Emma by Jane Austen- Essay topics

 
Social life
Emma is structured around a number of marriages recently consummated or anticipated, and,
in each case, the match solidifies the participant’s social status. In Austen’s time, social status
was determined by a combination of family background, reputation, and wealth—marriage
was one of the main ways in which one could raise one’s social status. This method of social
advancement was especially crucial to women, who were denied the possibility of improving
their status through hard work or personal achievement.

Yet, the novel suggests, marrying too far above oneself leads to strife. Mr. Weston’s first
marriage to Miss Churchill had ostensibly been a good move for him, because she came from
a wealthy and well-connected family (Mr. Weston is a tradesman), but the inequality of the
relationship caused hardship to both. He marries Mrs. Weston just prior to the novel’s
opening, and this second marriage is happier because their social statuses are more equal—
Mrs. Weston is a governess, and thus very fortunate to be rescued from her need to work by
her marriage. Emma’s attempt to match Harriet with Mr. Elton is also shunned by the other
characters as inappropriate. Since Harriet’s parentage is unknown, Emma believes that Harriet
may have noble blood and encourages her to reject what turns out to be a more appropriate
match with Robert Martin. By the time it is revealed that Harriet is the daughter of a
tradesman, Emma admits that Mr. Martin is more suitable for her friend.

The relationship between marriage and social status creates hardship for other characters.
Frank Churchill must keep his engagement to the orphan Jane Fairfax secret because his
wealthy aunt would disapprove. Jane, in the absence of a good match, is forced to consider
taking the position of a governess. The unmarried Miss Bates is threatened with increasing
poverty without a husband to take care of her and her mother. Finally, the match between
Emma and Mr. Knightley is considered a good one not only because they are well matched in
temperament but also because they are well matched in social class.

Austen is very careful to maintain the importance of British class

structure in “Emma.” Though it is a small town, Highbury has a very
specific social structure that mirrors the larger class system of Britain.
Emma, as heroine, is at the top of the social ladder with the rest of her
family and Mr. Knightley, while Harriet Smith, Miss Bates, and
Robert Martin are at lower levels of respectable society. Although
Austen permits her heroine to associate with Harriet and Miss Bates,
she emphasizes the importance of knowing one’s proper place.
Emma’s first significant blunder in this regard is elevating Harriet to
an inapporpirately-high social level. As a result of her interference,
Harriet begins to think too highly of herself and is ill-equipped to find
a husband on her own level. Also, When Emma insults her social
inferior, Miss Bates, she breaks a fundamental rule of class
interactions which reflects poorly on her own character. Above all,
Austen notes, class structure must be upheld, both for the sake of
society and for the sake of those within it.
Austen explores many different kinds of marriages in the novel,
particularly in terms of the way matches figure into the social network
of Highbury. Austen especially cautions against marriages that bridge
social classes, arguing that relationships between individuals from
different backgrounds are likely to fail. Harriet’s search for an
appropriate match is presented as an example as this. Although she
initially hopes to marry Mr. Elton or Mr. Knightley, both men are
inappropriate choice because of their higher positions in society. In the
end, Robert Martin is the ideal choice because he is at an equal level
with her. Mr. Elton’s designs on Emma are similarly inappropriate
because of his lower social status; his marriage to Augusta Hawkins
(while obnoxious) demonstrates proper social etiquette. Though social
status is the primary consideration for marriages, Austen also admits
that love can play an important role. In the case of Emma and Mr.
Knightley, both characters are ideal matches in terms of intelligence,
weath, and social class, but they also have the added benefit of love.
Feminism

In Jane Austen’s society, the role of women was controlled by what

was expected of them.
The novel’s limited, almost claustrophobic scope of action gives us a strong sense of the
confined nature of a woman’s existence in early-nineteenth-century rural England. Emma
possesses a great deal of intelligence and energy, but the best use she can make of these is to
attempt to guide the marital destinies of her friends, a project that gets her into trouble. The
alternative pastimes depicted in the book—social visits, charity visits, music, artistic
endeavors—seem relatively trivial, at times even monotonous. Isabella is the only mother
focused on in the story, and her portrayal suggests that a mother’s life offers a woman little
use of her intellect. Yet, when Jane compares the governess profession to the slave trade, she
makes it clear that the life of a working woman is in no way preferable to the idleness of a
woman of fortune. The novel focuses on marriage because marriage offers women a chance to
exert their power, if only for a brief time, and to affect their own destinies without adopting
the labors or efforts of the working class. Participating in the rituals of courtship and
accepting or rejecting proposals is perhaps the most active role that women are permitted to
play in Emma’s world.

