There is a widely held opinion among scholars that the novel “Emma” is by far the most complicated work by Jane Austin because it explores not only social issues but also physiological geneses of a person, particularly the main character(Bloom, 34). Traditionally, it is believed that Emma undergoes certain changer in the course of her life. The question arises what aspects of her personality evolve (if we can call it evolvement at all).
Overall, It should be taken into consideration that the author prefers not to comment on the heroines behavior except very few cases. However, Emmas behavior and her attitude towards other people can be much more telling and eloquent. It is believed that Jane Austin wants to remain as objective as possible, compelling the reader to shape ones own conclusion. This peculiarity of the authors style is a subject of close literary analysis because the outcomes of her novels are often rather disputable and it is not always clear whether her works end like comedies or tragedy (Janet Todd, 61).
While analyzing the character of Emma, it is of the crucial importance to pay extra attention to the development of the plot and main themes of the novel. As it is widely known, the story ends in a succession of marriages and it may appear to be classical happy end. In this research, our task is to find out whether it is really so. Secondly, it is necessary to make a thematic analysis of the novel, in particular, social status of women, the impact of marriage on a persons position in the society. In addition to that, we should discuss the relationships between a persons lineage and his or her status. It stands to reason that Jane Austin does not attract the readers attention to this issue but the behavior of main characters and the plot itself suggest that this question is not disregarded by the author. It should be borne in mind that Emma is a representative a certain society and to a certain extent, her actions are governed by the rules, established in this society, and she is not free from the prejudices, rooted in this society.
At the outset of the story, Jane Austin introduces the main character. The opening words may seem very non-committal, “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence” (Austin, 2). It is worth mentioning that as a rule, heroines, created by the author in her novels such as “Sense and Sensibility”, “Pride and Prejudice” are not well-to-do woman and financial aspect is very important for them (Whitson, 102).
In sharp contrast, Emma is a relatively independent person. Nevertheless, it is hardly possible for us to say that her existence is cloudless. There are several textual examples that can substantiate this statement. First, the narrator points out that such lifestyle may also have rather baneful influence, “The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself”(Austin, 3). This is probably her major drawback and many aspects of her behavior can be ascribed to it. Furthermore, it can be observed that the main character lives in a relatively “isolated” house, which means that her family is not often visited by other people. The only person who maintains steady and warm relationships with her is Mr. Knightly though his role in the story should be discussed later. Thus, we can mention another disadvantage of Emmas lifestyle, boredom.
This is the underlying cause of Emmas interest in such girl as Harriet Smith. First, one has to take into account that there is virtually connection between these two women. According to the tacit laws of the then English society, the main character, who was an aristocrat due to her lineage, was not supposed to have any relationships with a person of “natural” birth (Austin, 25). It is necessary to answer the question the heroine is so much concerned with Harriet and wants to find her a match. She explains the reasons of her behavior in the following way, “It would be an interesting, and certainly a very kind undertaking; highly becoming her own situation in life, her leisure, and powers” (Austin, 26).
Therefore, we can arrive at the conclusion that this concern is not quite genuine because it is mostly motivated by boredom but not by the desire to help. In this respect, one can also say that to a certain degree Emma is a power-seeking person. For a very long time she has not been able to show all her intelligence, wits and ability to influence other people. It turns out that even seemingly noble action as matchmaking originates not from empathy (as it should have been) but from selfishness or even cruelty to be more exact because she undertakes this task only to amuse herself.
Her interest in Harriet Smith is not the only example, which proves that the main character is often driven by boredom or selfishness to be more exact. We may as well remember her visit to a poor family, living nearby. At first glance, it may seem that she really feels compassion for these people, but her words show that it is just a façade. She says, “I feel now as if I could think of nothing but these poor creatures all the rest of the day; and yet, who can say how soon it may all vanish from my mind?” (Austin, 112).
Her concern for them can be interpreted as some form of entertainment but under no circumstances, it can be viewed as true compassion or empathy. In fact, it is unlikely that she has ever experienced this feeling. Emma is rather paradoxical woman because her good actions stem from boredom, egoism, high self-esteem, or even cruelty.
Emma is firmly convinced that she can easily change the life of another person; she says, “She would notice her; she would improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and manners” (Austin, 26). Naturally, one can object to this statement by reminding that to a varying degree, everyone desires power (at least subconsciously) but Emma does not realize that power or authority also involves responsibility and it seems that she is very reluctant to take it.
