Emma Journal Entry Essay

Emma by Jane Austen

Journal entry 1

The beginning of 'Emma' is set in a small imaginary country village called Highbury, in around 1814 and the mood is playful and happy. The main characters in this scene are Emma Woodhouse the persona, Mr Woodhouse, Ms Taylor and Mr Knightly. Emma Woodhouse is described as 'Handsome, clever, and rich' and happy because she 'had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her’ The writer portrays how she is used to having her way and she believes she is superior to others through the words that she had ‘rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself’. Mr Woodhouse is an 'affectionate, indulgent father' but also 'a nervous man, easily
depressed' and hates change. Ms Taylor was Emma’s governess to substitute for Emma’s mother, which is shown through the quote that she was ‘an excellent woman as a governess, who had fallen little short of a mother in affection’ but in the beginning of the novel she is lately married to Mr Weston. Emma and Mrs Weston have a very sisterly relationship as it says ‘it was more the intimacy of sisters’ and Emma misses the company of Mrs Weston. Mr Knightley is ‘sensible man about seven or eight and thirty’ and ‘a very old and intimate friend of the family’ and brother of the man who married Isabella, Emma’s elder sister. He is also ‘one of the few people who could see faults in Emma Woodhouse, and the only one who ever told her of them…’ So far Ms Taylor has gotten married, we have met Mr Knightly, Emma misses Mrs Weston’s companionship and Emma has speculated who should marry Mr Elton, the vicar. The purpose of this opening scene is to introduce characters and give a background of their personality, history and their relationship with Emma.
A major quote in this scene that shows Emma’s favourite pastime and Mr Knightley’s opinion on Emma’s matchmaking, Emma says “I planned the match from that hour; and when such success has blessed me in this instance, dear papa, you cannot think that I shall leave off match-making.” “I do not understand what you mean by ‘success’ “said Mr Knightley. “Success supposes endeavour.” This shows how much Emma enjoys match making and how Mr Knightley disapproves, foreshadowing problems in the future. Another quote foreshadowing the future is from Emma who says “Only one more, papa- only for Mr Elton. Poor Mr Elton!” This show that Emma will try to match Mr Elton but the atmosphere is ominous as Mr Knightley replies “…leave him to choose his own wife.” One idea of changing self being explored is in Emma’s relationship with Mrs Weston and that now she is married, Emma has to adjust to change and therefore changing how she views her situation. Another idea explored is Emma’s situation and how she does not believe she needs to change and bad consequences will result from that. Significant literary devices used are mainly the use of foreshadowing future events to express Emma’s lack of wisdom
and irony to express Mr Woodhouse’s naivety.

Journal entry 2

So far in the novel ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen, Emma Woodhouse has found a friend called Harriet, who she is planning will marry Mr Elton. Harriet gets a proposal from her old lover, Mr Martin the farmer, who Emma believes is not ranked high enough for Harriet to accept and therefore Emma influences Harriet to refuse. When Mr Knightley finds out that Emma influenced Harriet to do this, he is angry with Emma for making Harriet think she is higher in the social rank than she actually is. Harriet Smith ‘was a very pretty girl’ being ‘short, plump, and fair, the a fine bloom, blue eyes, light hair, regular features’ and ‘very engaging- not inconveniently shy, not unwilling to talk’ but is the natural daughter of someone unknown. As the book progresses, Harriet falls in love with Mr Elton as Emma encourages her but Mr Elton proposes to Emma, which is totally unexpected, and she refuses. Mr Elton leaves to find another wife while Harriet is left heartbroken. Meanwhile Jane Fairfax comes to visit her aunt and Mr Frank Churchill arrives to see his father and his new wife. Jane Fairfax receives a piano from a secret admirer and Mrs Weston speculates that it might have been Mr Knightley. Chapter twenty seven includes Emma, Harriet, Mrs Weston, Ms Bates and Mr Churchill and shows the development of relationships between characters like Emma and Harriet, Emma and Mr Churchill, and Mr Knightley and Ms Bates. As well as this, it also suggests the potential relationships such as between Mr Knightley and Jane, Mr Churchill and Jane, and the ongoing feelings for Mr Martin that Harriet has. Ms Bates says “So very obliging of Mr Frank Churchill! ‘Oh!’ said he, “I do think I can fasten the rivet; I like a job of this kind excessively” This suggests the secret relationship between Mr Churchill and Jane because he is ready to help her relations in subtle ways. As readers, we are not supposed to know Jane and Churchill’s connection. The writer tries to divert the attention of this potential relationship to Mr Knightley’s care for Jane. Ms Bates says ‘[Mr Knightley] sends us a sack every year; and certainly there never was such a keeping apple anywhere as one of his trees.’ This encourages us to suspect a relationship between Jane and Knightley in combination of Mrs Weston’s speculations. The ideas of changing self explored in this scene are shown through Harriet’s love for Mr Martin. In the beginning of the novel, Harriet loves Mr Martin with Emma’s disapproval but under Emma’s guidance Harriet loves Mr Elton and after the truth comes out about Mr Elton loving Emma, Harriet’s underlying love for Mr Martin returns. Harriet has changed for the worst with Emma as a role model. She now thinks above her station and is in danger of never marrying, and without money or family connections in the 18th century this was a dangerous position of a young lady. One of the techniques Austen uses is a cyclic structure to Harriet’s love life in the novel as it always returns to Mr Martin. She also uses symbolism of the apples to imply kindness and love and suggests Mr Knightley’s love for Jane.