Characters
From the very beginning of the novel, Jane Austen makes it clear that
Emma may not be a likable character. With her wealth, beauty, and
position in society, Emma has the perfect life and is difficult to relate
to. Moreover, her arrogance and self-involved nature make her a
largely unlikable character. It is only after Austen reveals the
imperfections in Emma’s life and character that she becomes a more
real (and thus more likeable) character. Her struggles to improve
herself and win Mr. Knightley’s heart are efforts that readers can
understand and respect.

All of Emma’s epiphanies about herself are the result of bad behavior
relating to those around her. In most cases, Emma’s bad behavior
stems from good intentions. For example, in her desire to find an
“appropriate” husband for Harriet, Emma encourages Harriet to reject
Robert Martin and focus on Mr. Elton, a decision which results in
Harriet’s humiliation and Mr. Elton’s proposal of marriage to Emma.
The most significant epiphany, however, stems from Emma’s willful
insult of Miss Bates during the picnic at Box Hill. Instead of having
good ulterior motives, Emma insults Miss Bates simply out of
boredom and sheer meanness. Earlier in the novel, Emma had always
prided herself on her kindness and good manners; at this point, she
comes face to face with her selfishness and disdain for the feelings of
others. Because this event forces Emma to face her shortcomings, it
inspires her eventual development into the kind of woman that Mr.
Knightley would want to marry.

For the majority of the novel, Emma operates under the assumption
that she knows what is best for those around her. A prime example of
this is Emma’s relationship with Harriet Smith, in which Emma
assumes that she has the right to determine Harriet’s choice of
husband and future happiness. She even takes responsibility for
Harriet’s personality: taking it upon herself to “improve” Harriet.
Emma indulges in similarly condescending behavior with many other
characters in the novel, including Mr. and Mrs. Weston, her sister and
father, Mr. Elton, and Frank Churchill. Emma’s belief in her own
infallibility is undermined by her behavior toward Miss Bates at the
picnic at Box Hill. Although Emma had made mistakes with Harriet
and Mr. Elton, this is the first time that Emma is blatantly wrong in
her behavior. This forces her to acknowledge that her seeming
infallibility regarding those around her is nothing more than ego and
arrogance.  

Frank Churchill is seen by many of the characters as an ideal man

because of his good looks, warmth, and charm. He focuses most of his
attention on determining what will please each person, and he makes
his compliments with wit and style. However, the novel demonstrates
that Frank is also flighty, unstable, and able to put his own wishes
above social and moral propriety. Mr. Knightley and Frank Churchill
are presented as almost complete opposites in the novel. While Mr.
Knightley is logical, responsible, and thoughtful (and the character
manifestation of the narrator), Frank Churchill is weak, superficial,
and manipulative. However, both characters possess the appropriate
fortune, appearance, and social status to be suitable husbands for
Emma. In this way, Austen suggests that either Mr. Knightley and
Frank Churchill could work as a husband for Emma; in the end, her
development as a character will determine who would be the more
appropriate choice. At the picnic at Box Hill when Emma insults Miss
Bates, it seems likely that she has developed into a match for Frank
Churchill. Yet, after her epiphany, Emma makes an active effort to
change and gradually becomes the compassionate and mature woman
that is meant to marry Mr. Knightley.

Setting
The narrator serves as the voice of judgment and reason in the novel,
particularly when it comes to Emma’s character faults. In essence, the
narrator provides objective (and trustworthy) commentary of
everything that occurs over the course of the novel. The characters
themselves are unable to recognize larger themes and patterns, so the
narrator serves to highlight key points for the benefit of the reader.
Mr. Knightley serves as an extension of this rational narrative voice
and helps Emma, in particular, to identify and improve many of her
flaws. Significantly, Austen ensures that the narration is not dry and
boring but reminiscent of an actual character, with a witty and ironic
style.
Emma, published in 1816, like other novels of Jane Austen, deals with
one major subject, that is, young lady’s attempts at finding proper
husbands. Although superficially this seems to be the storyline of the
novel, there is much more than only this at the deeper level. The novel is
doubtlessly ranked as a “classic romantic comedy”, a piece of fiction full
of irony and wit, a typical characteristic of Jane Austen’s Victorian pen.
In the novel, the author very dexterously employs satire and romantic
sensibilities that make the novel a masterpiece. The novel has a plot that
is essentially character-driven. The twenty-one-year-old central character
(Emma), in the self-assessment of herself as a skillful matchmaker, holds
the center of interest in the novel. As her deceptive thinking about being
a skillful matchmaker comes to unfold to be nothing but foiled ideas, her
character moves toward dynamic development throughout the novel. In
other female characters, also, we very well see the theme of marriage
being the major plot runner. However, in the entire novel, this theme is
given a light-hearted treatment. This embedded with comedy, dealing
with domestic matters, irony, and satire makes the novel a well-rounded
reading experience for the reader: With the upper-middle-class society as
its limits, and encircling majorly the issues of women – and looking at
things from the feministic viewpoint – the course of events of Emma are
essentially presented within a social context or with domestic fervor.
In Jane Austen’s novel, Emma, protagonist Emma avoids her own
transformation by her attempts to transform others. However, Emma
experiences her coming-of-age through the stable characters of those
around her. Austen reveals how self-transformation is necessary in
maturing and establishing self-awareness. Emma Woodhouse
possesses qualities that many would envy: beauty, intelligence,
wealth, and youth. Hiwever, having a conceited nature, she only
tolerates following her own advice, as well as frequently acting upon
her instincts regardless of the consequences, especially when it comes
to match-making. Emma believes that she is able to match any two
people whom she deems compatible. Even though Emma is self
centered, she ironically refuses to tend to her own feelings. Her view
of interfering in others lives as "amusing" supports Emma 's feelings
of superiority over those around her. In the novel, Emma is often
shown as being similar to characters who share the same selfish nature
as her, such as Frank Churchill and Mrs. Elton. But, what isolates
Emma is not her sense superiority, but her longing to feel superior; she
is not able to be apart of a relationship where she is not placed first.

