Category: Emma

The author, Jane Austen adheres to the common convention of a moral or a lesson in her novel, Emma. There are several cases that Austen displays the moral lesson which are the negative effects of believing in our imagination and interest rather than looking at the reality or the facts of the situation. These cases include: Emma misinterpreting Mr.Elton’s actions, Mr. Knightley unable to consider Frank Churchill in an objective way, and Frank Churchill flirting with Emma. These characters base their opinions on what other people in the town say or their own idea which prevents them from looking at the situation with an objective point of view.

One of the major events that show this moral or lesson can be seen when Emma misinterprets Mr.Elton’s actions in the carriage even though Austen makes it clear that Mr.Elton is not in love with Harriet. After Emma thinks that Mr.Martin is an unacceptable match for Harriet due to him being socially beneath Harriet, Emma encourages a match between Harriet and Mr.Elton. Emma starts to think that Mr.Elton is a “remarkably handsome man, with the most agreeable manners” and becomes convinced that he is already in love with Harriet before even painting her face since Elton “talked of Harriet, and praised her warmly”(Chapter 6, 1st paragraph). However, when Emma paints Harriet, Mr. Elton’s admiration for Emma is clearly seen to us as the readers but not to Emma. For example, Elton says, “You have given Miss Smith all that she required,; you have made her graceful and easy. She was a beautiful creature when she came to you, but, in my opinion, the attractions you have added are infinitely superior to what she received from nature” (Chapter 6, 2nd paragraph). We can see Austen portray Mr.Elton’s admiration on Emma’s painting skills but Emma thinks that Mr.Elton is admiring Harriet instead. Emma’s continued belief of Mr.Elton liking Harriet is evident when Emma decodes Mr.Elton’s riddle and sees that its answer is the word “courtship.” After all, Emma convinces Harriet that the riddle predicts Mr.Elton’s proposal and that the marriage will offer Harriet “everything that [she] wants” (Chapter 9). From here, we can see that Emma cares about social class which is the reason why she denied Harriet from looking into Mr.Martin and instead believed that Mr.Elton, being in a high social class, would be a solution to all of Harriet’s problems. In other words, Emma is living in her own imagination and is trusting her own imagination rather than looking at the facts or the reality of the situation which is evident when Mr.Elton proposes to Emma. In fact, Elton assures Emma that he has never been interested in Harriet in the first place and that he loved Emma all along which makes Emma realize the lies she’s been creating for herself and Harriet. Therefore, Emma creates this dangerous situation by believing in her own imagination that Mr.Elton loves Harriet, when in reality Mr.Elton’s love has always been for Emma.

Another case where Austen displays the moral lesson of the negative effects of trusting in our imagination can be seen when Mr. Knightley is unable to consider Frank Churchill in an unbiased way. After all, the attachment Mr.Knightley sees forming between Frank and Emma makes him develop a jealousy of Frank which forces him to dislike him but has no reasonable explanation to his dissatisfaction. After all in the novel, Mr.Knightley says “Hum! just the trifling, silly fellow I took him for” (Chapter 25). Then later on, the narrator is explicit with why Mr.Knightley was against Frank Churchill saying that “[Mr.Knightley] had been in love with Emma, and jealous of Frank Churchill, from about the same period.” So for Mr.Knightley to be jealous of Frank Churchill and deny that Emma is the reason that he’s acting against Frank hints at the moral lesson of how people should look at the actual facts of the situation and not live by their own instincts and emotions.

Lastly, Frank Churchill flirting with Emma for the motive of using her to disguise his real preference causes him to wrongly believe that she is aware of the situation between him and Jane. In the beginning when the trip to Box Hill was dull to Emma, Frank was able to brighten up the mood by “making her his first object and giving every distinguishing attention to her”(Chapter 43). But it’s important to point out that these actions were motivated by a need to maintain the secrecy of his engagement to Jane Fairfax. This was seen when Mrs. Weston forwards Emma a letter from Frank in which he explains his actions to Emma (Chapter 50). After Jane knew about this, the couple had a dispute at the Donwell Abbey party since Jane was upset about Frank’s sexual behavior toward Emma. Jane thought this was an inappropriate way to maintain their secret. As a result, Frank left to go to Richmond, and Jane sent him a letter specifying that she wanted to break off the engagement. As we can see, for Frank to flirt with Emma thinking that she already knows the relationship between him and Jane came with consequences. These consequences were a product of Frank’s instinct and imagination that led him to mistakenly believe that Emma didn’t know about his relationship, when in reality she did. Therefore, Austen’s portrayal of Frank Churchill flirting with Emma is another case of where we can see this moral lesson of the dangers of trusting in our instincts and imagination rather than in the facts of the situation.

In conclusion, from these events that took place in Emma, Jane Austen’s wants us to be reminded of an important moral lesson which is that all humans need to be cautious of claiming to be completely truthful and acting on it, because there are so many instances where we tend to be wrong about that “truth.” Through this novel, Austen wants us to see that there are consequences to us from living in our imagination and instincts where we should instead focus on the facts of the situation.

Austen’s satire is most subtle in Emma, where it is the heroine herself who is the greatest snob. Emma begins the novel confident that she knows who are ‘the chosen and the best’ in Highbury (to be treated as equals) who are the ‘second set’ (characters like Miss Bates, to be summoned at will to divert Emma’s father) and who are beyond the pale (like the farmer, Mr Robert Martin) (ch. 3). By the end of the novel she has been mortified and made to contemplate the real possibility that the gentlemanly Mr Knightley might want to marry Harriet Smith, the illegitimate daughter of ‘somebody’. Mr Knightley himself enjoys the company of Mr Robert Martin, in whom he finds ‘true gentility’ (ch. 8). Luckily for Emma, Harriet will eventually marry Mr Robert Martin and Emma, taught a stern lesson, will think with ‘great pleasure’ off getting to know him (ch. 54).

