Emma
Passages based on CSE 2009 Practice Exam
Across the entirety of Passage Two, Austen explores the defilement of social intercourse through the characterisation of the gauche Mrs. Elton. The ironic certainty of Mrs. Elton’s appraisal of Maple Grove’s alleged beauty in “yes, I am quite aware of that” elucidates the overbearing nature of her persona; unlike the gentle Emma’s consideration for Mr Woodhouse in the third passage, Mrs. Elton is seen by the reader as aggressive in enforcing her beliefs upon the greater world around her, a behaviour clearly constructed by Austen as comical and incongruent with the expectations of gentility within 19th century society. Repetitious allusions to “the Maple Grove” and “The laurels at Maple Grove” furthermore signify the socially distortive outside presence which Mrs. Elton’s persona represents; she is effectively establishing within her language her alienation from the Highbury setting surrounding her, threatening the stability of the societal structures around her merely with her words. With the declaration “Every body who sees it is struck by its beauty”, what Austen is thus illuminating is not merely a figure worthy of satire, but one who inappropriately exaggerates the independence of Emma within Passage Three in making universal what is merely individual thought; it is such behaviour which demands the reader’s censure across the entirety of Emma, with the novel as a whole lambasting the inversion of social norms as tearing apart the fabric of societal cohesion in Regency England.
Simultaneously, the juxtaposition between Emma and Mrs. Elton indicates the merits of character which Emma appraises. In describing Emma as making “as slight a reply as she could”, in contrast to Mrs. Elton’s lengthy ramblings, the reader understands that Emma is in fact taking the superior position in the conversation by exercising a tactful moderation in her effort to ease the tension of the situation. And it is this sort of behaviour which Austen depicts as integral to well-roundedness of being, with the simplicity of the statement “Emma doubted the truth of this sentiment” expressing an insightfulness mirroring that which permeates Passage Three, in the form of the sagacious Knightley. Indeed, Emma’s balanced consideration “Many counties, I believe, are called the garden of England” invokes not only an imagery of intellect, but also a landscape beyond the confines of the immediate setting: Emma, in acknowledging the beauty of not only Highbury, but also of England as a whole, brings herself to a closer alignment with the civil unity which Austen portrays as so intrinsic to individuals in the framework of such a rich, flourishing society. This is essentially the acknowledgement which acts as Emma’s eventual completion, with the happiness of marriage alluded to within the third passage not merely being the union of romance, but also the resplendent union between Emma’s creative independence and her recognition of the ties of her relationships in the world of Emma.
Against the awkward figure of Mrs. Elton, what Emma herself embodies then is all that is good in the nature of human intercourse, acknowledging the value in appropriate behaviours and disdaining that which serves only to undermine it. Of course, as alluded to in Passage One, Emma’s being celebrated as a character is in part a result of her “active, busy mind”; beyond this however, the descriptor “Emma was silenced” perfectly exemplifies why Emma is yet the greater in contrast to the similarly creatively independent Mrs. Elton, for in her intelligence, she has also acknowledged the importance of propriety. Austen is characterising within this vision of Emma a moderate and compassionate individual, and one whose being rests in allowing for social easiness, as reflected in her promoting “the happiness of all” in Passage Three. And it is in this that Austen alludes to the flourishing of human society as a whole, for in the removal of the personal self to the societal self, an otherwise unattainable harmony is achieved; lest societal disorder eventuate, what is necessary is the individual’s recognition of its place as but only one of many inhabitants in the landscape of civilisation.
In contrast to her more measured appearance in Passage Two, Passage One colours the vivacity of Emma’s character, signifying in her independent persona a progressive vision of womanhood. With the declaration “I believe few married women are half as much mistress…as I am”, the reader recognises that Emma stands as exceptional within the context of Regency England; even within the context of Emma as a whole, she is the only single woman capable withstanding the pressures of a life without marriage, and it is in crafting Emma’s character thus that Austen allows for Emma’s creativity to surface, overcoming the barriers of her gender’s seeming impotence. Of course, there is an irony to be found in Emma’s articulating “if I were to marry, I must expect to repent it”; with the ultimate conclusion of marriage in the third passage, it is clear that this resolution will be broken, reflecting that Austen is not wholeheartedly supporting an isolated, necessarily unmarried vision of her heroine, whose statement “it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible” seems as out of touch as her realisation for Knightley’s love. Instead, within the course of Emma, what appears to be celebrated is a heroine capable of exercising her free will, whose disdain for societal expectations allows her the true liberty which human existence demands.
Parallel to this, the damning visions of Miss Bates provided throughout the first passage accentuate the reader’s understanding of Regency England’s rigidity. The almost aphoristic statement “A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous…old maid” characterises the similarly near-ubiquitous expectations of society; as Austen constructs, this is a civilisation which assesses character through circumstance, where women in particular are caught within claustrophobic confines due to a preoccupation with the superficiality of class and gender. With the excessive adjectives in “so silly – so satisfied – so smiling”, and so forth, the clouded nature of Emma’s – and society’s - judgement is further emphasised: unlike the vulgar Mrs. Elton of Passage Two, Miss Bates is a comparatively docile and kindly individual, deserving of none of Emma’s unruly scorn. That Miss Bates is “very much to the taste of everybody” is qualified with “though single and though poor” thus reflects to the reader the inverted state of such a society: for the rightful state of humankind’s civil order to be established, what is necessary is a reversal from Regency England, to a world where character is judged by what people are, rather than what they seem.
What Emma is lambasting then is not merely the fundamental social order of 19th century England, but also the prevalent attitudes towards the understanding of individuals. Emma’s decision to never marry is paradoxically ironic, and yet not; in relation to the scope of her fate in Passage Three, Emma is right to consider Mr. Woodhouse “must not class her with Isabella and Mrs. Weston”, for in declaring “Fortune I do not want”, Emma is ensuring that her love comes from the interior of her heart, rather than from the necessity of women in society to marry. Moreover, it is worthwhile to consider that even in marriage, Emma remains independent, with the physical image of her “not going form Hartfield” symbolically expressing her maintenance of individuality as herself; it is this which gains Emma the reader’s admiration, for Austen is allowing within this expression of personal affirmation a sight of perfection, beyond the confines of a society static and unrefined. Hence, the fundamental values of Emma lie in the construction of the individual: Emma’s talent is indicative of Austen’s desire for an understanding of the self, and in Emma’s independence, what is offered is not simply progression, but authenticity. As Austen depicts, attention must be paid first and foremost to the soul and the interior; it is only with this that the majesty of humanity will be revealed.