Journal entry 3

In the final scene of Emma, the mood is cheerful and the plot resolved. From the middle to the end of the novel we read Emma falling in love with Churchill and plan a ball together, Emma realises after that that she does not love Churchill. At the ball, Mr Elton rejects Harriet and Mr Knightley saves Harriet from embarrassment, this highlights Emma’s mistake in the past. Then Harriet is attacked and Mr Churchill saves her. Emma and Harriet have a conversation which they misunderstand each other, Harriet implies that she is in love with Knightley but Emma mistakes it for Churchill. Mr Knightley and Emma fight about how she treats Jane and Knightley suspects Jane and Churchill attachment. Emma organises everyone to go to Box Hill but the day does not go well because Emma makes fun of Ms Bates and Knightley tells her that she was wrong and shortly afterwards Mr Knightley leaves for London to convince himself that he is not in love with Emma. Meanwhile, the truth comes out that Churchill and Jane are engaged and Harriet explains that she is in love with Knightley. As this goes on, Emma realises she loves Knightley and Mr Knightley comes back and proposes to Emma. Harriet gets engaged to Mr Martin and Emma accepts Knightley. The purpose of this last scene is to resolve all the underlying problems between relationships and Emma coming to the realisation that she has been wrong in her match making and therefore changes. Evidence for this change is Emma allowing Harriet to marry whoever she chooses whereas before she was influencing and persuading Harriet to take her advice. Emma says to Mr Knightley about how she has changed “I hope so, for at that time I was a fool.” This shows that she has taken the first step of change which is admittance of doing wrong and therefore evidence that she has changed. The second quote from the last scene ‘the intimacy between [Harriet] and Emma must sink; their friendship must change into a calmer sort of good-will; and, fortunately, what ought to be, and must be, seemed already beginning, and in the most gradual, natural manner.’ This shows how the social classes in those days did not allow for people to step outside their rank and in this both Emma and Harriet would lose their friendship with each other as societies expectations were placed on them. Emma has changed dramatically throughout the book because before she was not willing to give Harriet up as a friend for Harriet’s ultimate happiness because it meant that she would have to sacrifice her enjoyment. Now however Emma is happy to see Harriet marry Mr Martin because it means that Harriet will be happy, this shows how Emma was a selfish person who was using Harriet as a prop in her matchmaking skills but now is ready to let go of that friendship because she knows it is the best for both of them. Symbols used throughout the text are tokens of affection, the riddle and the word game. Many objects throughout the book take on symbolic significance as tokens of affection including Mr Elton going to frame Emma’s portrait of Harriet, Harriet keeps a pencil stub and court plaster of Mr Elton’s and Jane returns Mr Churchill’s letters when the engagement is called off briefly. These all show the symbolic nature of items in the 18th century as showing affection was restricted before marriage.