The novel itself actually begins on the wedding-day of Miss Taylor to Mr Weston; something significant in introducing the theme of marriage to the novel early. This particular engagement is another one from which as been set up by Emma. This marriage and idea of Emma loving match-making being introduced so early in the novel brings a certain impetus into the reading, and expands the readers imagination into how and why the three major couplets; Knightley and Emma, Robert Martin and Harriet and Frank Churchill could all end up being close. Other than these major couplets, most of what happens in the novel is generally to do with people proposing and being accepted or rejected, marriage plans falling through, and various well-meant attempts at match making from Emma.
The importance of marriage as a theme in this novel has to be judged against the background of ideas on the subject in Jane Austen day. For middle class women such as Emma and Jane Fairfax, making a suitable marriage was an important matter. Emma’s great wealth which she appears to have control of produces her reasons in which she does not need to be married, and should stay independent: Emma acknowledges this in chapter 10, “I must see somebody very superior to anyone I have seen yet, to be tempted”. Here Emma is beside herself and highlights almost a snobbishness of a class society that continues to run though the novel. It is this idea of a class society that Emma tends to use as her framework for her match making.
Within chapter ten, the whole conversation between Harriet and Emma is particularly based upon the subject of marriage. Emma declares that she has “non of the usual inducements of women to marry”. Apart from love, which is the only thing that Emma says would induce her to marry, she mentions three reasons why a middle-class women might be anxious to change her single state; to increase her material property, to increase her social importance, and to have an occupation has mistress of the house. Each one of these Emma already withholds in some way or another, introducing an idea that Emma may never actually marry. This builds up a structure of reaction for when Emma is later proposed to by both Mr Elton and then Mr Knightley.
In the world of Austen, marriage depended a great deal upon two fundamental factors; equality of social class and background and equality of fortune. It is true that Jane Austen does not allow these two considerations to dominate to the leaving out of all others. Jane Fairfax, for example, although she has no personal fortune, marries Frank Churchill, the heir to a great property. In spite of all Emma’s efforts, Harriet Smith does not eventually marry outside of her social sphere. Jane Fairfax, in spite of her lack of fortune, is in every other way Frank Churchill’s equal, particularly in birth and breeding, and the marriage of Emma and Mr Knightley results in the perfect match from Jane Austen’s point of view, founded correctly on social, material and moral equality.
The various efforts from Emma for match making, some successful, some not, are a way in which Jane Austen has provided unity and interest throughout the novel and are the source of most satisfying ironies. As already said, the initial promotion of match making is highlighted in chapter 1 in relation to the marriage of Miss Taylor and Mr Weston. Of this marriage we are told that “Emma had always wished and promoted the match”. This chapter is dominated with thoughts such as this, ending with Emma showing determination to continue her activities in the match making field.
Throughout the novel, Mr Knightley is the character that shrewdly observes that Emma and her match making is more likely to do more harm than good. With this in mind, there is an irony in what immediately follows, as Emma declares her resolution to find a match for Mr Elton the vicar. In this particular activity she will do even more harm to herself than even Mr Knightley could foresee. Her attempts to match Harriet and Mr Elton ends abruptly in chapter 15 after Mr Elton’s proposal of marriage to Emma, and results in a huge embarrassment from Emma.
Overall therefore, throughout this novel, each chapter is vigorously based upon marriage in one way or another, and in the whole is attempting to represent the views and opinions of people in Jane Austen’s time, in particular in the light of gender, class and material differences.