Emma, as the majority of Austen’s books, is an investigation in eighteenth Century English society and the importance of appropriateness. The rich and ‘all around reared’ control the social circumstances, giving and starting solicitations and fellowships. Those of low social standing rely on the cause and activity of those in the higher class. At the point when infringement of this request happen, they are regularly met with extraordinary outrage by those of cultured reproducing, as when Emma disapproves of Mrs. Elton venturing to epithet Mr. Knightley. Social class additionally directs the social commitments between the characters, and the manner by which their activities react to these commitments uncovers their character. The tale, for example, coaxes out the subtleties of noble cause with respect to class: Emma is beneficent towards poor people, yet shows minimal activity in become friends with the stranded and gifted Jane.

The characters’ utilisation or maltreatment of their social standing uncovers much about their benevolence or remorselessness. For example, Emma’s activity of mind to the detriment of the senseless, yet low-standing Miss Bates is censured as pitiless by Mr. Knightley in light of the fact that it is a maltreatment of her social clout. Embarrassing the hapless Miss Bates sets an awful model for those in the public arena who might follow her model. Then again, Mr. Knightley’s asking Harriet to move after she has been reprimanded by Mr. Elton is a demonstration of noble cause, generosity, and gallantry since he is of a high social remaining in contrast with both her and Mr. Elton. His demonstration socially ‘spares’ Harriet and censures the Eltons for their inconsiderateness. Social class additionally limits the activities that characters can take in satisfying their wants, as is most obviously found in the novel’s dramatisation with respect to marriage matches. Straight to the point must cover his commitment with Jane on the grounds that she is a vagrant and viewed as an unacceptable social match by his family. Harriet rejects Robert Martin in light of the fact that Emma exhorts her that he is ‘underneath’ her. Mr. Elton rejects Harriet by similar figurings, etc.

Emma is the more youthful of Mr. Woodhouse’s little girls. She lives with her dad at Hartfield; Woodhouse is the second most noteworthy positioning man (behind Knightley) in the area. Mr. Woodhouse (like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice) originates from an antiquated and all around regarded family. Like Georgiana Darcy, Emma Woodhouse has a settlement of 30,000 pounds. Her sister Isabella is hitched to Mr. John Knightley, a legal advisor in London and the sibling of Mr. George Knightley. The setting of this novel is more constrained than huge numbers of the others. Highbury is the focal point of Emma’s reality. Individuals travel every which way, however Emma never leaves the cherished town where she rules as the ‘sovereign’ of society. This tightening makes a scrape for Emma. She would incline toward not to connect with those underneath her social class, yet on the off chance that she went about thusly, she would have no public activity at all.

Mr. George Knightley is the perfect nation squire. He takes his duties to his property (Donwell Abbey) and to his wards truly. He is known for his kindheartedness to other people. The Knightleys and the Woodhouses are the higher class of society in Highbury. Something that may show up as out of venture with numerous Regency books (however is more to reality of the day) is the way that Mr. Knightley doesn’t keep a stable of ponies. He inclines toward strolling to riding, and when ponies are required for his carriage, Knightley lets them. This is an irritated point for Emma, who thinks Knightley acting so has individuals not perceiving his appropriate spot in the public eye. Emma feels that Knightley empowers an excess of commonality with those beneath him.

Knightley’s collaborations with individuals is in sharp complexity to Emma’s conclusions. Knightley is mindful of social qualifications, however he presents regard to the individuals who are meriting it. For instance, though Emma items to Robert Martin’s situation as a sharecropper on Knightley’s property, Knightley calls Martin better than Harriet Smith, saying that Martin is a ‘good, savvy, refined man rancher.’ Knightley claims Harriet to be without insight and without associations. His words are not scorn, only reality. Despite the fact that Harriet had magnificence and a sweet nature, her ill-conceived parentage would shield her from seeking to a man over Martin’s station throughout everyday life. Interestingly, Knightley proclaims Jane Fairfax a suitable ally for Emma. He makes a decision about Miss Fairfax as canny, excellent, and achieved (in spite of the fact that the lady is without a fortune).

Emma is affronted by Mr. Elton’s idea of marriage since she feels Mr. Elton ought not think himself her equivalent socially. This circumstance inclines Emma to locate the new Mrs. Elton as vain and having a lot of pomposity. Emma’s highbrow demeanor is extremely clear when she tells Harriet: “A young farmer, whether on horseback or on foot, is the very last sort of person to raise my curiosity. 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; I might hope to be useful to their families in some way or other.” Emma even ventures to such an extreme as to disclose to Harriet that it satisfies Emma that Harriet rejected Martin. “I could not have visited Mrs. Robert Martin of Abbey-Mill Farm.” Underneath the Knighleys and Woodhouses, we discover Mr. also, Mrs. Weston. Mr. Weston invested energy in the military, however his fortune originates from exchange.

The Eltons are likewise part of this center ground. All we are aware of Mr. Elton’s past is that he is ‘with no unions yet in exchange.’ As a vicar, he has gotten a man of honor’s instruction and Elton is acknowledged in the better homes in the region. Mrs. Augusta Elton goes to her marriage with a settlement of 10,000 pounds by means of her folks’ fortune in exchange. Some think that its amusing to hear Mrs. Elton talking about her sister’s family – a family by the name of Sucklings. The Sucklings display their riches with a huge domain close to Bristol and a barouche-landau. Right now, we additionally discover Mrs. Bates, who is the widow of a minister. In spite of the fact that the lady’s conjugal status stays with her in the of the wealthier families, Mrs. Bates and her unmarried girl live in let rooms over one of the shops in Highbury. All things being equal, the Bateses rely on ‘the graciousness of others’ for the extravagances of life. Mrs. Goddard is the remainder of this class. She is paramour of the town school. A portion of Emma’s neighbors are a piece of the ‘upwardly versatile’ class. These incorporate the Coles (who flourished in exchange), Robert Martin (a rancher on the Donwell Abbey domain), the Coxes (nation legal advisors in Highbury), Mr. Perry (the pharmacist), and Mr. Hughes (a doctor).

