Austens Growing Feminism in Emma - Essay Example

Austen’s Growing Feminism in Emma Jane Austen wrote her novels at a time when women’s rights were nothing like they are today. Women were beginning to question their allotted place in society as the economy began shifting from the agrarian to the urban with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. As more opportunities became available for women in the urban centers of the country, providing them with a means of supporting themselves and freeing themselves from the yoke of male domination, this voice only grew stronger. However, at the same time, these positions were not the equal rights positions of modern times, so it was often difficult to determine whether one wanted to sacrifice freedom for comfort or comfort for freedom. Rarely was it possible to attain both and often it was found, too late, that it was possible to attain neither. Even in the very early 1800s, though, many of these ideas were beginning to surface in the literature produced. Writers such as Jane Austen emerged as proto-feminists, planting the seeds of a new day while still remaining ‘acceptable’ to the old. This careful blending of feminist ideals with traditional behaviors can be found in such novels as Emma, in which critics have found support both for the traditional role of women as well as encouragement for a new way of thinking about women. Women’s lives were often strictly contained within rigidly defined terms. Women who formed the upper class enjoyed ample time for leisure activities in their lifestyles and once a woman married, her role was to simply to manage the home and the household. Though the life of the upper class woman might seem easier and more secure than that of a lower class woman, this was not always the case. Land, titles, and money were inherited by the closest male relative – typically the older son, but if there was no older son then it would go to a more distant relation. Only the small amount of money set aside as a woman’s marriage dowry went to an unmarried woman after the death of her father. In addition, many women were married nominally against their will in arranged marriages, by the Victorian age positioning the woman herself as commodity (Levine-Clark, 1991). As a result, many mothers and daughters were left extremely poor after the death of their husband and fathers. At the same time, the activities they were permitted to take part in remained relatively sedate and home-bound. Women were provided with little to no education that would enable them to support themselves in later life and were thus completely at the mercy of the men. Critics such as Marilyn Butler (1975) suggest Austen was writing in support of the social structure the way it was. Marilyn Butler (1975) discusses how the most important activity of a young woman, that of choosing a husband, is the driving force behind Austen’s protagonist’s growth in Emma. It is only when Emma begins considering whether she herself should be looking for a husband that Emma begins to come out of her world of illusion to contemplate the real world around her. Describing this action within the novel, Butler says “What she [Emma] is about includes a criticism of what value her class is to live by, the men as well as the women” (Butler, 1975: 250). The idea that men were necessary for the completion of a woman, who was incapable of seeing to her own well-being, is reinforced in the novel when it is revealed that Mr. Knightley “watched over her [Emma] from a girl, with an endeavour to improve her, and an anxiety for her doing right” (Austen, 425). Emma is criticized as being too frivolous and silly to be taken seriously as a competent person. The necessary role of men emerges through this characterization as providing the necessary structure women need. “At the personal level marriage would mean submitting to continued moral assessment by a mature man, who would fortify the stronger, more rational, objective and stringent side of Emma’s mind. She is much more attracted to her self-indulgent spinsterhood, which renders her unchallengeable because her supposed mentor, her father, submits to her as readily as Harriet does” (Butler, 1975: 252). At the same time, Butler acknowledges that part of Emma’s function within the novel is to pass judgment upon the values held by the men around her, which weakens her argument that women, on their own, are not capable of true rational thought and require the steadying hand of men. What Butler sees as reinforcing the old social conception of the woman as empty vessel and the man as rational, objective reason, others have interpreted as an early turn toward feminism in the novel through the expression of an imperfect, but fully capable thinking and growing individual in a society ready to consider new possibilities. Austen emphasizes the idea that what women really wanted was a degree of independence all their own as Emma, rich and comfortable in her current single status, has the luxury of indulging: “I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry … Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want: I believe few married women are half as much mistress of their husband’s house, as I am of Hartfield; and never, never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man’s eyes as I am in my father’s” (Austen, 84). Far from seeking the usual comforts of life that most women in this time period were seeking, Emma seems quite confident that her life as she knows it will continue on for as long as she could wish. Her father will always love her and allow her to do as she pleases and she will always remain mistress of her home. As a result, she wants different things out of any relationship she is to have with a man as is indicated by her avowed relationship with her father – ‘never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important’. This is a significant departure from the traditional role of the woman as