Major DilEMMA
~Blog post #2~
Topic J
April 24, 2015
The title of Jane Austen's book is none other than the main character, Emma. The whole story, unsurprisingly, revolves around her. I believe the title has deeper meaning. The obvious meaning is that the whole story will be about a girl named Emma. This is true, although the title expresses that Emma actually likes the focus on her. All of her life she has had affection from every direction. Once characters begin getting involved in her life or as she forces herself into theirs, she begins to deserve the title for herself. In chapter 8, Emma cues that her personality will be the instigator for all the conflicts and events that occurs. "Vanity working on a weak head produces every sort of mischief" (56). In the following chapters Emma tries to match her friend, Harriet and Mr. Elton. She ruins a real relationship between Mr. Westin and Harriet while leading Mr. Elton on. Emma will take readers on the journey of her life and struggles she faces while entering the real world without someone leading and approving everything she does. The greatest struggle the characters will face is convincing Emma that she is not always perfect. Emma says "I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other" (170). Emma has always been in her own little world and she has never experienced what it is to be different than herself. Once Emma opens herself up to the world she will realize who she is and how it compares to the others. As Emma grows into her life as an individual, she will finally experience others feelings for her and maybe explore her feelings towards other people.
I agree that the significance of the title is because it’s all about Emma and she knows it. Emma is a Germanic name meaning “whole” or “universal”. This is a clear sign the author wanted to send that Emma, like you said, believes the world revolves around her. She toys with peoples emotions for the fun of it or because she’s simply bored. Emma never worries about how her meddling will affect them. Her father has been constantly praising her for her whole life by saying things such as “’Emma never thinks of herself, if she can do good to others,’” (Austen 11). Because Emma gets her way all the time and constant praise, she really must feel as if the world revolves around her and she is at the center of the “universe.”
ReplyDelete