We note Emma’s hesitance to communicate with those right now what is essential. Truth be told, she thinks to deny a solicitation to a supper at the Coles until she discovers that the Westons and Mr. Churchill will join in. Beneath the Coles, and so forth., we discover Mr. also, Mrs. Portage (retailers), Mrs. Feeds (the Crown Inn’s proprietor), William Larkins (Mr. Knightley’s steward), Mrs. Wallis (the cake cook’s better half), and Miss Nash and Miss Prince and Miss Richardson (teachers). Harriet Smith would be a piece of this degree of society notwithstanding Emma’s support. Harriet Smith is the ill-conceived little girl of a vendor, who set her with Mrs. Goddard, however who overlooked Harriet since the situation. “Critic Paul Pickrel argues that Trilling has simply misread Austen’s novel. Whatever we think of her heroine, we shouldn’t take what she says at face value. Emma wants to control everyone and everything around her. The combination is a dangerous one, and by interfering in Harriet’s life she poses a real threat to the future of a naive 17-year-old. But it is too simplistic to say snobbishness causes her to sideline Robert Martin: she wants Harriet to herself and, like a child, will say anything to keep her.” [Austen’s Outspoken Heroines]

Other Highbury characters incorporate James (Mr. Woodhouse’s coachman), Patty (the Bateses’ house keeper), and Mrs. Hodges (Mr. Knightley’s cook). The characters who visit Highbury and change the town’s composition incorporate Jane Fairfax (an adversary to Emma for Mr. Knightley’s expressions of love), Frank Churchill (who looks for Jane’s expressions of love and plays with Emma), Mrs. Elton (who censures Harriet and endeavors to oversee Jane), and the tramps. Austen skillful weaves these degrees of society together. The characters of Mrs. Bates and Miss Bates are the connection holding the varying levels together. Miss Bates is gregarious and amiable, and the lady, just as her mom, are the ‘lighthearted element’ in the novel. Emma’s poor treatment at Miss Bates is the wellspring of Mr. Knightley’s analysis of her and the defining moment in the novel.

In spite of the fact that Austen doesn’t venture to such an extreme as to incorporate characters, for example, Squire Western from Fielding’s Tom Jones in the plot of Emma, she displays traces of what we find in her last novel, Persuasion: independent men who are better than the respectable man class. “In Emma, says Harris, the heroine’s openness is preferable to Jane Fairfax’s reserve, even if Emma ‘says too much too often.’ She, ‘like Elizabeth Bennet, speaks too freely because her father’s power is weak.’ But Austen shields these two outspoken, intelligent heroines from being labelled shrews by the use of free indirect speech – so we sometimes find them thinking uncharitable thoughts that they are too tactful to express out loud. Austen was highly conscious of the effect of gender on language. Anne Elliot in Persuasion comments that ‘men have every advantage of us in telling their story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree.’”

Those of the lower class depend on the kindness of the upper class and how the upper class manages their actions reveals their character. Mr. Knightley is exemplary of chivalry and graciousness by asking Harriet to dance after being snubbed by Mr. Elton. Harriet is without a partner at the ball and when Mr. Elton finds he is to be paired with Harriet he says, “Anything else I should be most happy to do” which goes against his duty of a higher class to be charitable (Austen 307). Emma states that “in another moment a happier sight caught her; -Mr. Knightley leading Harriet to the set!” showing Emma’s appreciation and the charitableness of Mr. Knightley’s action (Austen 307).

The novel states that “there had been a time when he would have scorned her as a companion, and turned from her with little ceremony” showing that despite his graciousness to Harriet then, he is not entirely perfect in his actions to those of a lower class (Austen 338). As Mr. Knightley saves Harriet, he reprimands the Eltons for their rudeness to which Mr. Elton was “looking (Emma trusted) very foolish” (Austen 307). Mr. Knightley is the dignified rebel of his class as he walks instead of riding in the carriage. The novel states that he was “keeping no horses” and “was too apt…to get about as he could, and not use his carriage so often as became the owner of Donwell Abbey” (Austen 199). Despite being a very wealthy member of the upper-class society, Mr. Knightley is not afraid to walk to get places. Austen creates Mr. Knightley as the perfect and most suitable match for Emma regarding social station and temperament but he is aware of how to act in social situations; whereas, Emma has moments where she acts out of her class.

The upper-class society was seen as having a duty to be benevolent to those who occupied the lower classes. Opinion is a privilege; however, Emma’s insulting Miss Bates reflects poorly on upper-class society. Emma is allowed to stake out opinions on other people because she is so uniquely placed but her treatment of Miss Bates breaks a fundamental rule of social class interaction and reflects poorly on Emma’s character. While Emma insults Miss Bates with a jest, Miss Bates remarks, “I must make myself very disagreeable, or she would not have said such a thing to an old friend” (Austen 347). Despite not noticing the slight at first, Miss Bates becomes flustered at the interaction and comment made by Emma. Emma denies ever upsetting Miss Bates claiming, “Nobody could have helped it. It was not so very bad. I dare say she did not understand me” showing Emma’s true character to be unfeeling to those inferior to her (Austen 351).

Emma’s slight towards Miss Bates sets a bad example for those who would follow Emma and try to exemplify her character. Knightley reprimands Emma telling her that it was wrong of her to be so cruel to Miss Bates especially “before others, many of whom (certainly some), would be entirely guided by your treatment of her” (Austen 352). Knightley’s corrective nature to Emma shows her that by being in a position of higher class she must show her neighbors and friends with respect despite possibly having a lower position in society to her. He states that “were she your equal in situation” he wouldn’t reprimand her but because of lower status “her situation should secure your compassion” (Austen 351).

