Love in Jane Eyre and Emma Novels - Essay Example

Love in Jane Eyre and Emma The one human emotion that draws out the deepest sighs, the most dangerous reactions, and the most potent intoxicants is love. In Jane Eyre, an Autobiography and Emma, love is a central theme. Jane and Emma have stark contrasts in the way in which they enter into the world. Where Jane Eyre, an Autobiography is a tragedy and Emma is a comedy, each makes social commentary about the world in which they are set. Both the novels were written by female writers of the 19th century, providing a feminine, yet poignant reflection of the world in which they were born. The female heroines are placed into situations in which love is not easy, nor it is the primary goal of these women, but it is an inevitable outcome to the events that occur. The novels Jane Eyre, an Autobiography and Emma explore the topic of love through heroines which have no interest in finding love, but whose destinies are on a trajectory towards that end. The story of Jane Eyre, an Autobiography, written by Charlotte Bronte, is a tragedy, the life of Jane filled with painful moments that seem to plague her life. As a child she is orphaned and sent to live with relatives who treat her poorly. She attends a school where cruelty is the main interaction with adults. Once she finds a position, the strangeness of the house is balanced against the love that she finds there, only to find out that the subject of her love is married to another. Love is denied to Jane throughout the novel, her life defined by a resignation to this fact. It is a surprise when she finds love, but her principles keep her from that love until such time as the circumstances around it become appropriate. A word that defines the nature of Jane is dignity, although much of the time those around her are working hard to deny her that quality. The story of Emma written by Jane Austen is a comedy which is in high contrast to the gothic, dark environment of Jane Eyre, an Autobiography. Where Jane is reserved and has had a difficult life financially, Emma has no financial worries and explores her world without much caution. Emma is an extrovert who tries to manipulate her environment with a blind belief that she knows what is best for everyone who comes into her life. The conflict comes as it appears that she does not know what is best for everyone else, not even herself. The novel is written from the perspective of Emma’s world view, the third person narration often sounding much more like it is coming from Emma’s thoughts. This perspective creates a humorous, often ironic narrative. Emma creates the situations for others through the belief that what they feel is not necessarily as important as how they appear. Because she is financially secure, the fate of others does not always register as an important aspect of making decisions for their lives. Because of the complexity of her character and the conflicting personality traits that both make her endearing and exasperating, it is difficult to find one word to describe her nature. The novels can be contrasted for the importance of love in Jane Eyre, an Autobiography against the frivolity of love in Emma. From the beginning of the novel, the lack of care and love in Jane’s life leaves the reader a bit angry at those who speak to her the way that they do. The narration reads, after hearing threats of sending her to the poor house if she displeased the family with which she lived, “my first recollections of existence included hints of the same kind. This reproach of my dependence had become a vague sing-song in my ear; very painful and crushing” (Bronte and Townsend 7). Emma, on the other hand, is privileged to take the love in her life for granted, her experiences having left her in a very secure mental state. The novel begins with the words “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seem to unite some of the best blessings of existence (Austin and Parrish 1). Jane begins her life with nothing where Emma has everything. Where Jane does not expect love in her life, Emma takes it for granted that she is loved. Austin writes “The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having too much her way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself: these were the disadvantages which threaten alloy to her many enjoyments” (Austin and Parrish 2). Where Jane had no real expectations, Emma owned them all. The differences between Jane and Emma in the way in which they were described are also in contrast. Jane is discussed as if she is unattractive. Bronte writes “if she were a nice pretty child, one might compassionate her forlornness; but one really cannot care for such a little toad as that” (Bronte and Townsend 20). Emma, on the other hand, is described as beautiful and her life is not burdened by any distaste shown to her in regard to her looks. Both Jane and Emma, however, have a confidence which seems to be born of both necessity and basic character, their identities defined by their willingness to speak their minds. When Jane finally tells her Aunt how she sees the truth, she does so with the confidence of a child who is speaking the truth. Unfortunately, she does not understand how vindictive those who are cruel will be when confronted with their wickedness. Emma, on the other hand, states many ‘truths’ which she fabricates through her own perceptions and because she is charming she is able to be smiled upon with indulgence. Social commentary is made by both Bronte and Austin through the evidence of the nature of education where girls were concerned. Bronte places her heroine in a school for girls where they are not valued because of their poverty. There is no expectation that these girls will marry, nor is there any expectations that they will rise above the station of some form of teacher or servant. Within a moment of humiliation Jane states “I know I should think well upon myself; but that is not enough: if others don’t love me I would rather die than live – I cannot bear to be solitary and hated” (Bronte and Townsend 62). This reveals that despite the circumstances, hope and despair have combined for Jane displaying that she is vulnerable to the world and how she is accepted into it. For Jane, her access to an education became the resource for self-esteem, her belief in the ability of her mind becoming more important than the need for love. She was not without love, however, as she made relationships within the school. When Miss Temple leaves the school, a valued relationship, she too decides to seek her fate elsewhere. Education for women as described by the point of view of Emma was not about academics. Miss Goddard’s school is described as one “where a reasonable quantity of accomplishments were sold at a reasonable price…without any danger of coming back prodigies” (Austen and Parrish 16). What Emma means is that women should be taught skills and accomplishments rather than be bothered by an academic education. Austen is commenting on the lack of intellect that was expected of women and the identity that they were expected to attain through marriage. Through the use of sarcasm in humor she describes a set of beliefs where a woman was expected to perform through her skills rather than contribute intellectually. Where Jane embraced her education as a part of her identity, Emma appears to not see the value. Emma and Jane both seem to be within the belief that marriage is not a part of their future. Jane, through the impoverished nature of her beginnings, accepts her role as a teacher or servant and embraces these roles without the intention of finding love. Emma seems to have no regard for her own need of a husband as she has enough wealth to live without one, but instead turns to the interests of others and tries to find them matches rather than concern herself with her own potential for love. The stories about each young woman are about the search for the self, their identity, and how they relate to the world around them with love being the end result of resolving those issues. Jane finds herself through vindication of her childhood and through coming into possession of a windfall of money so she does not need marriage, while Emma already has this status, but finds herself through the errors that she makes as she tries to address the problems of others rather than focus on her own life. Both women do find love, however, Jane through a story full of tragedy and Emma through a story that is filled with humorous misunderstandings and obstacles. A final interesting comparison is that they both marry much older men. Emma is sixteen in the beginning of the novel and Mr. Knightly is described as a man of “about seven or eight and thirty” (Bronte and Townsend 5). Edward Fairfax Rochester is also much older than Jane, a running theme in novels of the era, suggesting that this was either a common age difference for marriage of the period or that it was an ideal that was desired. While love and marriage finds its way into the lives of these women, it is clear that the bulk of both stories are about the life they lead before marriage, creating a long prelude to a hopefully resolved and pleasant outcome. Jane Eyre, an Autobiography and the novel Emma both explore the nature of love as it is the result of coming to a place in which self-awareness has been achieved. As Jane and Emma come to adulthood through very different childhoods, their view on the world is also different. The social commentaries on education from both novels support the idea that women should have academic educations just as much as men, but both novels also show that inherited wealth and marriage are the ideal outcomes. Emma and Jane have contrasting support from their families with Emma doted upon and Jane denied love, but both women seek the same life and end up with similar outcomes. Although one is a tragedy and the other a comedy, the novels suggest similar ideas about being a woman in the 19th century and on what is ideal in life. Works Cited Austen, Jane, and Stephen M. Parrish. Emma. New York: Norton, 1972. Print. Brontë, Charlotte, and F. H. Townsend. Jane Eyre, an Autobiography. New York: G. P. Putnams sons, 1897. Read More