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$Unique_ID{bob01233}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Works of Jane Austen
Emma: Chapters 14 - 25}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Austen, Jane}
$Affiliation{Instructor Of English, Rutgers University}
$Subject{emma
harriet
jane
elton
frank
chapter
knightley
mrs
weston
miss}
$Date{}
$Log{}
Title: Works of Jane Austen
Book: Emma
Author: Austen, Jane
Critic: Fitzpatrick, William J.
Affiliation: Instructor Of English, Rutgers University
Emma: Chapters 14 - 25
Chapter XIV
Emma and Mrs. Weston take pleasure in gossiping together. Mrs. Weston is
the only person with whom Emma is on terms of real intimacy. Emma is
disappointed to find that Mr. Elton is sitting next to her. She notices that,
far from being concerned about Harriet, he seems especially interested in her.
She wonders if her brother-in-law can have been correct in his suggestion. She
finds the idea "absurd and insufferable."
Mr. Elton's "nonsensical" conversation keeps Emma from listening to Mr.
Weston talk about his son, Frank Churchill. It happens that Emma considers
Frank Churchill's "age, character, and condition" very much suited to hers and
thinks that if she were to marry, he would be just the person for her. She is
aware that Mr. and Mrs. Weston have thought about such a match, and Emma looks
forward to meeting him. Finally, she gets an opportunity to talk to Mr. Weston
about his son. He expects him down for a visit the second week in January. He
explains that Frank has been kept from visiting him in the past by his aunt,
who is a mean and selfish woman. Later, when she talks to Mrs. Weston alone
about the same subject, Emma finds that she is not nearly as optimistic as Mr.
Weston about Frank's coming down. Mrs. Weston thinks that his aunt will
succeed in preventing it again, for the Churchills are jealous of their
adopted nephew. Emma replies that a young man ought to be able to spend a week
with his father if he wants to. She does not see how anyone could stand in his
way.
Comment:
The first third of the book (Chapters I through XVIII) is primarily
concerned with Emma's interference in the lives of Robert Martin, Harriet
Smith, and Mr. Elton - with her mistakes and her meddling. Frank Churchill's
relations with Emma come to play a dominant part in the second third of the
book, and Jane Austen takes pains to introduce him now and again in the first
part to prepare the reader for Emma's second folly.
Chapter XV
Mr. Elton comes, sits between Emma and Mrs. Weston, and asks Emma for
information about Harriet's condition. Emma is pleased to hear him asking
after her friend, but she begins to notice that his concern is rather for her
than for Harriet - a fear that she might catch Harriet's infection. Mr. Elton
begs her to promise him not to put herself in this danger again by visiting
Harriet. Emma is shocked and annoyed at his appearing to be in love with her
instead of Harriet. She is offended at his presuming to have a right to be so
extremely solicitous of her activity.
John Knightley comes in and declares that the strong wind and the heavy
snow will make it difficult for them to get home. Mr. Woodhouse is very upset
at this news. And John Knightley goes on to fan his fears with pictures of a
carriage being blown over. Isabella is as worried as her father and suggests
that he and Emma stay the night at Randalls, but Emma is very glad when George
Knightley comes in to say that he has inspected the road for some ways on and
found that the snow is not in the least bit deep and so there is nothing to
worry about. He and Emma then take charge of the departure and everyone sets
out. On the way back, Emma finds herself alone with Mr. Elton in the second
carriage. Being annoyed at his behavior earlier and suspecting him of being
slightly drunk, she is rather displeased. Suddenly Mr. Elton seizes her hand
and begins to make love to her, declaring that she must be aware of how much
he loves her and that he desires to be accepted as her fiance. Emma is shocked
at Mr. Elton, the lover of Harriet, professing himself her lover. At first,
she charges it to drunkenness: "You take me for my friend - I shall be happy
to deliver any message to Miss Smith." Mr. Elton protests in confusion this
reference to Miss Smith and insists that Emma accept his desire for her hand
in marriage. Emma replies that she is most displeased that he should now be
making these advances to her after having made them to Harriet for the past
month. But Mr. Elton says that he never had any thought for Miss Smith. Her
own fancies must have misled her. He never paid the smallest attention to her
- only to Emma. He is sure that Emma must have understood him. Emma replies
that she has been in grave error about his intentions. She believed that he
was pursuing Harriet. Mr. Elton replies that Harriet is beneath his level and
could hardly hope to attract him. (This is an allusion to Harriet's
illegitimacy.) He remarks about the encouragement he received from Emma. Emma
emphatically denies that she gave him any encouragement. She saw him only as
Harriet's admirer. She was not aware of Harriet's being on a lower level. At
any rate, she has no thoughts of getting married herself.
For the rest of the trip each sits angrily in silence until they reach
Vicarage-lane and exchange cold good-byes.
Comment:
In this chapter, we see John Knightley's lack of interest in social
amenities lead him to upset his father-in-law and wife in his desire to get
home. George Knightley and Emma, on the other hand, handle this minor crisis
with efficiency and realism. Mr. Elton's proposal to Emma is one of the
consummate ironies in the book and a great comic scene.
Chapter XVI
Before bed that evening, Emma sits down to think over the events of the
evening. All her plans for Harriet were upset. Her judgment was "disgraced."
She had blundered in persuading Harriet into liking Mr. Elton and conceiving
of him as a suitor. She had interpreted everything that happened to fit her
own idea. Though she had considered Mr. Elton as wanting in judgment,
knowledge, taste, and elegance, she had never suspected that he was interested
in anyone but Harriet. She recalls that Mr. John Knightley had warned her
about Mr. Elton's being interested in her and that George Knightley told her
that Mr. Elton would never marry a girl without proper "connections." Those
brothers had had a much better estimate of the conceited Mr. Elton than she.
Emma is insulted by Mr. Elton's proposal. She considers that he was
motivated not by love but by the desire to marry well. She can recall no
indication of real affection. He wanted only to enrich himself with "Miss
Woodhouse of Hartfield, the heiress of 30,000 pounds." Just as Mr. Elton looks
down on Harriet, so Emma considers Mr. Elton her inferior in connection,
intellect, manners, and talent. It is inconceivable that Emma Woodhouse, of a
family settled for several generations at Hartfield, would ally herself with a
"nobody" like Mr. Elton, whose connections were only in "trade" and who had no
outstanding qualities.
But Emma faces the fact that in trying to promote the match between
Harriet and Mr. Elton, she had been uncommonly courteous and attentive to him.
And as she had misinterpreted his feeling, so he had misinterpreted hers. She
acknowledges to herself that it was foolish and wrong for her to try to bring
two people together. It was superficial and immature. She thinks that she was
right to persuade Harriet to reject young Martin, but she should have stopped
there. Perhaps William Coxe, the lawyer, would be more suitable for Harriet.
"Oh no - I could not endure William Coxe." But here, Emma sees that she is
relapsing into the vanity of her former error.
The thought that Harriet is not a person capable of deep feelings makes
it easier for Emma to think of the dreadful explanations she will have to make
to Harriet.
Comment:
We arrive in Chapter XVI at the fullest explanation thus far of the theme
and centra