Ms. Elton and Emma Matchmaking
~Blog Post #4~
Topic E
May 8, 2015
By Emily Stahoviak
Throughout Emma by Jane Austen, Emma Woodhouse is frequently seen as the best matchmaker around and takes pride in how well her matches work between her friends. After a few fails in her matchmaking, however, Emma begins to lose her touch and confidence in her work. When she fails to set up Harriet and Mr. Elton, Mr. Elton runs away and comes back to Highbury with a brand new wife, Ms. Elton. Emma demands that she and Harriet go to meet her, although it would be awkward, just to get it over with.
Little did Emma know what she was getting into. After they meet Mr. Elton's greedy new spouse, Emma immediately forms a bad opinion on Ms. Elton's confidence and she doesn't feel as though she is a good person for him. Ms. Elton is constantly "in search of young women to whom she can attach herself and introduce into her society" and she believes that matchmaking in essential in life (286). Although Emma cannot see herself relating to Ms. Elton, she most definitely does. For example, when she engages Harriet and teaches her how to live in a high society, Emma ultimately attaches herself to Harriet as her mission to bring a low class citizen to the higher class. Mrs. Elton does the same with Jane Fairfax, as she tries to show her into the high society and all the pleasures of living in it. There is no difference that exists between Mrs. Elton's mission with Jane and Emma's behavior towards Harriet at all, although Emma cannot recognize it herself. Both Mrs. Elton and Emma are guilty of presumption.
The competition that Mrs. Elton brings into Emma's life upsets her. She feels as though she is the only matchmaker for her town and that she is the best there is. Emma's confidence continues to dwindle as Mrs. Elton takes on the project of Jane Fairfax. Emma knows in the back of her mind that she isn't as good as she once was at matchmaking, and she'll never return to normal again. Mrs. Elton was her sign that she isn't the most important person in Highbury, she's just as normal as anybody else.
Emily, I think you did a great job with this blog post! You made a great connection with the characters by comparing the actions of Emma and Mrs. Elton. Like you said, Emma is being very hypocritical in this situation. She makes fun of Mrs. Elton for taking Jane Fairfax under her wing, when she did almost the exact same thing for Harriet. I think Emma is upset that her matchmaking attempt with Harriet and Mr. Elton failed, and Mrs. Elton reminds her of this failure. Emma is jealous of Mrs. Elton, and this whole setting/scene makes Emma uncomfortable. She realizes what she had tried to do with matchmaking may have been wrong, and this upsets her. Emma does not like to be wrong or competed against.
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