Partly, it can be explained by her high self-esteem and light-heartedness of her life in general. As it has been pointed out before, at this point, she does not have any real concerns in her life. She does care about her father, and one cannot say that this care is insincere, but it is just a natural response to his affection. Surely, Emma cannot be perceived as a villainous character but her tragedy is that she often fails to notice her selfishness.
In the opening chapters, the author also sets stress on that fact that the heroine is a relatively independent person. On the whole, Jane Austins idea of independence of self-sufficiency has twofold meaning: on the one hand it can be understood as the ability to provide for oneself without the help of the others, but on the other, it is spiritual freedom. Throughout the novel, the author compares and contrasts these notions (Lambdin, 94).
Emma is independent in the sense that there are only very few people able to have any impact on her, except Mr. Knightly who is constantly disputing with Emma, pointing out the follies of her logic. His characterization of this woman is probably the most eloquent and most precise, he says, “Emma is spoiled by being the cleverest of her family” (Austin, 43).
His words give us some clues about Emma. It would not be a far-fetched conclusion to say that she has always been given a free hand and that she has yet to meet a person who is equal to her in terms of intelligence. Certainly, this is just a hypothesis but the development of the plot indicates that the heroine often overestimates her intelligence. In part, this is the cause of her concern with Harriet Smith. She believes that her matchmaking is some form of education because teachers can exercise immense influence over a person. In her opinion, the girl is just a student who should be brought up.
Her “teaching experience” (if such formulation is appropriate in this case) proves that Emma is not mature enough for this position. For instance, when Harriet Smith meets a young man Robert Martin and he seems quite suitable for her, her alleged teacher criticizes her decision saying, “The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do. A degree or two lower, and a creditable appearance might interest me;” (Austin, 33).
This scene suggests that the main character has some other drawbacks, apart from selfishness and too high self-esteem, particularly, social prejudices. Emma is inclined to think that this man is not worth of her friend because his social position does not meet her standards of elegance, or education. Naturally, we cannot say that she is a callous person it is quite clear that Emma is not free from biases, so typical of her society.
Even later she is not able to able to reject these false values of her society. When Emma marries Mr. Knightly, she thinks that she should not see Harriet any longer. The main reason for is that her friend is an illegitimate child while the main character is a woman of aristocratic lineage. In point of fact ,she does not even miss her friend. Moreover, Emma concludes that marriage is not only a unity of kindred spirits but also a form of contract beneficial for both sides.
Earlier, she was sure that her friend could easily marry a gentleman” but with time passing she came to the belief that the marriage between an aristocrat and a woman of illegitimate birth is not acceptable. She says, “The stain of illegitimacy, unbleached by nobility or wealth, would have a stain indeed” (Austin, 621). The heroine seems to overlook such important aspect as love that can remove any stain. Additionally, she views “illegitimacy” as some sort of defect; Emma associates it with moral depravity though it is a common misconception.
Probably, we may not judge the main character, according to the values of the twenty-first century because modern principles were not quite applicable in the then England, however, her tendency to comply with the standards, which were set by morally corrupt people, characterizes her as conformist person.
Jane Austin incorporates this episode with Robert Martin into the novel for several purposes. As it has been pointed out before it shows Emmas perception of such notion as social class, but along with it performs some other functions. For example, we can see that the main character can be a very deceitful person. While trying to dissuade Harriet from marrying Robert Martin Emma says “He is very plain, undoubtedly—remarkably plain:— but that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility”(Austin, 37) As we can see the heroine places emphasis on the word plain, or ordinary, common and even mediocre. Certainly, she attempts to conceal her real attitude towards this man whom she considers even somewhat attractive though she does not admit it to Harriet.
The question arises why Emma chooses to behave in such a way. How can she benefit by lying to such innocent girl as Harriet Smith. There can be several reasons for her to do it. First, for Emma, Harriet is just a plaything that can be easily manipulated. Certainly, at the very end Emma understands that it would be better for this girl to live with this man but at this particular point, such scenario contradicts Emma wishes or even whims as it would be better to say. Moreover, the main character may just be jealous of Harriet who has just met a person able to fall in love with her.
As far as Emmas intelligence and self-esteem are concerned, we should discuss her attitude and relationships with Jane Fairfax, a young woman who seems to intrude into the main characters life. It is interesting that she tries to identify the cause of her animosity towards this woman but can hardly do it. Initially Emma thinks that it takes its origins in jealousy or envy but afterwards she rejects this idea. In the end, the heroine arrives at the conclusion that “she could never get acquainted with her: she did not now how it was, but there was such coldness and reserve: such indifference whether she pleased or not”(Austin, 209). The main problem is that Emma is not accustomed to indifference; on the contrary, she wants to be the focus of attention; she wants to be admired by everyone else. Janes main “fault” is that she does not pay any attention to Emma. Though they reconcile with each other later it can be deduced that such armistice is just make-believe.
