Final Writing Test

Topic: Emma by Jane Austen

In rural England during the eighteen century, the women’s condition was extremely different than what we are now accustomed to. One of the great female autors of that time and one that really did included that social fact in her work and use it as an endless inspiration was Jane Austen. In her well-known novel Emma, written in 1815, is it even more obvious. That said, we can now state that, while Jane Austen’s work is celebrated by many for its romantic atmosphere, it can be seen as the expression and the denunciation of the confined nature of the women’s existence in the eighteen century.

In her novel Emma, Jane Austen depicts the tiresome, dull and colorless activities that women are permitted to occupy their life with. We can think of organizing and participating in social visits, charity visits, sewing, reading. In these occupations, you do not get a real idea of power or decision making. Women are kept home, providing amusement and peace to their household without making adjustments of vital importance. In Emma, the protagonist’s energy can only be channeled through helping (some might say forcing) her friends on marital matters. Her character is so full of energy and intelligence that that particular pastime cannot be enough to satisfy her intellectual needs.

We also get a feeling that the female part of the society did not use their intellect to its full potential, being only there to reproduce. When your rank does not permit you to find a suitable husband, you cannot emancipate from your family and live fully by yourself. You have two choices: stay home and help your aging parents or become a governess. Austen even hints that the only mother portrayed in Emma, Isabella, Emma’s sister, does not have that great of a mind. However, as mentioned before, these roles leave the women without any need for rational thinking.

Therefore, there is only one way for the women’s existence to become not so confined: marriage. The only part they are allowed to play in society is participating in the courting rituals which basically are accepting or refusing marriage proposals. It is in this bonding ceremony that women can explore and use the little bit of power they have. They can access a higher rank if they choose their future husband well. Ultimately, eighteen century women’s aspirations are only attainable if they are ones of marriage nature.

In conclusion, Jane Austen’s Emma could almost be considered feminist. Under its romance tendencies, we can find a core that expresses the confined nature of the woman’s existence by showing the only activities they can practice without having to much power and states that woman can only gain a small part of said power by participating in courting rituals. I believe that Jane Austen would be proud of the place that now occupies the woman in our contemporary society and of the equality that they fought for so long being now respected and protected.


Word count: 497