In the novel Emma, Emma Woodhouse is not much different from Jane Austen herself. She is independent, not all that focused on getting married, and also is a strong figure in her family. Throughout the novel the idea that women do not have to marry is shown through two main characters- Emma and Miss Bates. Miss Bates never did and never will marry and yet the whole town likes her and no one is rude to her for the fact that she never married. Miss Bates has more important things to do like take care of her mother and niece and no one judges her for never marrying. Emma is also not judged for not wanting to marry; some may not believe that she never will, but she is not mocked or shamed for her belief and is fondly loved by the whole town and everyone she meets. Another value in Emma is the fact that women are not perceived as their husband’s objects or possession nor are the shown as weak or timid. Mrs. Weston is a strong …show more content…
Harriet’s life revolves around men and she pines after Mr. Elton for nearly the entire book. Austen uses this character to show just how silly women seem that focus their lives around men and the obsession to marry and in fact Austen never even married herself. Harriet’s obsession with men and marrying is shown throughout the novel, but especially when she reveals to Emma that she has been keeping items that are reminiscent of Mr. Elton and even she admits it was “in [her] nonsense” (307) and that she “could not help making a treasure of it” (307). Harriet is also used as a foil to Emma. Where Emma is firm in her ideas and beliefs and will only marry for true love Harriet is easily swayed in any direction she is pointed by Emma and others. Where Emma is self assured and confident Harriet is shy and uncertain. Emma is committed to living a life unmarried with little exception and all Harriet wants to do is to be
Marriage, a broad theme in this book, can be broken down throughout. Emma’s sister has gone off after getting married and left her alone. After her sister’s marriage, Emma proclaimed that she was not destined for love and made herself the town’s unofficial matchmaker. The entire novel is built around relationships and matchmaking, with Emma and Mr. Knightly, Harriet and Robert Martin/ Elton, and Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill.
Health can actually mean various things to different people and it all depends on an individuals situation and circumstance. There are various factors that can potentially affect health and these factors include gender, age, family relationships, mental and emotional capabilities, life experiences, culture, spirituality and socio-economic. All of these factors can have some potential influence on your health status, health beliefs as well as aspirations. For example looking at the given case study there are several life experiences that could have an influence on Emma's lifestyle. One being, ''Emma does not smoke or drink, but since she has been spending a lot of time at the house, she has been comfort eating and has gained about 2 stone in
Tai and Harriet are not allowed to see certain males in lower social status and should only find men that are suitable for them. In Emma, Harriet begins to fall in love with Mr. Martin a young farmer, however, Harriet allowed Emma to sway her not to entertain Mr. Martin any longer and she should only see Mr. Elton instead-- a man of acceptable social status. Emma wants to see Harriet to be permanently connected to higher status and can be said throughout Austen's narration:
Austen’s views within Emma are a reflection of the prevailing views in the Regency Era, as the upper classes often abused their wealth and influence to ensure that their descendants would be wealthy like them. The rigidity associated with the class structure within the Regency era is initially reflected when Emma is characterised as, “handsome, clever and rich with a comfortable home and a happy disposition”. The fact the sentence specifically mentions her assets definitely emphasises how her inherited wealth is the major (if not only) factor accounting for her high status. This classist structure is later reflected with the gentry’s interactions of those below their social class. Emma’s arrogant tone when she teaches Harriet “the yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I can feel I can have nothing to do” is indicative of the inflexible nature of the class system during that era. It was acceptable to feel superior due to being of a higher class. Her view symbolises that of the upper classes’ patronising attitude to the lower classes, and thus emphasises the omnipresent nature of the class system within the United Kingdom. Hence, Austen’s heavy emphasis on the class system within Emma is a stark reminder of how our behaviours have not developed over the
Though at first glance, Emma appears to be a generic romantic novel about virtue and ladyhood, Austen actually challenges what the meaning of “ladyhood” is to the reader. We view Emma’s follies, trials, and triumphs through the eyes of the omnipotent narrator who first describes Emma as a stereotypical, wealthy young lady who is “handsome, clever…with…a happy disposition” (1). Through the use of irony, Austen employs a series of situations in which Emma, a “lady” of high standing within her community, challenges conventional thinking of what it means to be a young woman in the early nineteenth century, particularly her ideas concerning marriage and