As a result, she starts to cavil at Jane, but she has to admit that this woman is really beautiful, elegant, and intelligent. The only drawback Jane has in comparison with Emma is her financial position. Unlike her she has to marry otherwise, she may live in poverty. It is impossible for us to view Jane Austin as a representative of feminist movement but her novel foreshadows the shift in public opinion, which took place only at the dawn of the twentieth century (Markovits,200).
Certainly, one can look at this issue from present day feminist standpoint. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Jane position is not unique, because in the overwhelming majority of cases, women were literary forced to marry because they had virtually no material possessions of their own. For Jane, marriage becomes the matter of life and death. If she fails to do it, she would have to work as a governess, which is not suitable for a woman of her education, style, and manners.
Emma is relatively independent because she has no male siblings therefore she would inherit the fortune of her father, who is quite a prosperous man, nevertheless she is also afraid of being along (or lonely) but her motives are entirely different from those of Jane. First, her love for Mr. Knightly can easily be questioned because Emma begins to appreciate this man only when she finds out that Harriet is also in love with him and only at that moment, she understands feels affection for him. Perhaps, Emma just becomes afraid of being lonely. It is very unlikely that true affection or love can spring from fear.
Emma is not even sure whether she has ever been in love. She starts to ponder over this question and it scares, “I must be in love; I should be the oddest creature in the world if I were not—for a few weeks at least.”(Austin, 336) We cannot say that Emmas fear is groundless because she has always strived to satisfy her whims but she has never experienced compassion towards other person. Her matchmaking activity is a form of entertainment. The point is that a person who deems oneself to be in love, must also be able to make sacrifices. It is very difficult for to say that the Emma has ever done it.
Another paradox of her behavior is her attitude towards marriage. At the beginning, Emma wants to emphasize her ability to make independent choices and be self-sufficient, “I always say a woman cannot have too many resources— and I feel very thankful that I have so many myself as to be quite independent of society” (Austin, 396). Nevertheless, it turns such person, as Emma cannot do without society, though in her case, we should speak not about financial dependence but rather about inferiority complex, which is skillfully concealed.
Mr. Knightly attitude towards Emma can be characterized as patronizing or even paternal. This has always treated her like a daughter or even a student, gently correcting her mistakes. Later he asks his wife why she never calls him George, because such address probably would be suitable, though Emma fails to find any answer to this question.
She even considers herself “unworthy” or her husband. The only thing she wishes is “”to grow more worthy of him, whose intentions and judgment had been ever so superior to her own” (Austin, 612). Emma makes an idol of her husband but it should be taken into consideration that the happiness of the family is mostly based on love, intimacy, equity but not on worshipping as it is with Emma. In this regard, we should discuss the concept of independence. Emma is not able to keep her individual freedom.
Therefore, it is quite possible for us to draw the following conclusions: first: in the novel, “Emma” by Jane Austin can be analyzed from such perspectives as social and physiological. As regards the social aspect, we should say that the author focuses on the position of women in the patriachical world, namely she places emphasis on their financial dependence on men. The novel proves that to a varying extent, marriage is a way to climb this ladder of success. Moreover, Jane Austin intends to show that success of a marriage is often determined not only by love but also by social position, which often becomes the most dominant factor.
The main character of the story is the person who wants to be independent, apart from that she wishes to exert influence on other people but at the end, she loses her relative independence (probably she has never had it) and subdues herself to the will of another person. Her marriage with Mr. Knightly springs not only from her love to this man but also by her fear of being lonesome. Regarding Emmas social prejudices we can argue that the heroine fails to set them aside.
Bibliography
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Harold Bloom. “Jane Austen’s Emma”. Chelsea House. 1987.
Jane Austen. “Emma”. Plain Label Books, 1982.
Janet Todd. “Jane Austen: New Perspectives.” Holmes & Meier, 1983.
Margaret Kennedy. “Jane Austen” A. Barker, 1950.
Mary Waldron. “Jane Austen and the Fiction of Her Time” Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Kathy J. Whitson. “Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature” Greenwood Press, 2004.
Robert Thomas Lambdin. “A Companion to Jane Austen Studies”. Greenwood Press, 2000.
Stefanie Markovits. Jane Austen and the Happy Fall. “Studies in English Literature”(47), 4, 2007.