emma5.docx
Jane Austen's Emma
Beautiful dresses, passionate romances, elegant parties, a general state of leisure and happiness – these are only a few of the idealistic views of the nineteenth century. In her novel, Emma, Jane Austen paints a much more realistic picture of the ins and outs of high society in England of the 1800’s. Through the presumptions and pride of the characters of heroine, Emma Woodhouse, and secondary character, Mrs. Elton, Austen presents a stark critique of the social assumptions and diplomatic maneuvering so common of the society of her time, however, by the end of the novel, Austen’s critique is made clear by a subtle foil of these two characters – Emma having been the only one of the two to learn her lesson.
Both of these two ladies, each high in status, display somewhat of a god-complex, taking it upon themselves to partially assist, but mostly re-mold, women whom they view as inferior to themselves. Though Mrs. Elton does this in a much less tactful and more forceful way, she and Emma both view their respective pupils as a pawn to be toyed with and, ultimately, a display of their superiority. Emma’s fancies of becoming a puppet-master begin when she is in the company of Harriet Smith, a girl attending Mrs. Goddard’s boarding school. Austen tells Emma’s thoughts, writing, “She would notice her… improve her… detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners. It would be an interesting, and certainly a very kind undertaking; highly becoming her own situation in life, her leisure and powers” (37-38). This passage makes clear Emma’s intentions of whittling Harriet into what Emma deemed best, not just to better Harriet’s situation, but to compliment her own. Mrs. Weston, Emma’s former governess, refers to Harriet as Emma’s “new object of interest” (47), further showing Emma’s lordship over Harriet. This concept of Harriet being Emma’s toy is made even clearer when Emma paints a likeness of Harriet. Austen tells that Emma embellishes the painting “as she meant to throw in a little improvement to the figure, to give a little more height and considerably more elegance” (55). In doing this, Emma completes her re-creation, for now she has formed Harriet’s demeanor and given her a new physical image as well. As if this were not enough, Emma also reigns over Harriet’s love life. After Harriet is proposed to by Mr. Martin, whom the reader is left to assume that she actually does love, Emma talks her into refusing the proposal and denying her feelings for him. It may be said that Harriet is too submissive in all matters with Emma, but certainly Emma’s class superiority to Harriet’s demanded respect. But this is the very thing that Emma takes advantage of as she tells Harriet that in marrying Mr. Martin, she would be forfeiting Hartfield, Emma’s home, because Emma could not stoop so low as to be in acquaintance with a farmer and his wife. This near dictatorship over Harriet is a constant theme of their relationship for the majority of the novel.
The relationship between Emma and Harriet is in many ways paralleled in that of Mrs. Elton and Jane Fairfax, who, like Harriet, has no roots to claim, and is viewed by Mrs. Elton as being in great need of a superior lady to guide her. Of Jane’s situation, Mrs. Elton says to Emma, “We must bring her forward.... One can see that she feels the want of encouragement…. I am a great advocate for timidity – and I am sure one does not often meet with it. – But in those who are at all inferior, it is extremely possessing…. We have carriages to fetch and convey her home, and we live in a style which could not make the addition of Jane Fairfax, at any time, the least inconvenient” (29). This speech can so easily be looked upon as mimicking the aforementioned thoughts Emma had of Harriet. Even in demanding an authoritative voice in her “creation’s” life, Mrs. Elton resembles Emma, though she is not met with as passive a manner of Harriet’s. Upon hearing that Jane walked to the post-office in the rain, Mrs. Elton says, “It is a sign I was not there to take care of you” (238), showing the extreme amount of importance she believes to carry in Jane’s life. This incident makes Mrs. Elton feel the need to offer Jane her oh-so-mighty assistance. She tells Jane, “The man who fetches our letters every morning (one of our men, I forget his name) shall inquire for your’s too… from us I really think, my dear Jane, you can have no scruple to accept such an accommodation” (238). Despite Jane’s insistent refusal, unwilling to give up her early walk and, perhaps, unwilling to be domineered, Mrs. Elton will not relent. Though it made very clear that Mrs. Elton is really of no importance to Jane and Emma is to Harriet, she, as well as Emma, considers herself to be utterly essential to her inferior.
