Alex Waller 2/15/12 Nineteenth Century British Novels Dr. Pennington The Likability of Emma as she is compared to others As Jane Austen was writing Emma, one of her concerns was that the readers would not like Emma. Since the story revolves around Emma, and the narration is able to dig into Emma s mind to know her thoughts and emotions, it is easy to see why she was concerned about having a long story about an unlikable protagonist. It is hard not to see why Austen feared that readers would not be able to appreciate Emma. Emma, a young member of the aristocracy in her small English town, has a tendency to be manipulative, naïve, arrogant, and elitist throughout the novel. Through judging Emma s actions solely based on their own merit, she is detestable. However, it is also important to compare her to the other characters in the novel. These foils are important because it shows what type of society Emma is living in and has to deal with, and that there is a reason why Emma acts the way she does that transcends stigma that she is unlikable simply because the reader does not approve of her actions. By judging Emma s actions through the big picture, she ends up being morally superior to Mr. Knightley and Harriet, and a moral equivalent Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax.
Given the narrative structure of the novel that follows Emma s thoughts and feelings on matters, the reader can find themselves sympathizing with her actions. The character in the novel who serves to bring everything back down to Earth for Emma and the reader is Mr. Knightley. Considered to be a moral center and the finest gentleman of the community, Mr. Knightly seeks to correct Emma s behavior for the sake of making her a fine woman who will be complement to the community. However, throughout their arguments in the novel, it appears that Mr. Knightley is an elitist who seeks to uphold the class structure and the values of which people are judged upon in their community. An example of this is their heated exchange regarding Harriet s refusal of Mr. Martin s marriage proposal. Mr. Knightley s position that Harriet is proper for the farmer Mr. Martin, but not adequate for Mr. Elton, reveals his elitist ideology, which is not an admirable one. He reveals that he believes people are not equal, and must stay in their place in life. This is shown when says of Harriet, Robert Martin has no great loss-if he can but think so; and I hope it will not be long before he does. Your views for Harriet are best known to yourself. (64) This is a position of questionable character, as Mr. Knightley rabidly follows the social structure, which itself is flawed based on its arrogance. In that same argument Emma takes the position that Harriet has the qualities that any man would want, and her unknown lineage(which she cannot help, and which nothing can be done about) will not matter because of her positive qualities of being a beautiful young girl with a charming personality. This is shown when she says
that Harriet is exactly what every man delights in- what at once bewitches his senses and satisfies his judgement. (62) Obviously, Mr. Elton did not concur with Emma s assessment of of Harriet, and was offended at the idea that Harriet was fit for him. Even though Emma s actions reveal naiveté and her own sense of elitism, given that she judges Mr. Martin for being a farmer rather than an aristocrat, they are ultimately just. It is admirable that Emma saw the positive qualities that Harriet possessed, and tried to maximize them. She sees the good in Harriet, and the potential she has to transcend her place in life. Meanwhile, Mr. Knightley only focuses on the flaws of Harriet, given her lineage. Even though Mr. Knightley was correct, and Harriet was left at loose ends following Emma s ill fated guidance, Emma ultimately shows that she is a superior person Mr. Knightley. This is true because Emma chose to look at the good in Harriet rather than her flaws, and through that those positive qualities seeks to give Harriet a better quality of life, and refused to judge solely on the arbitrary quality of lineage. Emma s actions may be flawed, and her aspirations for Harriet unrealistic, but they are also done with a good heart and good intentions. Emma s actions in this section of the novel show her to be likable, especially compared to the arrogance of Mr. Knightley. Emma once again proves to be a moral superior to Mr. Knightley as the two argue about the unexpected absence of Frank Churchill. Mr. Knightley, upset by Frank Churchill s absence, sees no excuse for him to be absent. Emma, on the other hand, sympathizes with Churchill because of the difficulties of dependence. Although
Knightley is right in the end to judge Frank s character as lacking, Emma shows to be the better person because she will not judge Churchill s character simply based off of one incident, and instead gives him the benefit of the doubt. This shows her moral superiority to Knightley once again as she will hand down harsh punishment without first knowing the situation, as Knightley is willing to. Mr. Knightley is keen to the ways of the world, and has a good understanding of the intentions and character of others. Emma does not possess the intuitive senses of Mr. Knightley. However, in terms of character she is ultimately his superior. Knightley, although intelligent, is also cynical who gives orders to others from a moral and social pedestal. He is rich, a male, and a significant presence in his community. Given his position in life as one who is admired, and one who can do as he pleases, he treats others with disrespect as he soaks in his luxurious lifestyle, one without limitation or dependence. Emma, while having some but all of the personal liberties that Mr. Knightley possesses, is also full of herself, but in the end she much more knid-hearted and optimistic than the cynical and apathetic Knightley is. Even though Mr. Knightley has a much better understanding of the world than Emma does, Emma is still his superior because she decides to see the good in others, and to have sympathy for their less than perfect situations, rather than to lay harsh judgment on them. Harriet is another character who has interaction with Emma throughout the novel. Harriet, although beautiful and charming, is very naïve and unaware of her