Knightley is corrective of Emma’s character when she falls short of where she should be. Emma’s wealth and privilege in society come from being born into good fortune not from merit herself; thus, she needs to be compassionate toward those in a less desirable situation. While the upper-class society should be charitable to those in a lesser position than themselves, Emma disregards this entirely when she is less inviting to Jane Fairfax. Emma is charitable to the poor as she visits Miss Bates and brings her food; however, shows little initiative in befriending Jane Fairfax. Harriet attempts to remark on their musical abilities to which Emma remarks “Don’t class us together, Harriet” showing Emma’s contempt for Jane (Austen 215). Emma attempts to get information out of Jane which she is suspiciously and coldly reserved about being open about information. What Emma despises about Jane is that Jane has no interest in stupid details that Emma takes pleasure in. Jane is in the subject position in which she wishes herself in a different universe and not feigning interest. Emma believes her to be unsocial and does not flatter Emma’s need for drama, attention, or social ability. Jane has no interest in Emma’s world and is not different from her; thus, showing that Jane does not recognize Emma’s superiority makes compulsions in her behavior. Jane is emancipated from all of Emma’s trivialities and knows her social class place very well. Knightley says that Jane is the good girl that Emma ought to be. Due to Jane’s social class, she is at the disposal of other people’s pleasures and cannot even walk to the post office on her own, showing the restriction of her social class position. Despite being a governess, Jane is constantly being governed by those in a higher class.

Clair Colebrook states it is the ‘practice of concealment’ that contributes significantly into the development of irony in Western political and philosophical tradition. ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen epitomizes this idea by presenting readers with ironic visions through a narrative that underlines the concealed characteristic of human nature in her characters. This in turn contributes to the moral values that emerges at the end of the novel. The central focus will therefore be how Austen has used irony to reverse her use of deception in order to dramatize the revelation of the interrelationship between her characters.

“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”, sets the stage for the rest of the novel. It serves as a foreshadow to the upcoming events as well as a dramatic irony because the readers are aware of this comfortable character who dwells in self-deception and ignorance. This in turn conjures anticipation for the pending crisis and reality to dawn upon Emma. Austen has successfully established that the self-deception of Emma lies in her failure to acknowledge her own flaws and desires, which is most evident in her selection of candidates to match with Harriet Smith. Emma adopts Harriet as a source of amusement in order to enjoy through her an experimental relationship with a man, Harriet is therefore an agent whom Emma can savour an indirect love affair. This can be seen when she is determined and fixated to transform Harriet in “she would improve her, she would detach her from bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society, she would form her opinions and her manners”. Emma demonstrates her resolution to integrate herself into Harriet by manifesting similarities and removing social and behavioural differences between them. Another example of this amalgamation is Emma’s assumption of Harriet’s gentry connection despite being “the daughter of nobody”. She strongly believes that Harriet is the daughter of “a gentleman—and a gentleman of fortune” which acts as a reflection of her own to conjoin Harriet and herself as one entity. With this unification, along with the determination to matchmake for Harriet, it is likely a possible candidate for Harriet is also a potential suitor for Emma herself. In this context, her accusation of Robert Martin being ‘undoubtedly her inferior as to rank in society’ is therefore justified as “She is superior to Mr. Robert Martin”. Hence separating Harriet from Martin is then the objection of Robert Martin as a possible husband for Emma. She links Martin’s occupation as a farmer to coarseness and clownishness, which are antithetical to the standards of gentry, elegance, and wit, in which she applies to courtship as well as other ritual of life. Physical union with Martin will therefore be impossible for Emma and consequently, impossible for Harriet. Mr Elton, on the other hand, being a “very pretty young man and a very good young man’, who many has “great regard for him” is more likely a candidate for Emma, thus for Harriet accordingly. Her enthusiasm and determination to pair Harriet and Mr. Elton suggests her subconscious approval of Mr Elton as a worthy partner for herself. Hence, when Mr Woodhouse states “Emma never thinks of herself, if she can do good to others” contains verbal irony as the belief that Emma has based her actions entirely on generosity towards Harriet allows her to overtook the self-serving undertone of her actions. Emma’s declaration of love and marriage not being her ‘way’ and ‘nature’ is then proved also to be verbal irony as her action challenges her speech- her involvement in others’ romantic fates underlines her contained desires for love. Through all conduct of matchmaking, it allows the reader to witness her awakening from innocence to passion.

Emma’s close adherence to the established and insulated life of gentry blinded her from the harsh truth of reality and contribute to her lack of understanding of her community, in which her naive perception of the world disagrees with the harsh reality of social order. Her lack of insight of the real world is apparent in the symbolic painting of Harriet when she had “given her friend the only beauty she wanted” despite her not having ‘those eye-brows and eye-lashes’. It is the “fault of her face” that is intentionally omitted from the portrait as “Emma knew that she had, but would not own it”. This maintenance of physical illusion of Harriet suggests her indifference to others and highlights her self inflicted delusions, which consequently mirrors her lack of awareness to Harriet’s social possibilities. Emma’s credulous thoughts are most prominent with her intention to help Harriet climb the social ladder and tries to break social boundaries by matchmaking Harriet with men superior as to status in society. This matchmaking backfires on Emma when Mr Elton declares his love for her, as his “sole view” is the “marking” of his “adoration” for Emma and he could not “think of Miss Smith, when Miss Woodhouse is near!”. The irony is evident in which Emma’s role of a governing supervisor is mistaken as the role of principal and that her intention of charity became a hindrance to Harriet’s romantic fates instead. The ultimate irony is that Emma becomes the victim of her own misinterpretations and illusions, causing her to realise she “was adventuring too far, assuming too much”, and “it was foolish to bring any two people together” who do not match in the value birth. Hence, when Mrs Weston states that “Harriet may be said to do Emma good” is an irony that emphasizes in Harriet’s expense, Emma acquires her knowledge of the society, becoming more aware of social compatibility. This forms an hierarchal system in which the distinction between the powerful and the weak is highlighted, and in order for one to gain, the other will have to suffer loss. Emma’s self delusion of a fantastic utopian society instead of the ordinary one that she inhabits sets her apart from her community in Highbury. The apartness manifests itself in the judgements she passes on her neighbours in the instance of Miss Bates where Emma commented “Pardon me, but you will be limited as to number—only three at once” was particularly rude and cruel. She depicts herself above everyone else and is not part of the friendship that binds the community together and has no friend who is an equal “with whom to share genuine intimacy”. She is detached from the community and the unity is only built up in the concluding paragraph showcasing the marriage between Emma and Mr Knightly – “The wedding was very much like other weddings… But in spite of these deficiencies, the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony, were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union”. The novel concludes in the spirit of comedy with the promise of ‘perfect happiness’ in the sense the community at the end is ideally organised in a way that makes for happiness. Highbury is a socially hierarchal world constituted by Emma and Knightley on top, followed by Churchill and Jane, then Harriet and Robert. Social order is restored when Knightley marries Emma and Martin marries Harriet. Characters married those who are socially compatible to them to complete the unification of the community.

