Emma

“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” (Authorial comment – “Emma” by Jane Austen)

Emma Woodhouse, the heroine of Jane Austen’s novel”Emma” (1816) is indeed not only a social snob, but also too sure of her own wrong judgment. Yet I would not consider this to be a fair assessment of Austen’s heroine.

Emma IS a social snob. She is disdainful and conceited and her arrogance is clearly perceptible. Her class consciousness is acute and her sense of superiority over many characters is displayed through her many thoughts and opinions on every one of them.

Mrs. Martin she concludes is “probably some mere farmer’s daughter without education”. Mr. Martin is no more than a young “farmer”. Mr Elton is spurned for “supposing himself her equal in connection or mind” and most provoking, fancying himself to show “no presumption in addressing her!” He should have known that “the Woodhouses have been settled for several generations at Hartfield, the younger branch of a very ancient family” – and that the Eltons were “nobody”. Emma considers Mrs. and Miss Bates – “a waste of time, tiresome women” and shudders at “the horror of being in danger of falling in with the second and third rate of Highbury,, who were calling on them for ever and therefore …” she seldom wants to go near them. She thinks “very little” of Miss Hawkins, whose uncle she guesses to be “the drudge of some attorney and too stupid to rise”. Mrs. Elton she suspects, has manners which had been formed in a bad school, pert and familiar… if not foolish, she was ignorant”. Emma detests “the degradation of being said to be of Mrs. Elton’s party.” She does not want to be classed with the Mrs. Eltons, the Mrs. Perrys and the Mrs. Coles”. Emma’s snooty nature makes her determined not to go to the Coles. She determines to refuse their onvitation as “they ought to be taught that it was not for them to arrange the terms on which the superior families would visit them”. She does not “consent” to Jane Fairfax and Mr. Knightley’s presumed match and considers it a “very shameful and degrading connection”. When Hariied asks how the Coxes looked, her reply – “just as they always do – very vulgar”. Emma could not believe it possible that “the taste or the pride of Miss Fairfax could endure such society and friendship as the vicarage had to offer”. Harriet when assumed to be Mr. Knightley’s object, is considered “such a debasement” on his part. Though interesting and brilliant, Emma Woodhouse IS a social snob.

“In all her novels, though in varying degrees, Jane Austen regards the characters, good and bad alike, with ironical amusement, because they never see the situation as it really is” – A.C Bradley (1911)

Emma IS deluded into believing herself to be right and never wrong in her judgment. The
Success of the match made between Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor swells her pride as she proudly asserts – “I made the match .. and to be pr oved in the right … may comfort me for anything”. Mr. Elton – “the very person fixed on by Emma for driving the young farmer out of Harriet’s head. She thought it would be an excellent match”. Her quarrel with Mr. Knightley cannot result in repentance on her part as “she certainly had not been in the wrong…” Even though she regrets not having been satisfied with persuading Harriet not to accept young Martin, she insists to herself – “there I was right”. How sure she is of her own wrong judgment is distinct, as having believed the Martins to be well meaning and worthy before, she thinks “what difference did this make in the evils of the connection?”. Thus she refuses to even consider the possibility of her judgment being wrong. “-how could she have done otherwise?- Impossible! She could not repent. They must be separated.”

Emma is not only too sure of her own wrong judgment, she imposes it on others too. “She could think nothing better … it must be done or what would become of Harriet?” She is “determined not to allow” Harriet’s visit to the Martins to “exceed the proposed quarter of an hour”. How wrong her judgment is, is illustrated as “…they were just growing again like themselves, when the carriage re-appeared and all was over”. Emma is “convinced” that Frank Churchill came to Highbury “intending to be acquainted with her, and that acquainted, they must be”. Even in the course of a “trivial chat”, she foists her view - “well Harriet, whenever you marry, I would advise you to do so and so”. Her consolation of “knowing that her intentions were good” confirms the authorial comment “but her judgment was as string as her feelings”.

Yet Emma though a “social snob” and “too sure of her own wrong judgment”, does mature and does begin to realize the fallibility of her own judgment.