situation in life. When she receives Mr. Martin s marriage proposal, she is ecstatic about it, and Emma quickly and assertively convinces her to turn it down. Harriet is content to accept the first marriage proposal she gets. However, Emma believes that Harriet should think more of herself and wait to see if a better suitor comes along. This is shown when Emma tells Harriet that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. (51) This is what makes Emma a superior person to Harriet, which is the fact that she is not content to let Harriet go live an average life just because that is the easiest option that presents itself, while Harriet herself is perfectly willing to accept an average life. Despite the fact that Emma s plan for Harriet did not succeed, it is her intentions that count in the end. Emma sees a lot of value in Harriet as a person, more vale than Harriet sees herself. This shows that despite Harriet s inclination to quickly accept a dull existence, Emma does her best to make her strive for more. Harriet s attempt to climb the social ladder did not work, as she ends up marrying Mr. Martin in the end. However, Emma s attempts to seek a better life for Harriet than her social situation would allow are noble. As she showed before in her confrontation with Mr. Knightley, she sees value in Harriet that everyone else refuses to see because of her questionable lineage. Emma chooses not to judge Harriet not on her qualities that are out of her control, such as the identity and reputation of her parents, but instead focuses on her positive qualities such as her personality and the way she presents herself. Despite the fact that Emma left Harriet at loose ends after an offended Mr. Elton leaves town, in the end, she saw
more in Harriet than she chose to see in herself, and that makes her a superior to Harriet. A character who Emma has a lot in common with in the novel is Frank Churchill. Churchill, like Emma, is young, attractive, and is rather well off in life not having to work for much.. Frank is the same way. He is also Emma s contemporary when judging the worth of a potential mate. Even though Jane Fairfax does not come from a very respectable background, she does have a lot of value as a person. To go along with her beauty, she has fought for everything she has in life, and has an inner resolve that is very admirable. The value that Frank sees in Jane is similar to the value Emma sees in Harriet, which is to solely judge them as individuals rather than by their lineage, and the wealth their respective families possess. Although Emma and Frank Churchill are ultimately good hearted people with good intentions, they do not fully realize or appreciate the consequences of their actions. This can be pointed to with Emma s dealings with Harriet. Emma may have only the best of intentions for Harriet, but she ultimately leaves her at loose ends, and with hurt feelings. The same can be said for Frank Churchill. He wants the best for Jane, and truly loves her for the right reasons. However, he does not take into consideration the toll that hiding their engagement will take on Jane personally, as Jane appears to be in a sour mood during her visit in town. He is also insensitive, and gives Jane a hard time about the fake Mr. Dixon even though he can see that his ribbing is upsetting her.
The other character who stands on equal moral ground with Emma in the novel is Jane Fairfax. Austen describes Jane as growing up with no advantages of connection or improvement to be engrafted on what nature had given her in a pleasing person, good understanding, and warm-hearted, well meaning relation. (153) Even though Jane and Emma do not get off on the right foot, they have a similar set of ideals. It is shown through their actions that they believe that the value of a person lies in the individual themselves. Emma displays this through her promotion of Harriet as a worthy mate despite her unknown lineage, and it shown with Jane as she has worked tirelessly to climb the social ladder despite the odds that were set against. Ultimately, they both believe that an individual s personal qualities can help them transcend the societal restrictions that have been placed before them. In Wayne C. Booth s A Rhetoric in Fiction, he discusses Emma s likability factor. He mentions that seen from the outside, Emma would be an unpleasant person. Unless, like Mr. Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley, we knew her well enough to infer her true worth. (246) This an accurate statement that is well summarized as to the fact that since the reader gets to see Emma interact with many of the characters, they are allowed to become more aware of why Emma is a good person and is among the most morally solid characters of the novel. As Austen takes the reader on a journey through the values, workings, and constraints of this society, character whom the reader may judge harshly from an outside glance can now begin to look at them with a greater understanding of why they act like they do. On the artificial
surface of social etiquette and practices, Emma, and to a lesser extent Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill appear to be unlikable characters. Their lack of respect for common social practices, and how to act in public, make them at first seem detestable. However, as the reader is slowly and subtlety introduced into this society, they can begin to realize all of the society s flaws. The chief one among them being that people are judged and valued based on uncontrollable factors such as lineage and wealth, rather than character and personality. Emma does not consider the consequences of her actions, but her actions are noble. They are to help people find happiness, and to help Harriet find a better life than the one she is destined for. Frank is a liar and unreliable, but he is choosing to marry a great woman, one whom society would not approve of given that she is not a member of the elite. Jane appears as cold and distant, but that is only because she has to temporarily hide her love for Frank because she is not considered to be socially elite enough. After getting to know these characters, and even more importantly, the society, Austen shows us why these characters do what they do. Even though they are flawed people, and may have certain undesirable qualities, they are ultimately good people, and it is shown through how they treat and value others throughout the novel, and not whether their behavior is considered socially acceptable or not. Jane Austen was concerned that readers would not like Emma. That concern is valid because at first Emma does not appear to be likable at all. However, with Austen s skill, and the meticulous detail that she writes in, the reader is slowly but
surely exposed to Emma s true value. She has her flaws, and they significant. However, her moral virtue ultimately supplants her imperfection. Emma, through all of the mistakes she makes in judgment, is ultimately a morally sound character because her heart is in the right place. Work Cited:
Booth, Wayne C. "Control of Distance in Jane Austen's Emma." The Rhetoric of Fiction. [Chicago]: University of Chicago, 1961. 243-49. Print