Mr George Knightley is another object of irony as Austen highlighted some flaws in his nagging and correction of Emma despite being the representation of integrity in personality and honesty of action that are ideal in the novel. Mr Knightley’s embodiment of truth and honesty can be seen most evidently in “My Emma, does not everything serve to prove more and more the beauty of truth and sincerity in all our dealings with each other?”. The rhetorical question along with his praise of honesty shows an evident pride in the vision of his very own honesty to Emma. However, when this private disposition is involved with public influence, they become entangled in the web of social frailty and deception. F.W. Bradbrook commented in relation: that the “impeccable Mr. Knightley” dwells in “purely egoistic self-deception”. Frank Churchill’s exploitation of Emma “with ruthless thoroughness” in order to hide his surreptitious affair with Jane parallels with Knightley’s trifling relation with Harriet’s affection while remaining silent about his love for Emma. This corresponds when Emma “blush of sensibility on Harriet’s account” as similarities between both characters are profound. Therefore, Mr Knightley’s condemnation of misleading others and appreciation for truth is seen as a verbal irony and placed him in a complex system of moral responsibility and illusion. Mr Knightley, like Frank Churchill, dwells in the plot of manipulation of not only himself but also those around him due to his repressed desires and self interest. The only difference between both men is that Mr Knightley is unaware and innocent from any aims to beguile. This complication is not completely misleading but morality is evasive too. Furthermore, Mr Knightley’s ‘endeavours to counteract the indulgence of Emma is more “likely to do harm as good” as it sparked her desires to prove him wrong and prompted her intransigent acts to continue in matchmaking for Harriet. His good will is then not vindicated and instead, become an accomplice for the very faults he corrects. This declaration of candour is hence incomplete and have to be accompanied with the previous narrative on honesty: “Seldom, very seldom does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken; but where, as in this case, though the conduct is mistaken, the feelings are not, it may not be very material”. Austen implies that complete truth is rarely found in human disclosure, in which, self-deception and greed have public results. His kindness to Harriet has led her to believe a reciprocal love can exist between them and his real motives in coming to comfort Emma for her supposedly loss of Frank Churchill is revealed after he proposes his own love for Emma. The human integrity is thus challenged, instead of being objective ‘performance’, it becomes a subjective ‘feeling’. Though his intentions remained virtuous, his moral obligations are confined in the intricate subject of moral accountability and misconception. The very integrity of Mr Knightley expands his ironic and external similarity to Frank Churchill to add depth to the novel’s moral undertones: to some degree, misunderstandings are unavoidable and truth are not completely revealed as it is modified by the perception of the listener. The individual rectitude is diffused by the misconception of the eyes which behold it.

The complexity that lies in ‘Emma’ is the contradiction between fancy versus nature and appearance versus reality. Irony involves the splitting of perspective into many viewpoints and this gives reader the insights to deeper understanding of the characters by exposing their external performance and internal agenda. This consciousness and access to private thoughts of characters derives an assessment to realism, allowing readers to counterbalance the duplicity and readjusting the reality in this novel. Austen’s use of irony is therefore a dominant undercurrent beneath the basic theme of deception.

‘Emma’ is a novel that was written by Jane Austen and was published in 1815. Emma Woodhouse, the main character, is a 21-year-old woman who lives with her father Mr. Woodhouse, in the village of High Bury. She comes from a privileged background and lives comfortably in a happy disposition. She constantly acts as a matchmaker for everyone, and ultimately herself. In the book, juxtaposition can be seen between Mr. Knightley and Frank Churchill and between Emma, Jane Fairfax, and Harriet. The use of juxtaposition helps to reemphasize Austen’s ironic statements, to construct and illuminate characters and compare two or more characters. By using juxtaposition, Austen portrays Emma’s struggle as she advances in her path of self-knowledge.

Juxtaposition is observed through Emma’s complex attitude towards Jane. Although both women share some characteristics, such as classism, being manipulative, and stubbornness, when they are together, their differences and Emma’s jealousy and sense of entitlement are more noticeable. Emma’s opinion about jane becomes clear that she doesn’t like her because of her reserved attitude. “There was no getting at her real opinion. Wrapt up in a cloak of politeness, she seemed to determine to hazard nothing” (Austen 136). Even when Emma made multiple promises to herself to try and accept Jane, she found it impossible. Jane refuses to engage in conversation beyond what is considered polite, and Emma, who enjoys engaging in playful conversations, does not accept her quietness. Austen shows without an open personality, making connections is more troublesome and is prone to misinterpretation, but having an open personality makes overcoming differences simpler. In addition to their characters, differences between them build their relationship and highlight the importance of Emma’s self-knowledge. The author’s use of juxtaposition reveals that Emma is self-centered and inconsiderate.

