Emma An Analysis of Mrs. Elton Essays - 686 Words

Miss Augusta Hawkins, who becomes Mrs. Elton in Jane Austens Emma, is an interesting character, in that she is unquestionably the most distinct persona in the novel. The fact that she is a new member in Highbury is not an issue for her because she wastes no time in trying to solve other peoples personal problems and making their lives her business. In doing so, Jane Austen has created a character that the reader loves to hate. Augusta Hawkins is constructed so that the reader is torn between completely despising and loving her when she is in the scene due to the spiteful comments she makes and the social lives that she `improves. Much of the dislike that the reader has towards Augusta is due to the fact that we are seeing her as†¦show more content†¦Augusta is initially illustrated as handsome, elegant, highly accomplished, and perfectly amiable (Austen, 185). Later on she is also described as charming and having perfect beauty and merit. In addition she is quite wealthy; this is relevant because the major issues in Emma are class and status. Augusta believes that money alone equals class, nevertheless her money gives her no strong class associations. Her father is a tradesman from Bristol, and her one pride is the fact that her sister is married to a very wealthy man, again showing the stress Augusta puts on having money. Augusta over exaggerates her own social position. Had it not been for her m arriage to Mr. Elton and social climb following, she would not be associating with the elite of Highbury. Mrs. Elton becomes comfortable in Highbury almost instantly. She not only begins attempting to better or fix peoples lives, but also she oversteps a social barrier in Emmas eyes by calling Mr. Knightley simply `Knightley. Jane Fairfax becomes Augustas first assignment - he pities her situation and makes it her mission to place her with a good quality family to become a governess. Jane is justifiably offended by Mrs. Eltons persistence of this offer, for she feels that to become a governess is more a sale of ones self than ones services: I am very serious in not wishing anything to be attempted at present for me (Austen, 272). Augusta persistently pushes Jane even after she declines interest. Mrs.Show MoreRelatedJane Austens Approach to the Character Emma in Pride and Prejudice1638 Words   |  7 PagesJane Austens Approach to the Character Emma in Pride and Prejudice Handsome, clever and rich are the complimentary words Jane Austen lavishes upon Emma; accurate as they may be, they paint a picture contrary to the Emma portrayed during the first half of the novel. Set against the nineteenth century patriarchal society, structured by the privileges and constraints of money and status, both of which she acquires, a complex mental journey faces her. 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Accessed: 29/08/2012 00:55 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR isRead MoreThe Rise of the Novels in the Eighteenth Century4179 Words   |  17 PagesMasters: Between 1740 and 1800 hundreds of novels of all kinds were written. However, the real masters of the novel in the eighteenth century were four-Richardson, Fielding, Smollett, and Sterne. The rest of them are extremely inferior to them. Oliver Elton maintains: The work of the four masters stands high, but the foothills are low. The case was different in, say, the mid-nineteenth century when so many equally great novelists were at work. Fielding was the greatest of the foursome. Sir Edmund Gosse