Misconceptions About The Role Of Women In Jane Austen's Emma

THE CRITICAL RESPONSE

Emma both questions and upholds traditional roles of women held society in in the early 19th century. What message does the novel convey about the role of women in society during Jane Austen’s time?

Jane Austen’s novel Emma follows the lives of the upper class and middle class of Surrey during the early 19th Century. The novel’s main character, Emma Woodhouse, is a clever, quick-witted young woman who passes her time by matchmaking her friends, and compulsively meddling in other people’s lives. There are a number of themes portrayed throughout the novel, such as marriage and social status, with one of the most prominent examples being the confined nature of women in society. Emma shows how upper class women, such as Emma

Going on social visits and making artistic and musical endeavours being one of the most popular choices at passing time. In spite of the fact that upper class women did not have many events to occupy their time, lower class women were often worked exceedingly hard. The lack of lower class women portrayed in Emma is unusual, as although Emma is described as exceptionally intuitive, she doesn’t appear to comment on how her house depends upon the servants running it. Although Emma doesn’t appear to notice the smooth goings-on of the domestic workers throughout her house, she appears to have sympathy for the governess-trade, as it is

Women usually showed power through the conventional expectation that women should take care of their children and elderly parents without the understanding and social status that men held. During this time, women were also expected to marry a rich man even if the man was not her true love, her marriage could also change her social status.

Each class was fiercely protected, as women were expected to marry someone of the same class, as if a woman were to marry someone of a lower class, then they would be seen as bringing someone who was below them into their upper social class. Most women during the early 19th century were economically dependant on men, which often restricted their freedom.

Emma Woodhouse’s intelligence is very apparent during Emma, as she is portrayed as having a greater intellect than what was expected of the time, although she did not hold a job, or have a husband at the beginning of the novel. Emma’s wit and intellect is described to have been apparent from a very early age, although she rarely had the time to study the books she wished to due to the amount of time being taken up by social visits and other trivial pursuits that were a significant part of 19th century rural