Money, Marriage and Women Today is a day where anyone can become anything… with proper accommodations, that is. In the Eighteenth Century the first thing that a young lady had to do was believed to marry a man who could allow her to obtain luxurious wealth and a high ranking social status. Marriage was viewed as a career to women of this era. What if a woman happened to be born in the fame and fortune… would she even feel the need to search for a husband or financial support? Compared to other novels written by the English author Jane Austen, the book Emma seems to depict a very progressive and very inspirational idea that relates to women here today in the Twenty First Century. The best thing to do first in order to understand the concept of this idea would be getting to know the spectacular mind behind the scenes, Jane Austen. Born in Stevenson Hampshire, England on December 16th, 1775. This day made Jane Austen the seventh of eight children to her father Reverend George Austen and mother Cassandra Leigh Austen. Of the eight children Jane and her older sister Cassandra were the only girls, who were extremely close, as the entire family was very close-knit. Jane Austen looked up and idolized her older sister Cassandra Austen. An elder brother was said to have epilepsy and did not live with the family. The third son was adopted by a wealthy family and was not living with them either. All of the remaining Austen children who were Jane’s siblings growing up were primarily taught from the extensive knowledge of their scholarly father and the reading that they took upon themselves to do in the very grand and large at home library that they had with many books that contained stories and facts that they did nothing but absorb. The family often enjoyed viewing and performing amateur theatricals with one another. Friends, family and neighbors were often recruited to put on plays and spectacles in the family’s rectory barn. A rectory barn is a parsonage or a rector’s house. A rector is often a priest in charge of a church or some type of religious fortress. The family found themselves discussing popular writers of the day. Some of Jane Austen’s favorites include Samuel Richardson and Fanny Burney who Jane Austen refers to in some of her writing pieces (Lorenz 2). Learning through experience and one's own curiosity and exploration is a wonderful way to digest information. The first aspect to process is realizing that the many career and life choices women have today, have not always been available to them. Women were obligated to partake in a marriage in order to have money. This was just how things were way back in the day. More often than not, the amount of money in the marriage reflected on the happiness of the couple.
Unusually similar today, the financial situations of marriages can also depict whether or not the ones in the marriage get along with one another, simply due to stress that financial struggles are able to put on each of the partners. "Pray, my dear aunt, what is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive? Where does discretion end and avarice begin?" (Austen Pride 27). In this quote from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice chapter twenty-seven, Jane Austen identifies the importance of money the role that the financial status plays in the marriage but leaves it for the unique judgement and interpretation of the reader to decide whether or not it is moral (Austen).
To prove this point a bit further, in another one of Jane Austen’s novels, Sense and Sensibility in chapter fifteen “I want no proof of their affection, but of their engagement I do.” says Elinor to Mrs. Dashwood. This quote goes to show the main motive behind most marriages during this time period had a lot to do with the status alone and not so much the meaningful feelings behind it. Most of Jane Austen’s books seem to agree with the standards of society at that time (Austen). Marriage should be something conceived out of love and passion, a bond that two want to share and cherish together for the rest of their lives. It is sad to think that even still today many do not understand this as they did not many years ago. The lucky ones are who understand this and find the ones who understand them.
There is only a single novel written by Jane Austen that does not appear to conform to the idea of a woman having to get married in order to be satisfied with her social ranking. This is the very first idea of ‘act like a lady; think like a man’. The character Emma Woodhouse from Emma already has the financial status the most women thirst for and can only achieve through a successful marriage. This book was published in 1816 in Highbury, England. Emma pis the daughter of Mr. Woodhouse as the heiress of Hartfield. Emma Woodhouse embodies many different characteristics of women of the modern day. With the advantage of money, a woman does not necessarily need a significant other in order to achieve the social status that she wants. Although Emma Woodhouse is very intelligent, wealthy and secure she stands out in a unique way. She is wealthy because of her father and does not need a significant other. “Miss Bates stood in the very worst predicament in the world for having much of the public favour; and she had no intellectual superiority to make atonement to herself, or frighten those who might hate her, into outward respect...It was her own universal good-will and contented temper which worked such wonders. She loved everybody, was interested in everybody's happiness, quick-sighted to every body's merits; thought herself a most fortunate creature, and surrounded with blessings in such an excellent mother and so many good neighbors and friends, and a home that wanted for nothing. The simplicity and cheerfulness of her nature, her contented and grateful spirit, were a recommendation to every body and a mine of felicity to herself.”(Austen Emma 22). In this quote Emma Woodhouse is being compared to Miss Bates, an ordinary woman of the time with a typical situation of many women. The predicament for Miss Bates in the novel is that she happens to have little intellectual background and was unable to come across a husband who would financially support her. Miss Bates is the characterization of an unmarried, poverty stricken woman of the Victorian Era. In the story she relies on the charity from the Woodhouse household. Although this is not the exact most honorable way to get by but that is how Miss Bates lives her life and Miss Bates is okay with that. It appears in the book that because Miss Bates is satisfied with her own life and obviously so is everyone else by how well liked she is by the high society members among Highbury (Austen).
Emma Woodhouse from Emma does relate to women of the modern day. Emma relates to women of the world today by symbolizing the pursuit to be independent. The biggest obstacle for Emma Woodhouse was that the proper thing to do was marry for any type of status. Emma Woodhouse signifies the innocence and independence of a young woman during the nineteenth century. This can be thought of as inspiring and empowering, showing motivation and potential in a positive type of rebellious manner in the future of independent women all around the world.
An argument against Emma Woodhouse relating to women of the world today is very possible to make. One could argue that Emma Woodhouse has had it perhaps a little too easy and may think a little too high of herself. Being born into the money, glitz and glamour this made is easier for making Emma Woodhouse very naive to the struggles of everyday life because she has never really had much to strain her rich, clever and beautiful self. Later in the book, ironically, Emma Woodhouse ends up developing a fancy for a certain someone because after all that is true human nature. Emma was just unaware of these feelings she was feeling and because she never felt the need to feel them her body and mind disguised them through a series of events (Austen).
To conclude the valid point that Emma Woodhouse from the novel Emma by Jane Austen does in fact relate to women of the modern day or any day for that matter and of all ages young or old. Accustomed to her own lifestyle the young and naive Emma Woodhouse cares about one thing and one thing only- her own happiness. This is a familiar concept shared by many young women throughout the entire world. Unlike most of Jane Austen’s other female novel character, Emma Woodhouse is unique and different because she appears to be almost unattached to her senses. The trending thing to do was get married and be a wife and cook and clean and be loyal to man for a lifetime and in return to have everything paid for and taken care of until death. Seems like a pretty sweet deal until one is no longer about living that lifestyle. Emma Woodhouse shows an excellent representation of a young girl slowly but surely transitioning into a young lady who will then become a woman. This is a common transition that young girls go through and do not know how to feel about it. Jane Austen does a great job of relating Emma Woodhouse greatly to girls and women of any age or era.