Though this quality cannot be seen as expressly in Mrs. Elton, Emma’s matchmaking is very important to Austen’s critique of the presumptuous clout and prideful scheming of upper-class women. Austen gives Emma this persona from the very beginning of the novel as Emma commends herself on successfully marrying-off her former governess. Emma says, “… I made up my mind on the subject. I planned the match from that hour; and when such success has blessed me in this instance, dear papa, you cannot think that I shall leave off match-making” (29). Emma arrogantly sees her “talents” as being of utmost importance to the happiness of others. In these schemes, she is nearly delusional and twists the emotions of others based merely upon conjecture. In Harriet’s case, Emma advises her not to marry Mr. Martin, whose class is, in actuality, equal if not better than that which Harriet’s rootless background gives her claim to, simply because Emma wants Harriet to marry Mr. Elton. In doing this, Emma convinces both herself and Harriet of Elton’s love for Harriet by creating Mr. Elton’s intentions to be something which they actually are not. She tells Harriet that Harriet’s likeness, which Mr. Elton took to frame, “is in his companion all this evening, his solace, his delight. It opens his designs to his family, it introduces you among them, it diffuses through the party those pleasantest feelings of our nature, eager curiosity and warm prepossession” (62). Harriet believes Emma’s affirming speculations to be truth, and it serves to strengthen her feelings for a man who does not really love her. Emma herself knows that these are merely guesses, and this is made clear when, upon seeing Mr. Elton and Harriet together, she “felt the glory of having schemed successfully” (88). The word “schemed” her points clearly to the fact that Emma knows she is working with assumptions.
Mrs. Elton does some scheming of her own, though not in the same way that Emma does. While Emma attempts to create romantic ties, Mrs. Elton attempts to create social ties. She too considers herself quite the expert in her field of matchmaking, just as Emma does in hers. Austen writes that Mrs. Elton had “so little judgment that she thought herself coming with superior knowledge of the world, to enliven and improve a country neighborhood” (227). Mrs. Elton’s firm belief of the influential connections she could create between her new and former friends is also revealed as she speaks to Emma about going to Bath. Mrs. Elton says, “It would be a charming introduction for you, who have lives so secluded a life; and I could immediately secure you some of the best society in the place. A line from me would bring you a little host of acquaintance” (223). Mrs. Elton also presumes to find Jane a job being a governess, despite Jane’s arguments of waiting:
…it was with a cousin of Mrs. Bragge, an acquaintance of Mrs. Suckling, a lady known at Maple Grove. Delightful, charming, superior, first circles, spheres, lines, ranks, every thing – and Mrs. Elton was wild to have the offer closed immediately… and positively refused to take her friend’s negative, though Miss Fairfax continued to assure her that she would not at present engage in any thing… (287-288).
Just as Emma persists in her plans with Harriet, so Mrs. Elton does with Jane, though Mrs. Elton reveals a much more tacky manner in doing so, especially in spite of all Jane’s resistance.
Through these two characters, Austen has revealed a most deplorable side of nineteenth century Britain’s upper-class, and the ending of the book continues in this critiquing fashion, only it is through the women’s differences, rather than similarities. Emma comes to see her faults and claims them, as Austen tells, “With insufferable vanity had she believed herself in the secret of everybody’s feelings; with unpardonable arrogance proposed to arrange everybody’s destiny. She was proved to have been universally mistaken; and she had not quite done nothing – for she had done mischief” (327-238). Every laments her wrongdoing and accepts the credit due her for Harriet’s unhappiness. Later, in a manner quite unlike her, Emma tells Jane Fairfax, “Oh! if you knew how much I love everything that is decided and open!” (363), further revealing her character change, as Emma is usually one to indulge her imagination and presume her own truths.
Mrs. Elton, however, undergoes no such change, as is seen in her visit to Jane Fairfax. When Emma enters the room, Mrs. Elton does everything possible to reveal to Emma that she knows a secret that Emma, she thinks, does not. This scene is one the last in the novel, indicating that Mrs. Elton’s character, unlike Emma’s, will be static. Emma’s response to this situation is highly commendable, as she makes no hint that she knows the very secret Mrs. Elton refers to. It is after this that Emma tells Jane her preference of having things in the open. These two situations, back to back, serve to foil the two characters of Emma and Mrs. Elton – Emma coming away the more respectable of the two.
Through Emma and Mrs. Elton, Jane Austen makes clear her vast understanding of the society in which she lives, and she shakes her finger to it. The heartache that both characters cause, Mrs. Elton in Jane Fairfax and Emma in Harriet, serves as a reproach to the gossipy, haughty, conspiring women in her society. Mr. Knightly, who serves as Emma’s conscience through most of the novel, best portrays the lesson by telling Emma, “Mystery; Finesse – how they pervert the understanding!” (352), and it is this advice that Austen makes clear throughout her novel.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Emma. Ed. R.W Chapman. Rev. Mary Lascelles. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006.
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