The first relationship the readers see Emma develop is with Harriet
Smith, a girl similar in age and beauty, but lacking intelligence and
wealth. Only out of sympathy and boredom does Emma decide on
taking Harriet in as her friend. Despite Emma 's seemingly good
intentions, she now views Harriets feelings almost as a game. Emma
becomes determined to improve Harriet 's reputation and match her
with a gentleman, and Harriet, inferior to Emma, is easily swayed by
her opinions. Harriet shares her feelings for Mr. Robert Martin, a
farmer, with Emma, and of course Emma persuades her to reject him.
The relationship between Emma and Harriet shows how Emma is
blinded by ignorance because she will only associate herself with
people of her class, and therefore she feels the need to mold others to
become like her opposed to undergoing change herself. Austen 's
inclusion of similar characters like Frank Churchill, as well as
opposite personalities, like Mr. Knightley and Miss Bates, emphasize
Emma 's transformation throughout the novel. As a character with the
same nature, Emma meets Frank Churchill and is sure that they will be
a perfect match; both are wealthy and superficial.
However, Emma quickly dismisses the idea of an attraction to Frank
Churchill when she sees that he only cares for himself. Emma is
particularly critical of Miss Bates because she is everything which
Emma is not. Miss Bates is kind, poor and average looking;
essentially inferior to Emma. However, Miss Bates could be
considered to have more than Emma, because of her happiness and her
ability to see the good in everyone. In the beginning of the novel, Mr.
Knightley is a total opposite to Emma, and they never seem to agree
because of their opposing views. Mr Knightley is the only person who
dares to criticize Emma, and really the only criticism that the reader
sees because he is the only person that Emma will listen to. Even
though Mr. Knightley cares for Emma, he is still willing to recognize
Emma 's flaws, and he makes an effort to better her.

Despite their differences, Emma finds her self gradually falling for
Mr. Knightley and becomes more aware of her feelings toward him.
Mr. Knightley proves to be a static character throughout the novel due
to his unchanging honesty, and because of his honesty, Emma 's
character is improved upon. When all of the family and friends go on
a picnic at Box Hill, Emma and Frank decide to play a game with
everyone.

His comment to her sends Emma into a week-long depression, during

which she evaluates herself and realizes how hurtful she has been to
others. Also, both Emma and the reader know that Mr. Knightley is
the only person who is able to see Emma 's flaws and call her out on
them, which is why his opinion is so effective in changing her. Emma
begins to realize the consequences of her actions once someone whom
she respects and loves points out her mistakes. Denying herself the
ability to have a change of heart for so long, she finally has a moment
of realization and acknowledges her wrong doings. Also, Emma sees
how her manipulation of others lives was purely out of selfish
motives. While Emma thinks that Harriet is in love with Frank
Churchill, Harriet confesses that she is actually in love with Mr.
Knightley. Emma is astonished and angered by this truth, and sees the
severity of tampering with others feelings now that her own are
involved. Being truthful with herself was only the first step to
establishing her self-awareness. Through her moment of clarity,
Emma is able to see the extent of the trouble she has caused. Her
acknowledgement was only the first step to her establishing her new
self-awareness, but she still needed to come to an understanding with
those whom she had hurt.

Emma speaks with Mr. Knightley first and expresses her self doubt to
him. This results in the two confessing their love for each other.

Although Emma 's change was not sudden and dramatic, it was
realistic. With each instance where Emma finds an error in her
judgement, she becomes closer to realizing her reality. Austen uses
Emma 's progression to show that self-transformation does take time,
but it is an essential step in maturing and becoming self-aware. The
novel ends with the marriage of Harriet and Mr. Martin and that of
Emma and Mr. Knightley, resolving the question of who loves whom
after all.