subservient glorified housekeeper. While she is strongly encouraged to marry, Emma is unwilling to accept a man strictly on the grounds that he has the correct family, power, money or other social attributes. This becomes obvious as her flirtations with Frank take on greater intensity. “As time goes on, and she is more and more certain that she will refuse Frank, her flirtation with him takes on a worse moral colouring. Providing she is not in love with him, she sees that she preserves her autonomy, and perhaps the whip-hand over him as well” (Butler, 1975: 255). Emma’s wish is to retain autonomy in her actions, something she feels she can only do if she remains single and outside of the control of men. As has been suggested, the importance of money and possessions takes on new meanings as Austen illustrates the plight of women who do not wish to fall under the rule of a man. As Harriet worries over Emma’s future status as a dreadful ‘old maid’, Emma calmly reassures her that the negative attributes of a spinster are only applicable to women who must beg, borrow and work to support themselves, bringing them to a frightful state of social subjugation to both men and women. “I shall not be a poor old maid; and it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable, old maid … but a single woman, of good fortune, is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as anybody else” (Austen, 85). The philosophy of the time regarding why poverty is so contemptible has less to do with money than it does with character. This is explained by Emma as she informs Harriet that the problem with poverty is that it “has a tendency to contract the mind, and sour the temper” (Austen, 85). A woman caught without a husband, father or brother to support and care for her was a woman without means, easily finding herself living on the street at the whim of the individual (male) named as heir and guardian regardless of the woman’s age. Emma’s confidence that she will not suffer this type of fate is uncharacteristic of the women of her time, who typically went through life with at least a small nagging fear that something might happen to their male guardian and be left destitute. This lack of fear enables Austen to explore what a woman might want if the need for money and security were not so dire. Throughout her novels, Austen demonstrates that her view of marriage is at odds with contemporary thought which supports the concept of a proto-feminist stance in Emma. “For her [Austen], the proper marriage is one in which the two parties operate on a basis of mutual respect” (Monaghan, 1981: 44). In demonstrating the growth of Emma, becoming progressively more ‘fit’ to be the wife of Knightley, Austen demonstrates ways in which Knightley, too, must grow to become ‘fit’ for Emma. “Many readers mistakenly think that he is perfectly fit for Emma even at the start, and that he never changes” (Mansell, 1973: 174). However, as the novel progresses, Knightley reveals that he had incorrectly felt himself to be objective regarding Frank, for instance, when he was, in reality, under the sway of jealous emotions. This revelation that a man, too, could find it difficult to separate emotions from rational, objective decisions illustrates that this is a human, rather than a womanly, trait. In the end, Austen allows Emma to marry the man who is perfect for her and who she is perfect for, reinforcing the conception of a match of equals rather than a necessary capitulation of the woman to the man selected for her by others. Although she provides several contextual clues that indicate women would do just fine if provided the same sort of opportunities provided to men, Austen does not suggest that Emma is currently, or perhaps ever could be, caught up to her male counterparts. Austen’s criticism of Emma can be seen in the way she is set up to fail early in the story, not only in her machinations in trying to bring Harriet and Mr. Elton together, but also in the way she is evaluated as a judge. While Mr. Knightley assesses her performance with intellect and objective observation, “She will never submit to anything requiring industry and patience, and a subjection of the fancy to the understanding” (Austen, 37), Mrs. Weston judges her through the affection she feels toward Emma. Not only are Emma’s abilities found to be lacking in a realistic sense, but women in general are shown to be incapable of rational, unemotional thought. Butler (1975) comments “Both Mrs. Weston and Emma are far too much influenced by their preconceptions for steady judgment. Mrs. Weston hopes that Frank will marry Emma, Emma believes that it is she who attracts him, and so both conceive that Frank is walking to Hartfield when he is really engineering a call on Jane” (Butler, 1975: 254). The ability of the women to be fooled by their own emotions and desires is further highlighted by the fact that the male character in the scene, Mr. Knightley, is perfectly capable of reading the clues that are laid out before him. “Only Mr. Knightley himself perceives that there is some prior understanding between the two strangers … his careful, literal registering of each piece of evidence compares with the many scenes in which Emma has suppressed such facts, because they do not fit her favourite schemes” (Butler, 1975: 254). This assessment certainly supports the contention that Austen firmly held to the beliefs of her age regarding the abilities or disabilities of women, yet it also fails to consider the nature of Emma herself or the process she experiences throughout the course of the novel. It also fails to consider the confession of Knightley, discussed earlier, that he was also ruled by emotions in his assessments of Frank. In portraying Emma as a being incapable of making judgments based on anything more than emotional sentiment, Austen is merely reflecting the ‘education’ of women as it then existed, yet is criticizing it at the same time. Women