Analyzing Emma Again

This week in AP lit class we are analyzing Emma, once again. For this reading we were assigned to read volume two of Jane Austen’s Emma A lot of stuff happens within this volume, we meet Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, and they both bring in a lot of drama to Highbury. Jane Fairfax is Emma’s foil, Jane brings out the worst in Jane and Jane brings out the worst Emma. Jane is Emma’s “friendemy” Emma acts friendly toward Jane but behind her back she exploits all of Jane’s flaws. Especially when everybody takes a liking to Jane, Emma gets jealous of the attention that Jane gets. Then on the other hand Jane brings out the un lady likeness in Emma. Behind Jane’s back Emma is deceitful. Especially when she is with Mr. Churchill, Emma reveals her beliefs about Jane and Mr. Dixon, which makes her looks very unlady like.  With Mr. Churchill Emma is deceived by his charming looks and his gracious manners, she takes a very fund liking to him and even sees herself having an affair with him, but he is only interested in Jane.

            This volume is all about the social structure, every issue the Emma runs into in this volume is created by her inability to respect the rules of the social structure and her enforcing the rules to much. First is Emma’s jealousy of Jane, she really doesn’t have any competition with Jane, but her insecurity leads to her down grading herself and making a fool out herself in front of Mr. Churchill. The other social contradiction is Mr. Churchill’s affection for Jane. In chapter seven he says that he is going to London “for a haircut” but he is really going to buy Jane a new Piano. He tells Emma this lie so that no one will suspect that he is “crushing” on someone that is in a lower class then him. Mrs. Elton is the major social rule breaker, she thinks a little too highly of herself. Mrs. Elton chooses to make Jane her new project, she wants to bring Jane out into society and it is also a way to get under Emma’s skin. Mrs. Elton comes in a stirs up the mix in Highbury, she is very disrespectful toward her companions in the higher classes. It is a huge deal when she calls Mr. Knightly, Knightly, she is too familiar with her upperclassmen.

            My favorite part of the whole volume was the rumor that was started about Mr. Knightly having affections for Jane. I love that Emma has little burst of jealousy about this rumor. She clearly has some sort feelings toward Mr. Knightly, or else she wouldn’t have defended the truth so thoroughly. Emma is also looking at the social suicide that Mr. Knightly would be committing if he did make a proposal to Jane. Emma is all for protecting the social structure, ironically she doesn’t really follow her own rules, she is the one that is choosing to against the social norm to marry.