In Emma，Jane Austen, who is known for her gently satirical portraits of village life and of the rituals of courtship and marriage, tells a story of a young, intelligent, and active woman seeking to exercise her talents and abilities within her narrow scope of opportunity. In this article, I would like to analyses Emma from its free narrative method, two symbols and three vivid role’s characteristics.
Firstly，the novel is narrated in the third person by a narrator who tells us what individual characters think and feel, and who also provides insight and commentary. This style of narration creates a complex mixture of sympathy with Emma and ironic judgment on her behavior. Though this narrative strategy creates problems of interpretation for the reader, it makes Emma a richly multidimensional character .For the most part, the narrator relates events from Emma’s perspective, but at times she enters into the thoughts of other characters. For example, “He began to suspect him of some double dealing in his (Frank’s) pursuit of Emma”is narrated from Mr. Knightley’s perspective.He viewed Frank from a calmed and objective point. When the narrator explains Emma’s commitment to Harriet’s betterment, commenting that the project “would be an interesting, and certainly a very kind undertaking; highly becoming Emma’s own situation in life, her leisure, and powers” .The narrator’s use of free indirect discourse creates irony, as it becomes difficult to tell when the seemingly approving narrator is actually pointing to flaws in her characters.
Their want to talk about the symbols in Emma. Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Also known as charades, riddles in the novel take the form of elaborate wordplay. They symbolize the pervasive subtexts that wait to be decoded in characters’ larger social interactions. ”But ah! United, (courtship, you know,) what reverse we have!” Mr. Elton presents a riddle to Emma and Harriet. Emma decodes it immediately, as “courtship,” but she decodes it wrongly in the sense that she believes it is meant for Harriet rather than herself. This wordplay also makes an appearance during the Box Hill party, when Mr. Weston makes an acrostic for Emma.
Similar to the riddle, a word game is played between Emma, Frank, and Jane. It functions as a metaphor for the partial understandings and misunderstandings that exist among Emma, Frank, Jane, and Mr. Knightley. As Mr. Knightley looks on, Frank uses child’s blocks to create words for the ladies to decode, though these words mean different things to each of them. Frank makes the word “blunder,” which Jane understands as referring to a mistake he has just made, but whose meaning is opaque to Emma and Knightley. He then makes the word “Dixon,” which Emma understands as a joke on Jane, and which baffles Knightley. In truth, everyone “blunders” in different ways that evening, because no one possesses complete enough information to interpret correctly everything that is going on.
Lastly am impressed in Emma‘s three role: Emma, Frank and Jane Fairfax. Although Emma is set as a young, beautiful, clever, and confident character, the narrator also portrays Emma’s weaknesses in more subtle ways, such as through irony. For example, the narrator hints that although Emma’s friendship with Miss Taylor is clearly a pleasure to them both, a stricter and more authoritative governess might have been better for Emma’s moral education. Emma’s kind original intention to help Harriet find a good husband” He had a comfortable home for her, and Emma imagined a very sufficient income” .While she is also extremely class-conscious and also somewhat manipulative. When Harriet received Mr. Martin’s proposal and ask for her advice. She discourages Harriet from thinking well of him by saying “You banished to Abbey-Mill Farm! You confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar all your life! ” And “I lay it down as a general rule Harriet that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him”. .Similarly Emma’s indecision about whether to attend the Coles’ dinner party brings the novel’s complicated treatment of the issue of class to the fore. In her evaluation of Frank Churchill, Emma shows her understanding of class to be truly superficial and dangerous. When Frank elegantly laughs off his folly in going to London for a haircut, Emma observes, “Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way.” .we see that the real reason Emma excuses Frank’s frivolous behavior is his elegant, charming manner—the result of his high-class upbringing.
Jane Fairfax, whose well-crafted comments exemplify an ideal balance between openness and propriety? For example, when Mr. John Knightley observes, “When you have lived to my age, you will begin to think letters are never worth going through the rain for,” Jane answers, “I must not hope to be ever situated as you are, in the midst of every dearest connection, and therefore I cannot expect that simply growing older should make me indifferent about letters.” This answer is politely vague but also expresses real emotion. It engages our pity, but it tactfully avoids any suggestion of self-pity on Jane’s part. Furthermore, when she firmly resists Mrs. Elton’s aggressive offers of assistance, we realize that Jane’s quietness and reserve do not indicate that she is dull or passive—she clearly has a mind of her own.
Frank’s behavior as a complicated mixture of honesty and outright deception, vulnerability and manipulation. He attempts to avoid Emma’s question about his relationship to Jane by ducking into a store, but then he himself returns to the subject. The first time we see Frank at a loss for words is when Emma shares her suspicion that Jane has had a relationship with Mr. Dixon. However, Frank recovers his composure enough to assess how well Emma actually knows Jane by asking her more questions. News comes that Frank’s aunt has died, and this event paves the way for an unexpected revelation that slowly solves the mysteries. Frank and Jane have been secretly engaged; his attentions to Emma have been a screen to hide his true preference.
The novel ends with the marriage of Harriet and Mr. Martin and that of Emma and Mr. Knightley, resolving the question of who loves whom after all. The relationship between marriage and social status creates hardship for other characters. Frank Churchill must keep his engagement to the orphan Jane Fairfax secret because his wealthy aunt would disapprove. Jane, in the absence of a good match, is forced to consider taking the position of a governess. The unmarried Miss Bates is threatened with increasing poverty without a husband to take care of her and her mother. Finally, the match between Emma and Mr. Knightley is considered a good one not only because they are well matched in temperament but also because they are well matched in social class.Actually ,my marriage view is also similar with this ,I agree with our chinese traditional attituades towards marriage .门当户对，the wealth and background of a family usually have great impacts on a person's value and belief ,and if the two married people have similar ideals may have less conflicts during daily life.
Although the alternative pastimes depicted in the book—social visits, charity visits, music, artistic endeavors—seem relatively trivial, at times even monotonous. It is a comedy of manners that allows the readers to gain a deep understanding of Ms. Woodhouse and her world. It is worthwhile to have a second reading .Here, I also want to quote a sentence of Virginia Woolf,”The wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste. […] Never did any novelist make more use of an impeccable sense of human values.”