Furthermore, the juxtaposition between Mr. Knightley and Frank Churchill is also seen in Emma. The narrator describes Emma’s actions saying, “She compared the two—compared them, as they had always stood in her estimation, from the time of the latter’s being known to her” (Austen, 339). This doesn’t only reveal the juxtaposition between both men, but also the reluctance of the character to be trusted, even by herself. When the author introduces Mr. Knightly into the book, he is characterized as a very practical man, meanwhile, she describes Frank as a good-looking man. Both Mr. Knightly and Frank, have similarities such as their polite manners towards the people they care for, but what makes them different is their differences in being reserved. Frank is a man who cares about his physical appearance while speaking and taking actions and has no interest in the other classes in society. While Mr. Knightly, on the other hand, is an open-minded man who expresses correct opinions with rational thinking which impresses Emma. It is seen that the voice of the book favors Mr. Knightly over Frank, even if they both have good qualities. The constant contrast between both characters forces Emma to repeatedly choose sides. Since those two men are juxtaposed throughout Emma’s life and the book, it enables Emma to determine who she prefers, whereas if they were in isolation, meaning that if Frank never visited High bury, she wouldn’t be able to make that choice. In the end, when Emma sees their differences, she chooses Mr. Knightly to fall in love with, as he always manages to help her advance in her path of self-knowledge. Mr. Knightly is always warning her of things that could harm her or the harm that she could cause others.

Furthermore, the juxtaposition between Emma and Harriet can also be seen. Their relationship is interesting as they are both very different by not sharing similar characteristics. They both realize the power imbalance, as Emma has full control over their friendship due to having a higher status and Harriet lacking such assertiveness. In the book, Emma often patronizes Harriet, masking her superiority complex with her feeling of doing Harriet a huge favor by befriending her. “Yes. But what shall I say? Dear Miss Woodhouse do advise me” (Austen 45). “Oh no, no! The letter had much better be all your own. You will express yourself very properly, I am sure” (Austen 45). Harriet asking Emma for advice on how she should respond to Mr. Elton’s letter when she knows exactly how to respond makes her a submissive character. This is because when Harriet always depends on Emma; it makes Emma a dominant character which then allows her to have full power and control over Harriet and others. This makes Emma think that her words and actions are always correct, and which will then blind her from seeing the negative things. This dominant character that Harriet brings out of Emma, makes Emma realize it later throughout the book, as other characters in the book point it out such as Mr. Knightly. Emma looking back at the way she was treating Harriet by controlling her actions and feelings, makes Emma feel regret. She realizes how blinded she was by thinking she had a better understanding of Harriet’s feelings and knowledge about love. This realization improves her self-knowledge by allowing her to see that she ignored love in herself and instead focused on finding love for others.

In conclusion, the use of juxtapositions allows to construct and illuminate characters, such as Emma illuminating Frank, by choosing Mr. Knightly over him and allows to compare or contrast two or more characters such as Emma and Harriet. The use of juxtaposition also helps Emma advance her self-knowledge. The juxtaposition between Emma and Jane builds their relationship and highlights the importance of Emma’s self-knowledge by revealing that Emma is self-centered and inconsiderate. The contrast between Mr. Knightly and Frank enables Emma to determine who she prefers to fall in love with. Lastly, the contrast between Emma and Harriet improves Emma’s self-knowledge by allowing her to see that she ignored love in herself and instead focused on finding love for others. Looking back at the book, Austen through ‘Emma’, set the standards for creative writing with her thrilling juxtaposition emphasizing several flaws in society while furthering the plot. As time goes by, ‘Emma’ gathers more respect and appreciation due to such a feature of the book that makes it a classic.

Jane Austen, who is considered by some critics to be ‘the best novelist in England’, started writing narratives at an early age. She is famous for her visual representation of society, social status, and typical marriage traditions. Austen can be seen as a feminist during this time because her heroine’s strength is different from the norm. Reading ‘Emma’, Austen acknowledges and questions the belief that marriage is the maturity and lifestyle of a woman. She is an expert of vague sentences that maybe the feelings of a character, but can also be the voice of the narrator. Also, known as free indirect discourse (FID). Free indirect discourse intended effect is to connect the reader and the character, by helping the reader see through the character’s eyes. In the book Emma it is hard to tell whether Emma, one of the characters or the narrator are the one thinking these thoughts. She’s often in Emma’s head, but using free indirect discourse allows her to be ironic about Emma’s thoughts, as well. The use of free indirect discourse in Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ leads to misreading due to misinterpretation of the novel.

Being that free indirect discourse is told within a passage, it is visible by the use of dialogue and quotes. It is up to the reader to interpret it based on the context surrounding it. One scholar LaCapra states, “Free indirect style has the peculiarity of being very easy to recognize but rather difficult to analyze. Commentators will invariably agree on the selection of passages in which it is pres­ent, but they will vary significantly in their explanations of it”. Although readers notice FID in ‘Emma’, their descriptions will be fairly different. Readers will interpret the passage differently and providing different meanings leads to a misreading of the novel. When the narrative changes frequently, in unstructured conduct the novel becomes confusing.

Emma has been deemed one of Austen’s greatest novels because of her use of free indirect discourse. But many interpretations have aroused after reading the book, because of the style. Another scholar Thaden states “’Emma’ especially, we are never sure how much of the narrative is told from Emma’s point of view and how much is Austen’s commentary. We know (or think we know) that we are not in a totally subjective first-person narrative because occasionally we know things that Emma does not”. Reader disagrees constantly on whether or not a passage is told from Emma’s point of view or the narrators. For instance, when Emma starts to dance with Henry the narrator states, “Not more than five couple could be mustered; but the rarity and the suddenness of it made it very delightful, and she found herself-well matched partner. They were a couple worth looking at”. It is hard to distinguish whether or not the narrator or Emma is talking. Although we have a narrative approach, in the beginning, the last sentence “They were a couple worth looking at” seems almost as if it was Emma’s thoughts.

Knowing the difference between the narrator and the audience helps understand the character, and connect on a deeper level. Oberman’s other scholars argue why it is good to know the difference between a narrator and character. She states, “Becoming aware of the double-voicedness of narrated monologue enriches a reader’s understanding of how a narrator manipulates readerly perceptions of a given character”. An easy narration does not give off the same effect, as reading two voices and in this novel it works. The narrator helps the reader know whose side they are on and if he/she is biased, they control the audience’s feelings towards a character. Which emphasizes the reliability of the narrator. The narrator is very important when reading any book. In ‘Emma’, the readers develop empathy for Emma on her journey of self-discovery with the help of free indirect discourse.