Emma, is the story of the education and growth process of Emma. Throughout majority of the novel, Emma involves herself in bad situations in which she misconstrues facts and blinds herself from the truth, at the expense of others. After Emma has discovered that she has been terribly wrong about Mr. Elton, and she was mistaken to encourage Harriet's affection of him, Emma says, "It was foolish, it was wrong to take so active a part in bringing two people together, it was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious- a trick of what ought to be simple!." Emma
In Austen’s times, social hierarchy was based primarily on one's name, wealth, and family connections. It was highly rigid, and the only way to improve one's situation was to marry up. This was reflected by the fact that while Harriet is deemed to be good company, she is never considered by anyone to be on the same social standing. So by manipulating her to refuse Mr. Martin’s proposal, Emma is doing her friend a huge disservice, for as “the natural daughter of somebody”, Harriet had no better option. Austen critiques the superficiality of the class system by contrasting the views of Mr. Knightley with those of Emma. Knightley deems Mr. Martin an “intelligent, respectable gentleman-farmer”, making an evaluation of his character. Emma, however, always sees a person’s status first and makes a judgment of character around that – and so she is immediately disapproving of Mr
The failings of not marrying for love are again made apparent by Austen through the account of Lydia and Wickham and their shortfalls. Lydia and Wickham’s relationship was built on a mixture of youthful attraction and naivety. In the letter she sends to Harriet,
Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in
Austen explains that being born a woman in such a society suggests that even less alternatives on whom to get married to or not to get married to, or how to establish the nature of a person’s life. Furthermore, the way in which the society weakens and controls women is useful in explaining Mrs. Elizabeth Bennet 's panic concerning the marriage of her beloved daughters, as well as why such marriages should always entail both financial and practical considerations. Coming from noble
Harriet is in love with Robert Martin, but Emma tells her it is inappropriate to like him, and so, Harriet attempts to keep Emma’s respect and breaks relations with Robert Martin. Emma tries to make Harriet a match with Mr. Elton, who is madly in love with Emma; also with Mr. Frank Churchill, who married Jane and flirted with Emma. Finally, Harriet thought she had fallen in love with Mr. Knightly after she felt completely detached from Mr. Elton. And by the end of the novel, Emma realized and professed her love for Mr. Knightly and they married. Then, Harriet parted from Emma and sought Robert Martin’s offer for marriage. Essentially, throughout the novel, Emma matures from a clever young woman to a more modest and considerate woman.
In Pride and Prejudice Author Jane Austen claims that marriage should be between a man and women who love each other equally. Austen's disgust of Marriage and decorum in British culture is written through the eyes of main the main character in Pride and Prejudice, Miss Elizabeth Bennett. It is sad to think that marriage could be bought or in Elizabeth Bennett’s case not afforded. Marriage shouldn’t be the only measure of worth for women. Someone should not feel “repugnance” for a marriage due to situation.
As Mr. Elton’s pride is greatly damaged, he decides to go to bath for a holiday, and returns with an offensive, vulgar woman, who will soon be his wife. Mrs. Elton is a rude, dull woman, but has a high social status, which is the reason Mr. Elton chose her. From this love-match, Austen shows us how wrong it is to marry for anything but love. Though it is a highly amusing situation, and Mrs. Elton herself is a very comical character, it in fact causes very serious and severe circumstances, in which these two people will be unhappily married for most probably the rest of their lives.
Jane Austen’s ideas differed with the patriarchal system of her times. She elicited feminist concepts to contradict of the patriarchal structure; Emma’s first determined not to marry. When Harriet once asked why Emma never thought about marriage, she replied that most women were married because of insufficiently social ranking or money. She certainly had all of these privileges, so she won’t
Marriage has no always been about the love and happiness two people bring eachother; instead it was concidered to be more of a business transaction. Emma by Jane Austen takes place during the early twentieth century, this time period was completly absorabed in social classes and had a much different view on marriage than today. Through the young, bold, wealthy, and beautiful character Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen exposes the protocol of marriage as well as the effects marriage held based on social standing during the early twentieth centuery.