Opposing Views In Jane Austen's Emma

In Jane Austen’s Emma, two main characters, Mr. Knightley and Emma seem to have opposing views and cannot gain common ground. “There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do, if he chuses, and that is, his duty; not by manoeuvring and finessing, but by vigor and resolution. It is Frank Churchill’s duty to pay this attention to his father. He knows it to be so, by his promises and messages; but if he wished to do it, it might be done. A man who felt rightly would say at once, simply and resolutely, to Mrs. Churchill – ‘Every sacrifice of mere pleasure you will always find me ready to make to your convenience; but I must go and see my father immediately. I know he would be hurt by my failing in such a mark of respect to him on the present
occasion. I shall, therefore, set off to-morrow.’ If he would say so to her at once, in the tone of decision becoming a man, there would be no opposition made to his going.” “’No,’ said Emma laughing; ‘but perhaps there might be some made to his coming back again. Such language for a young man entirely dependent, to use! Nobody but you, Mr. Knightley, would imagine it possible. But you have not an idea of what is requisite in situations directly opposite to your own. Mr. Frank Churchill to be making such a speech as to that to the uncle and aunt, who have brought him up, and are to provide for him! Standing up in the middle of the room, I suppose, and speaking as loud as he could! How can you imagine such conduct practicable?” (98) In this passage Emma and Mr. Knightley are discussing the decision Frank Churchill made in not coming to visit his father and stepmother. Mr. and Mrs. Churchill, who are his aunt and uncle, raised Frank after his mother passed away when he was a little boy. Mr. Knightley says that Frank needs to man up and follow through with his obligations even if Mr. and Mrs. Churchill do not agree with the visit. Emma laughs at Mr. Knightley because she says that Mr. Knightley does not understand Frank’s side and his situation. The two have opposing view points on the matter and continue the heated conversation. This dispute between Emma and Mr.
Knightley is interesting due to the fact that for once Mr. Knightley seems more judgmental than Emma, but he justifies his opinion of Frank with statements about manhood and moral obligation. This passage demonstrates the passion each character has toward their viewpoint, and it causes the reader to have a split decision on who is correct on the matter. The reason this is intriguing is because when Emma and Mr. Knightley are in disagreement, Emma generally has weak reasoning in comparison to Mr. Knightley, especially concerning social class and Emma treating others inferior to her. One example of this is when Mr. Martin proposes to Harriet and Emma discourages the proposal due to the fact that Mr. Martin is ranked low on the social totem pole. Mr. Knightley approaches Emma about the discouragement and it is clear that Emma is being shallow and has a lack of regard for her “friend’s” happiness. Therefore, the fact that Emma produces a valid and positive argument against Mr. Knightley grabs the reader’s
attention. Close-minded stubbornness is a common trend among the characters in Emma.
Emma and Mr. Knightley have demonstrated their one-sided and judgmental selves through their various disagreements. What the two do not see is that they both have some truth in their arguments but are too set in their ways to realize it. When the two find themselves in disagreement, Emma poses a good point in saying that Mr. Knightley does not know both sides and should not be so quick to judge. Mr. Knightley is generally the voice of reason concerning Emma and her shallow ideals of people that she feels are lesser than her. However, Emma ’s response to Mr. Knightley gives the reader a sense of understanding for Frank and his obligations to his aunt and uncle. Emma explains that Mr. and Mrs. Churchill are not simply Frank’s aunt and uncle, but the people who raised him and tend to his financial obligations. Mr. Knightley believes that Frank must grow up and stop allowing his aunt and uncle to prevent him from his moral obligations. Mr. Knightley is correct that Frank should not break prior commitments, but he should understand that there is more to the situation than he knows. Frank depends on his aunt and uncle to support him financially, while Mr. Knightley is self-sufficient and does not have to depend on other sources for his livelihood. Emma sheds light on Frank’s need for financial stability and that he cannot risk losing that. Emma also mentions that Mr. and Mrs. Churchill raised Frank, and
that in a sense, they are his parents and he may not want to hurt them. An interesting point of interest is that the people Emma and Mr. Knightley defend are very different. Mr. Knightley defends people like Mr. Martin while Emma defends people like Frank Churchill. The role of social classes has shown to be prevalent in the moral ideals of people as well. Mr. Knightley defends the low social class characters and acts as if he has some resentment to the high-ranking social class people, even though he is among them. It is clear how Emma feels about social classes lower than hers, which may explain why she is so defensive about Frank but not others like Mr. Martin. Emma and Mr. Knightley represent opposite ideals but both prove to have more in common than they believe. The two are headstrong and are quick to speak their mind. This passage stands out due to the maturity Emma shows in her support and understanding for Frank and the situation he is in.