Theme of Transformation in Emma - 1209 Words

Emma also transforms into a proper woman through correcting her original neglect. Trollope states that â€Å"[i]n every passage of the book she is in fault for some folly, some vanity, some ignorance, or indeed for some meanness† (7)19. Because of her ignorance toward attitudes of her neighbors, Emma interferes through their lives in a way that makes them unhappy, for â€Å"she had often been negligent† (Austen 359)20. Mr. Knightley predicts the outcome of Emma’s plans in the beginning of the novel when he states that â€Å"[y]ou are more likely to have done harm to yourself, than good to them by interference† (Austen 8)21 and also that â€Å"[v]anity working on a weak head produces every sort of mischief† (Austen 53)22. Not only is Emma stubborn toward her†¦show more content†¦Eugene Goodheart views Emma’s imagination as a â€Å"bending predilection in the antithesis of the romantic sympathetic imagination†36 because Emma cho oses to live in a world that she creates around herself, such as the fantasy that she can marry Harriet Smith off to Mr. Elton. â€Å"She has come to realize to the full how her romantic attempts to marry Harriet such fantasies as to imagine Mr. Knightley in love with her; that the ideas of social hierarchy which Emma had fostered are fantasy† (Brooke)37. Emma’s immaturity only reforms when â€Å"Emma finds through her love of Mr. Knightley that much of her snobbery is false and superficial† (Brooke)38, and Emma is forced into the reality of the hierarchical Victorian society, where she â€Å"is instructed not only by Knightley but also by reality, which crushes her pride and forces her to abandon her delusional system† (Paris)39. Her misunderstandings of people are also seen in her obsessiveness, for â€Å"Emma’s ‘humors’ or obsessions are many, and they give rise to a variety of mistakes and illusions† (Paris)40. Her obsessive ness within her own fantasy leads her to attempting to find a husband for Harriet, which fails. When Emma finally realizes her mistakes, she is able to marry Knightley because â€Å"Emma has learned to balance power and propriety,† which reveals â€Å"Austen’s ideal of a lady as a woman who is strong but not manipulative† (Kohn)41. Another sign of Emma’s original misunderstandings of her society are clear in her judgment. â€Å"EmmaShow MoreRelatedEmma Clueless915 Words   |  4 PagesESSAY PLAN: TRANSFORMATIONS ( EMMA/CLUELESS Intro: C appropriates E’s 19th Century context into a contemp. Beverley Hill’s society embedded in material availability and conspicuous consumption. o Austen’s PURPOSE not changed ( C ( satire of context and human nature ( C has other purp. ( Question value and validity of texts ( POMO TRANSFORMATION THESIS: The transformation of a text helps develop and mold new meaning to its counterpart, and hence deepen the understanding ofRead MoreTransformations: Emma and Clueless1297 Words   |  6 PagesThe universality of themes pervading both Emma and Clueless in correlation with the humanistic, obviously flawed protagonists in both texts, captivates and immerses responders. This engagement leads to an involvement and enjoyment in the composer’s craft, which enables the responders’ to obtain sophisticated insight into the text’s concerns on both subjective and objective levels. 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Emma is a novel that is centered on a girl that is at times silly, vain, self-centered, superfluous, and overly confident yet there is a softer more vulnerable side to her that readers do not really fully grasp until the end of the book. Emma Woodhouse is a girl that says she will never get married yet sheRead MoreA Lesson Before Dying By Ernest J. Gaines926 Words   |  4 Pagesnovel, which kept me on the edge of my seat and had a hard time putting down. The novel explores various themes and concepts that surround the education system, filled with multiple emotional moments, conflicts, and surprising moments scattered throughout the storyline. However, the novel does not just focus on the education system and its underlying issues, but it also focuses on human transformation, where the emotional moments, confli cts, and surprising moments of the novel were most evident. AlthoughRead MoreEmma and Clueless Notes2482 Words   |  10 PagesEmma/Clueless speech Draft thesis: The ideas of appearance vs reality, development of maturity and love are ideas explored through techniques, Appearance vs reality -blindness to truth Emma | Clueless | * Manipulating reality to suit perception of it * Resulting self-deception, confusion, misunderstanding * Dramatic irony empowering us to see through human flaws and social failings of Emma. This often has unexpected results:-Mr Elton’s proposal â€Å"she could have been so deceived...sheRead MoreEmma and Clueless Essay1975 Words   |  8 Pageschange in context of Emma and clueless shaped the values conveyed in the two texts? In Amy Heckerlings 1995 film clueless we see the deep transformation of Jane Austin’s more conservative 19th century classic Emma. In clueless we see the values and themes of high culture literature combined with the modern context of teenage society in the 20th century. The transformation of Jane Austens novel Emma to the 20th century film Clueless by Amy Heckerling allows for the same themes of social structure