“Her characters are so rounded and substantial that they have the power to move out of the scenes in which she placed them, into other moods and circumstances.” – Sybil G Brinton (1913)

Emma was infact “beginning very much to consider what she had ever thought pleasing at all” about Mr. Elton. Frank Churchill’s impulsive haircut does not accord with the rationale and moderation “which she had believed herself to discern in him yesterday”. She considers Harriet poor to be a “second time the dupe of her misconceptions and flattery”. Emma is “determined against all interference” or matchmaking/ “… the remembrance of all her former fanciful and unfair conjectures was so little pleasing…” that she moves into a mood of contemplation and realization. She perceives her folly and sighs “does my vain spirit ever tell me I am wrong?” She realizes “…the blunder, the blindness of her own head and heart!” and that “with insufferable vanity believed herself in the secret of everybody’s feelings with unpardonable arrogance proposed to arrange everybody’s destiny. She was proved to have been universally mistaken” – “Miss Austen’s novels – an estimate of human follies...” – R.H. Hutton (1869).

Though interesting and brilliant, Emma Woodhouse is a social snob too sure of her own wrong judgment. But this is not a fair assessment of Austen’s heroine. For with all her faults, her arrogance and domineering personality, Emma is kind. She attends to Harriet – “Emma said with her as long as she could, to attend to her in Mrs. Goddard’s unavoidable absence and raise her spirits… and left her at last tolerably comfortable”. She gives her time to visit “an old servant who was married and settled in Donwell” and charity – is a virtue that pleases her heart.

As Harrriet speaks, Emma fells that she cannot “shew greater kindness than in listening”.

“Come, come” cried Emma, feeling this to be an unsafe subject” – Here we see that she is a keeper of the peace in her family. She “dreaded being quarrelsome” with Mr. Knightley. Emma cannot be considered to be willfully selfish as “the worst of all” the part that brought pain and humiliation to her in the Mr. Elton-Harriet episode, was that “she would gladly have submitted to feel yet more mistaken – more in error – more disgraced by misjudgment than she actually was, could the affects of her blunders have been confined to herself”. She is indeed unselfish as “she listened with much inward suffering, but with great outward patience to Harriet’s detail” regarding Mr. Knightely’s attention.

Emma is humble and modest – “She knew that limitations of her own powers too well to attempt more than she could perform with credit”. She never attempted to conceal from herself that Miss Fairfax’s voice and playing was “superior to hers”

Emma is genuinely concerned for her friend. “Emma felt that till she saw her in the way of cure, there could be no true peace for herself”.

She is sincerely sorry and she acknowledges finer qualities in Harriet –“..Convinced that Harriet was the superior creature of the two and that to resemble her would be more for her own welfare and happiness than all that genius or intelligence could do”.

Emma is loyal to Mrs. Weston as Frank Chuchhill if “deficient there” could make no amends for it.

She is sympathetic – “Emma could not but pity such feelings, whatever their origin, and could not but resolve never to expose them to her neighbour again”. Deslite all her haughtiness before, she is softhearted – “her heart had been long growing kinder towards Jane, and this picture of her present sufferings acted as a cure of every former ungenerous suspicion, and left her nothing but pity…”

She restrains herself consciously, reluctant to hurt Jan’es feelings.

“… it was at her tongue’s end – but she abstainted. She was quite determined not to utter a word that should hurt Jane Fairfax’s feelings”

Emma is a dutiful daughter and friend – “her father” – and Harriet. She could not be alone without feeling the full weight of their separate claims, and how to guard the comfort of both to the utmost, was the question”

Most importantly, Emma Woodhouse though “a social snob too sure of her wrong judgment”, is truly sorry when she realizes the person she is and has been, as is proven through a series of regrets.

“I ought to have been more her friend”

“..How could she be so cruel to Miss Bates! … Emma felt the tears running down her cheeks almost all the way home”

Thus we see that this assessment – “though interesting and brilliant, Emma Woodhouse is a social snob too sure of her own wrong judgment” is not a fair assessment of Austen’s heroine!

© Slow Chills