In her novel Emma, Jane Austen examines the attribute of cleverness in women, and presents cleverness as a generally positive character trait that could enable women to change their social and economic status
by
tiredsmiles (student)
Prange
Jeff Prange
Professor Lowery
ENG 460, The Novel
15 July 2012
Emma: An Examination of Clever Words
When Jane Austen wrote her novel Emma, women had very limited options available to them for bettering their positions in life. As shown in the novel, the primary method for securing one’s future as a woman was through marriage. A “good marriage” could raise a woman to a higher social or economic level, but this usually could only be achieved if she were intelligent and clever. Clever word games were a way for women to reveal or conceal their feelings within the confines of social politeness, allowing them to flirt with men, diminish rivals, or hide secrets. In her novel Emma, Jane Austen examines the attribute of cleverness in women, and presents cleverness as a generally positive character trait that could enable women to change their social and economic status.
A women’s intelligence, often-displayed though clever word games, was often a means of achieving a marriage that raised her socially or economically. For this reason it is Emma, and not her friend Harriet, that receives the affections of Mr. Elton. Emma tries to match Harriet and Mr. Elton together for the purpose of securing Harriet’s financial future and solidifying her position in Emma’s social level. Because it is Emma that uses word games with Mr. Elton, even though initiated on Harriet’s behalf, the word games mislead Mr. Elton to believe that Emma has feelings for him. For example, in chapter six Emma, in the course of her conversation with Mr. Elton and Harriet, refers to their common singleness by saying “there are no husband and wives in the case at present” (Austen, 95). By her emphasizing the words “at present,” Emma meant to hint at Mr. Elton and Harriet’s betrothal, rather, because the word game came from her, Elton was mislead into thinking that Emma was interested in him for herself. Emma’s friend Mr. Knightly even warns Emma that Mr. Elton would never be interested in Harriet because she is not intelligent enough, saying, “Men of sense, whatever you may choose to say, do not want silly wives” (Austen, 137). It was with a word game that Mr. Elton first tried to reveal his intentions towards Emma. Harriet was compiling word games into a book, and Emma, in an effort to ingratiate Harriet to Mr. Elton, asked him to compose his own riddle for contribution. Mr. Elton took Emma’s request to heart and created a charade for Emma that expressed his desire to court her. Ironically, though Emma was convinced the word game was for Harriet, it was Emma that deciphered its meaning. Harriet was not clever enough to do so. This event foreshadows to the observant reader that it is Emma that will receive Mr. Elton’s professions of love, not Harriet. Not withstanding her entire lack of love for Mr. Elton, Emma has no intention to marry him because it would be a social step down for her. The flirtatious word games used by women in the novel were always used for the purpose of marrying “up.”
