In Chapter VII of Emma, there is a palpable sense of regret from our main character Emma. Emma often finds herself in positions of great significance to the collection of people she is around, therefore behaving with such candor that is – and can be disguised as – charming. However, Emma has shown moments of serious introspection because her actions do not quite match her honest intentions. Silly, as an immature young girl may be, she lacks some social awareness to those she interacts with despite her surfacing as a self-intensifying puppet master. The qualities inherent to her are manners, speech, aura, grace, and attention to detail. Still, she slips into moments where her unconscious playfulness is perceived as unfeeling wrongdoing. In Emma’s interaction at Box Hill with Miss Bates, she projects a slighted comment to candidly be rude toward Miss Bates in front of the company. In defending herself, rather oddly, she couldn’t speak due to her self-anger and concern for what she had done. Author Jane Austen spends nearly a full page deliberately detailing Emma’s regret, saying, “Never had she felt so agitated, mortified, grieved, at any circumstance in her life… Time did not compose her.” (Austen 305) Emma sinks into a depressive state as she struggles to learn from her mistakes from time to time and rather experiences feelings of immediate dread due to her social blindness.
S.L. Frank’s The Meaning of Life, becomes pertinent at this juncture as his second chapter delves into the general question, “What Is to Be Done?” The difference in writing style here is clear – Austen makes observations with smart interjections, whereas Frank tends to ask questions to align the reader’s focus, then offers an answer. For context, Frank is discussing the repercussions of Russia’s military and political exploits to save the world by establishing a socialist order. However, Frank offers a more sterile discussion on the meaningless desire to save others – for one, like the Bolsheviks did, and another, like Emma attempts in playing her desired matchmaker role. Frank suggests that an individual’s desire to save is fed by a lack of understanding of the past leading to “…immeasurably exaggerated, in their blind pride, their own intellectual and moral powers.” (Frank 18) He feels that this pattern really causes moral blindness and inattention to others, which is evident in Emma. Furthermore, Frank aims to ask a more targeted question than “What Is to Be Done?” in all that applies to existential life. He’s a realist in that his beliefs are grounded in controlling the factors that pertain to individuals themselves – namely, I. Posing questions in a more concrete manner to achieve a more desirable answer, like “For a young man like me, who attends Bucknell, and is (hopefully) proficient in verbal communication, how should I apply myself in preparation for companionship beyond graduation?” Perhaps a more concise and detailed question is one Emma should be asking herself when trying to piece together a relationship for Harriet, or when trying to make amends with Miss Bates. Rather than, What do I do now after all I’ve done?
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