Readers are constantly in Emma’s head throughout the novel, and free indirect discourse steers their reactions towards her ideas. Gunn argues that “Thus, even as we find ourselves fully inside of Emma’s consciousness in a passage like this one, her thoughts are still inflected by the surrounding narratorial context”. Austen demonstrates her presence in the novel by stating her judgment, before or after Emma’s. It never contradicts Emma’s thoughts but becomes difficult to notice. Although in some instances we are only restricted to Emma’s point of view, the continuous use of free indirect discourse makes the passage unclear. Gunn goes on to state, “Because we have seen Emma make this sort of confident, fanciful judgment before because we recognize her distinctive quickness and the way her mind runs, we are prepared to recognize the sentimental excess of her fancy here, and to see the FID as a piece of ironic mimicry”. Readers are used to Emma reacting in certain ways, so it does not come off as a surprise. We understand her as a character. So when FID is used it may come off as an imitation of her reacting but amusingly. It depends on how the readers interpret it, and that makes an impact on how they will view the book as a whole.

As I said before, the use of free indirect discourse helps the readers develop empathy for Emma and her mistakes made throughout the novel. Rosmarin argues, “To read ‘Emma’ mimetically is to watch Emma’s education with dispassionate sympathy, any excess involvement or doubt signaling a fault either in our reading or in Austen’s art”. To read Austen’s free indirect discourse in ‘Emma’ as an imitation you will not empathize with her character. An interference of doubt will change with the way we read it as well as Austen’s use of it. Rosmarin continues to argue, “By inviting us to doubt the text, it upholds this act as inherently interesting and valuable; by depending on the interpretive skills of the reader, it implies a reality that needs interpreting and a reader actively involved in that interpretation”. By encouraging the reader to challenge the text, they become more engaged, but it questions their interpretive skills. Misreading becomes crucial when reading a novel because the reader’s engagement is based on their analysis of the novel.

The first time readers see FID in ‘Emma’ is the opening sentence. This is the first time the audience encounters the narrator, “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her”. Readers get confused on whether this authoritative voice is a narrator from the community, or one speaking for the community. Finch and Bowen suggest that “If the narrator had a definite source of authority….she would not tell us how Emma seemed but what she was”. Telling the readers how she seems, proposes that the narrator is not telling us her thoughts but the thoughts of her community. This shows that the community disregards Emma’s unwanted humor. The dialogue is full of unreliability and doubt because the words used to describe Emma are good, but the sound is sarcastic.

Another obvious use of free indirect discourse is after a few days with Harriet, Emma decides that she wants to be more like her. A part of the passage states, “It was rather too late in the day to set about being simple-minded and ignorant, but she left her with every previous resolution confirmed of being humble and discreet, and repressing imagination of herself”. It is difficult to distinguish whether it is Emma speaking/ thinking or the narrator suggesting these thoughts from her point of view. If we read it from Emma’s point of view the sentence will come off as rude calling Harriet “simple-minded and ignorant”. But, if we read it from a narrative standpoint, it can be considered Emma’s way of self-improvement realizing where she is wrong, giving her more room to grow.

When Mr. Elton gives admires Emma’s painting, the narrator responds with Emma’s thoughts rather than her words. “Yes, good man!—thought Emma—but what has all that to do with taking likenesses? You know nothing of drawing. Don’t pretend to be in raptures about mine. Keep your raptures for Harriet’s face”. The narrator is responding on behalf of Emma. It is seen here that the narrator uses is to include Emma’s thoughts, therefore demonstrating free indirect discourse. The narrator will not refer to themselves as “mine”, or a character as “you”, so he/she is not a character in the novel. The narrator has both their response and Emma’s thoughts which can be difficult to analyze when reading.

Further, in the novel, the narrator states “The lovers were standing together at one of the windows”. Referring to Mr. Elton and Harriet are the lovers. Knowing how Emma is determined to play matchmaker and react to certain situations, it can be read as Emma’s thoughts as well. It is unbelievable to see anybody refer to someone as “lovers” besides Emma. Calling those two lovers are misleading because the use of the context behind it lets the readers know they do not like each other. But it is not until a few pages after that we find out the two are not lovers. Confusing, and misreading if one does not go back to re-read it and notice the free indirect discourse.

Jane Austen uses free indirect discourse for multiple reasons in her novel. Another example of free indirect discourse is “With insufferable vanity had she believed herself in the secret of every body’s feelings; with unpardonable arrogance proposed to arrange every body’s destiny. She was proved to have been universally mistaken, and she had not quite done nothing—for she had done mischief”. The narrator is talking to the audience for the benefit of Emma’s actions so that we can empathize and feel shame with her. She is also using this to imitate certain reactions, forcing them on the readers. Creating tension between Emma and the rest of the readers that may have found her responses to situations uncanny. In doing this she is giving us a look at the double-voicedness in her novel.

Although, the free indirect discourse work in some passages in the novel, it still makes it hard to analyze the book as a whole. Finch and Bowen make the case that “gossip is a secret mechanism of control, communicated and naturalized by the free indirect style”. Gossip may have been the technique to tie the story together if either the narrator or Emma was using it. But they both continuously use it, Emma gossip about the characters surrounding her in the story, and so does the narrator. Each sharing some of the same vocabulary in the following sentences.

Narrator: “The real evils..the danger, however, was at present so unperceived”. Emma: “If a separation of two months should not have cooled him, there were dangers”. If the roles were switched, they sound the same, not having a distinct difference in speech. Rachel also disagrees with this statement stating, “The narrative voice, while it disseminates the communal voice through free indirect discourse, does not give the voice of gossip any weight on these important matters; in fact, the communal voice is repeatedly shown to be unreliable”. Gossiping is not a reliable form of speech for a narrator or character it is an act of uncertainty. Spreading the thoughts of Emma’s community the narrator uses free indirect discourse and doing this reveals no important significance.

