I am woman....hear me roar.....
9 years ago
Monday, March 4, 2013
Matchmaking
While
matchmaking is the central device in Emma, both for the plot and as a
backdrop to develop characters, not all of the matches made in the novel
are good. Compare the matches made between Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor,
Emma and Mr. Knightley, Harriet and Mr. Martin, Jane Fairfax and Frank
Churchill, and Mr. Elton and Mrs. Elton. Which are good matches and
which are bad? What character traits in the couples make them suited or
unsuited for each other? Why are the mismatches so important to the
story?
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3 comments:
As far as bad matches, one of the main reasons I see them that way is because of certain personality differences. For example, Frank Churchill has a lot of social wit and charm, as opposed to Jane Fairfax who seems less comfortable in social situations. I also see the Eltons in part as being a bad match, because she seems to dominate the relationship. But they are both highly concerned with social status, so in that they are a good match. Emma and Mr. Knightley as well as Harriet and Mr. Martin are good matches because they line up in the same classes. Looking at mismatches in marriage further shows the importance of selecting the correct person for your spouse. If you have nothing in common or can't work together well, then the marriage might be a difficult one.
I though Frank and Jane were a good match because they were looking at love and not social class. The Elton's were a train wreck, both trying so hard to prove themselves to everyone, so well suited in their misery, but still a miserable match in my opinion. The Weston's seemed to be a happy couple. And I get why Emma and Knightley end up together and in theory I think they are supposed to be a good match...he will take care of her and stand up to her when she is out of line and hopefully help her to improve but I still stand by my earlier opinion that he is too good for her.
Mismatches gave the story some substance and an interesting story line because there were so many stories built into one. I felt the good matches were Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor; they seem well suited for one another and really in love. Mr. Elton and Mrs. Elton; probably well suited for one another because of their pompous attitudes but I don't know if there is much happiness there. Harriet and Mr. Martin; once she finally decided that Mr. Martin was the one through his efforts I think she would be very happy. He obviously loved her in spite of her status and would treat her good and once she decided she was really happy then she would be content. Emma and Mr. Knightly will be happy because he will have a good influence on her, she found out that he was the one she loved, and he would be loving, good, and supportive with her father and his needs. Frank and Jane will finally be happy but I think his actions before Mrs. Churchill died to Jane and others was wrong and deceitful. I would have a hard time being okay with that.
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