has the courtesy to wish to appear pleasant and from his heartfelt shame about keeping the engagement secret it could safely be assumed that Frank honestly wants to please, which shows a gentlemanlike quality. However, there is one major attitude that determines Frank to be a gentleman, though Emma disagrees with it. This is the largest difference between Mr Knightley, the perfect gentleman and Mr Elton, the fallen gentleman. In chapter twenty-four the reader discovers that this is Frank’s attitude towards rank and status.
Ironically Emma criticises Mr Elton for his pretentiousness in believing he is equal to Emma and above Harriet, yet she cannot see her own hypocrisy since she applies this same attitude towards members of society such as Robert Martin and the Coles. Frank Churchill is indifferent towards rank, which is proved by the fact that he is marrying a woman who could cost him his inheritance should his aunt discover the truth, though he keeps it secret because he would rather have both money and Jane than just one. Emma thinks that his opinion shows slight “inelegance of mind” however she fails to see that Mr Knightley, whom she and the whole of Highbury greatly admire, is also completely indifferent to status.
Frank Churchill is a complex character because Austen’s style of writing means that the reader frequently agrees with Emma’s views until proven wrong and since he managed to deceive every resident of Highbury, except Mr Knightley, who became suspicious. Since Frank is revealed to be as reserved as Jane Fairfax and simply using Emma as to cover his feelings for Jane the reader finds it hard to trust him and distinguish honesty from subtle lies and concealed truth. However, once the truth abut the engagement is made known it is easier to recognise the tell honesty and deceit apart. Clearly Frank genuinely wants to belong to Highbury and to like and be liked by the residents and he obviously feels ashamed that he made Jane keep their engagement secret, although he agrees with Emma when she confesses she would have taken a little pleasure out of deceiving the whole of Highbury.
A final way of looking at Frank is to compare him with Emma. One could argue that Frank Churchill is the masculine version of Emma; he, like her, enjoys using his imagination as shown when he leads her along with the idea of Mr Dixon. Both are intelligent people and know how to persuade others to do what they want; Emma influences Harriet and, to an extent, Mrs Weston while Frank influences Jane Fairfax. Another similarity between the two is their situation in life; they are the same age and of the same wealth however Frank is confined by his aunt in a similar way that Emma is by Mr Woodhouse. Frank himself feels that he and Emma are very alike in character. He states “she received my attentions with an easy, friendly, good-humoured playfulness, which exactly suited me. We seemed to understand one another.”