Free indirect discourse is a key element in ‘Emma’. By the use of that style of writing, the readers can hear Emma’s thoughts. Emma as a character raises uncertainty between both the narrator and the readers, keeping it hard to analyze certain passages. Although Emma tells the story of her experiences when they happen to her at the moment, the narrator recounts the growing awareness of Emma over a few days with the help of other characters.

The private feelings of a character are easily misunderstood as the real expressions of the narrator, and the other way around. The narrator is the heart of the book, they tell the story to the reader. They allow us to know how to feel about a character and how the character feels about themselves. The way they tell the story is important because it tells the audience what to take away from it, if they get confused between the narrator and the main character, it will be hard to fully understand or connect.

The upper class is responsible for creating friendships, initiating invitations, and more importantly, being charitable to those in a lesser position. When someone violates these social norms, they are met with indignation as evidence of Mrs. Elton not understanding entirely her social position in society. Mrs. Elton is insufferably conceited about new money and only has money because of her father’s generation and not even for most of his lifetime. Her father is described as being a “merchant” added by “of course, he must be called” because the novel does not want to dignify a slave trader as a merchant (Austen 172). The people who give the wealth and privilege are an argument for their vulgarity. Mrs. Elton is representative of a slave trading family that once again has transformed their wealth into pastoral privilege. This varies greatly from Emma whose family has had wealth and status for generations and can be described as old money. Mrs. Elton shows condescension towards Emma forgetting her place in society with “all her airs of pert pretension and under-bred finery” (Austen 259). Her character, despite having money, forgets all social manners that are necessary to maintain themselves in a higher social class in society. Austen portrays intimacies in the novel that are maintained at a level of distant respect even up to the point of marriage. Mrs. Elton usurps these names even among married people by calling her husband Mr. Elton, “Mr. E” which scandalizes Emma’s deeper language (Austen 257). Mrs. Elton affects imitation by calling her husband “her cara sposo” which is a misuse of the words mixing the feminine and masculine, so she is saying “dear wife” (Austen 259). Additionally, she calls Mr. Knightley, “Knightley” which presumes intimacies that haven’t been and can never be earned (Austen 258). Austen’s portrayal of Mrs. Elton depicts the class structure that may be permeated by new money but doesn’t necessarily mean that people can buy themselves the social graces that are necessary to be accepted in a higher class.

Austen’s display of Highbury’s social class shows that it is restrictive of the actions the characters can take in finding their marriage match. Frank Churchill must hide his engagement to Jane Fairfax because she is regarded as an ill match by his family. The novel introduces her character by saying that she “was an orphan” as the first identifier of her character showing her inferior status to the Churchill family (Austen 153). Jane is the surviving chronology of the Napoleonic wars and is adopted by the Campbells. Colonel Campbell’s daughter marries Mr. Dixon who is rich and Irish. The Dixons are part of the worst ethnic cleansings in the entire world which means that their money is blood money. Additionally, Jane desires to be a governess to provide for herself which is seen unsuitable by the upper-class society. The announcement of Frank and Jane’s engagement shocked all of Highbury as they had managed to keep it a secret the entire time. Mrs. Weston states “While poor Mrs. Churchill lived, I suppose there could not have been a hope, a chance, a possibility” regarding Frank and Jane becoming married (Austen 374). This shows the family’s belief that Jane Fairfax is an unsuitable match for Frank. Frank and Jane’s marriage became possible because of the death of Mrs. Churchill removing the barrier that would prevent their marriage. This barrier of family shows that those within the limits and restrictions of their class are not able to marry those that they wish so easily; therefore, showing that the class structure must be upheld.

Blinded by her ambition for Harriet, Emma persuades Harriet to reject Mr. Robert Martin’s proposal for marriage because Emma believes it to be an unsuitable match for Harriet. Knightley strongly disagrees with Emma on that claim and exclaims “No, he is not her equal indeed, for he is as much her superior in sense as in situation” (Austen 59). Emma’s attempts to find a match for Harriet fail when Emma tries to place Harriet and Mr. Elton together. The placement of these two characters together goes against the social class structure that Austen has portrayed. Mr. Elton’s refusal of Harriet maintains the rigidness of the class structure and shows there are restrictions for those of a lower status. Mr. Elton rejects Harriet because he desires to find a more suitable match for himself, more specifically, a woman with money which Harriet does not have. Mr. Elton’s rejection of Harriet shows the rigidness of the social class structure that Harriet inhabits, and Emma attempts to change. This is made clear when Mr. Elton remarks, “Who can think of Miss Smith, when Miss Woodhouse is near” further placing Harriet Smith apart from higher class society (Austen 124). After being slighted by Mr. Elton, Harriet becomes in pursuit of Mr. Knightley; thus, showing Harriet’s complete loss at her position in the social class structure of Highbury. Emma’s attempts to place Harriet with what Emma deems as a suitable match becomes an issue because Harriet tries to marry people who are not in her social class; thus, showing the importance of maintaining one’s social class.

Through the novel Emma, Austen creates the town of Highbury to mirror British society. She creates the social class hierarchy to be fairly rigid; however, the differing classes can associate and communicate with each other. Despite the upper class having a duty to manage friendships and be charitable to the poor, Emma’s and Knightley’s reactions to those moments reveal their characters. Knightley reprimands Emma for being rude to Miss Bates showing Emma to be rude and forgetting she sets an example for others; whereas, Knightley saves Harriet from Elton’s rudeness performing his duty to be charitable to the lower class. Although the classes can associate with each other, it is important for those within the classes to know their places in society and to keep themselves within their place. Mrs. Elton lacks the social graces that are representative of the upper-class society which results in Emma being indignant with her for not understanding her place in society. More specifically, one having enough money to move her to the upper class doesn’t mean that she has the mannerisms or regard for their social graces. Emma acts as a commentary on British society showing how the classes are divided, how they should act, and the restrictions that the characters face within their social positions. Austen displays the importance of maintaining one’s self in their class for not only the functioning sake of society but for those who inhabit it.