were taught “to practice propriety instead of displaying their intelligence, to practice self-denial instead of cultivating self-assertion, and to think of themselves collectively, in terms of universals of the sex, instead of contemplating individual autonomy, talents, and capacities or rights” (Poovey, 1983: 155). Rather than having the classical education that fosters critical thinking and objective reasoning that is praised in Mr. Knightley, Emma is only able to work upon the skills she’s been given, yet her growth through the novel illustrates her capacity to think and suggests she might have done better had she received better instruction at an earlier age. The structure and complexity of Austen’s novels also indicate an attempt to assert the fact that women were capable of far higher thought and grander aspirations than they were typically given credit for. In Emma, it can be seen that Austen was depicting the clueless woman incapable of rational design while reinforcing the idea that a woman was capable of learning from her experiences, growing and taking on new responsibilities and roles. The idea that Emma would have been perfectly capable of matching Knightley in critical thinking skills had she been provided the training is supported by her individual character traits. Emma is perhaps the strongest female character Austen created socially. With a healthy, vigorous constitution and an almost aggressive personality, she is not afraid to take on the world as she understands it. Although the woman of the household, she is presented as every inch the true power of Hartfield as her father is seen to give in to her judgment in all important matters. Because of the status of her family, she is also seen to be a pillar of the community, a difficult position to attain for a ‘mere’ woman. Yet this, too, is seen by Butler to be a reaffirmation of the status of women as a second-class citizen. “It is a misreading of Emma’s character to say that she grasps at power, for she neglects rather than exploits her opportunities at Highbury. Jane Austen’s purpose in giving her an exceptionally unfettered social position is rather to leave her free to act out her willful errors, for which she must take entire moral responsibility” (Butler, 1975: 251). Yet Emma’s social growth in the novel illustrates that the concepts of class and proper social behavior were not merely an affectation of the rich. This is shown as Emma begins to understand her role in the real world of her class and accept the limitations of it, such as finally allowing Harriet to return to the social class to which she truly belonged. Before meeting Harriet, Emma’s beliefs regarding the lower classes reflected an outright snobbery, indicating that the yeoman of the farming class were beneath her notice (Church, 1962 cited in Bloom, 1997:156). Yet, her affection for Harriet proves that she is capable of loving someone beneath her as well as teaching her a valuable lesson regarding the true worth of individuals. This lesson is reflected in Knightley’s interest in everything to do with farming to the point of discussing the matter with a lady, again indicating a cross-over of class and culture, a tendency to see people as individuals rather than men or women, ladies or miller’s daughters. While her concentration was on the psychological journey of her female characters and the novel as an idea rather than the simple telling of a story, Austen physically demonstrates beyond question that women are and were capable of higher thought and contemplation than they were credited with through her act of authorship. Presented as it is in the subjective point of view of Emma herself, “even the very first sentence (‘Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich…’) cannot quite be taken as a neutral declaration of truth. It seems to be coloured already by Emma’s own vanity” (Mansell, 1973: 148), the novel reveals a high degree of complexity. The ability to form such an intricate narrative that it at once takes on the personal interpretation of the main character while allowing the reader to imagine a more objective viewpoint indicates a sophisticated understanding of the art of writing that belies the assumed truths of the inferiority of women. The text of the novel further supports this assertion by relating a story of a strong, passionate woman with a wide streak of independence and a sure sense of her future who nevertheless makes numerous mistakes in judgment and actions thanks to a lack of critical training. While the novel does support some of the traditional values and attitudes, such as the idea that men are necessary to provide women with the proper balance they need in life, Austen is careful to point out the balancing effect women have on men as well as the female’s ability to think critically when given the example and opportunity. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Emma. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Everyman’s Library, (1815; reprinted 1991). Butler, Marilyn. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas. Oxford: Clarendon Press, (1975). Church, Richard. “Portraits of People in Austen’s Emma.” (1962). Reprinted in Bloom, Harold. Readings on Jane Austen. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, (1997). Levine-Clark, Marjorie. “Engendering Relief: Women, Ablebodiness, and the New Poor Law in Victorian England.” Journal of Women’s History. Vol. 11, I. 4, (1991). Mansell, Darrel. The Novels of Jane Austen. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, (1973). Monaghan, David. “Austen’s Women in a Conservative Society.” Jane Austin in a Social Context. (1981). Reprinted in David Bender et al, Readings on Jane Austen. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, (1997). Poovey, Mary. Persuasion and the Promises of Lover. Ed. Carolyn G. Heilbrun and Margaret R. Higonnet. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, (1983). Read More