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Skyler Hensarling
Mrs. E. Richardson
University English II
12 November 2010
The Use of Irony in Emma
Thesis: In Emma, Jane Austen uses irony to characterize Emma as a heroine blind to her own
flaws through dialogue, Emma’s illusions, and the views of supporting characters.
I. Dialogue
A. Mr. Knightley
1. Egotistical
2. Foreshadowing of Emma’s mistakes
B. Concerning other females
1. Misdirected criticism
2. Deception
II. Emma’s illusions
A. Regarding other characters
1. Harriet Smith
2. Mr. Robert Martin
3. Mr. Elton
B. Her matchmaking abilities
1. Mr. and Mrs. Weston
2. Harriet and Mr. Martin
C. Herself
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1. Narcissism
2. Marriage
III. Characters’ views of Emma
A. Mrs. Weston
1. Relationship with Emma
2. Intellectual stimulant
B. Harriet
1. As Mrs. Weston’s replacement
2. Willingness to accommodate
C. Mr. Elton
1. Proposal
2. Intellectual incapability
D. Mr. Knightley
1. As openly critical
2. As loving Emma
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Skyler Hensarling
Mrs. E. Richardson
University English II
12 November 2010
The Use of Irony in Emma
In Emma, by Jane Austen, the title character Emma Woodhouse attempts to fulfill her
self-ordained title as matchmaker. After the marriage of her close friend, Emma adopts a new
acquaintance, Harriet, and Emma takes on the task of finding a suitable mate for Harriet. As she
tries to accomplish this goal, Emma’s narcissistic personality causes her to become tangled in a
web of misconstrued affections and failed relationships. In Emma, Jane Austen uses irony to
characterize Emma as a heroine blind to her own flaws through dialogue, Emma’s illusions, and
the views of supporting characters.
Emma’s dialogue with Mr. Knightley allows the readers to see Emma’s skewed
perception of herself. From the beginning of the novel, Emma’s relationship with Mr. Knightley
is obviously competitive. Emma is an intelligent character whose wit is often wasted on other
characters in the novel. Compared to supporting characters, such as her father, Emma’s
intelligence is clearly superior. However, Mr. Knightley is able to match Emma’s wit and proves
to be conversationally stimulating.
As Emma speaks with Mr. Knightley on many occasions,
she consistently praises herself and her own ideas. In one such discussion of Miss Taylor’s
recent marriage, Emma states, “‘I planned the match from that hour; and when such success has
blessed me in this instance, dear papa, you cannot think that I shall leave off matchmaking’”
(Austen 9). Although Emma had no active role in the love between Miss Taylor and Mr.
Weston, she credits herself with the successful match despite Mr. Knightley’s objections.
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Emma makes her need to assert her intellectual independence obvious to readers,
particularly in her competitive dialogue with Mr. Knightley, much of which centers around
attacks against the male gender. While discussing Harriet’s refusal of Mr. Robert Martin’s
proposal, Emma tells Knightley, “‘a man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who
asks her [to marry]’” (60). In an attempt to alleviate the societal cavity between male and female
aptitude, Emma places females on a higher morality level than men. As a woman, Emma finds
that her only chance of declaring herself as an equal to a member of the male gender is through
the use of her abnormally quick wit and intellect. Critic Leroy W. Smith suggests of Emma, “she
resists taking her place in the adult female world because she sees that a woman’s place is one of
dependence and assumed inferiority” (131). While she remains submissive to her father
throughout the novel, her egotistical discourse with Mr. Knightley allows readers to understand
Emma’s underlying desire to assert herself as an independent woman and rebuke her ideal role in
society. While Emma is pleased with making matches for other women, she finds herself above
the role of the traditional wife. Readers easily identify this feature of Emma’s character;
however, Emma is blind to this ironic double standard.
Mr. Knightley’s dialogue with and about Emma also serves as a source of foreshadowing
in the novel. Mr. Knightley tells Mrs. Weston, “‘I do not know what your opinion may be, Mrs.
Weston, of this great intimacy between Emma and Harriet Smith, but I think it is a bad thing’”
(34). This particular quotation allows readers to foresee Emma’s negative impact on Harriet’s
life. Soon after this discussion, it becomes clear that Emma’s involvement in Harriet’s life is
dangerous. Harriet turns down the proposal of Mr. Robert Martin after Emma insinuates that she
deserves someone of a higher societal standing than Mr. Martin. In doing so, Emma leads
Harriet into her own state of personal misunderstanding, much like Emma. Later in the novel,
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Mr. Knightley also predicts Mr. Elton’s fondness of Emma, who has completely misinterpreted
his affection. Regarding Mr. Elton, Mr. Knightley suggests to Emma, “‘he seems to have a great
deal of good will towards you’” (115). Emma is appalled at the suggestion; she is certain that
Harriet is the object of Mr. Elton’s affections. Emma’s determination to find a suitable mate for
Harriet blinds her to the obvious affections of other characters for one another and, in the case of
Mr. Elton, for her. The great faith Emma has in her own “superior” mind paradoxically leads her
to appear oblivious to her own misunderstanding.
Emma’s dialogue concerning other female characters presents another aspect of her
flawed self-perception. Emma criticizes many of the female characters in an unintentionally
humorous and self-critical way. When Mrs. Weston suggests the possibility of marriage between
Jane and Mr. Knightley, Emma quickly responds, “‘my dear Mrs. Weston, do not take to matchmaking. You do it very ill’” (230). Emma’s criticism of Mrs. Weston’s matchmaking abilities
would be more helpful if it was directed at Emma herself.However, because Mrs. Weston’s
coupling does not coincide with Emma’s own ideal pairing, Emma sees Mrs. Weston as the
incapable matchmaker.
Regarding Emma’s actions toward her female peers, critic Bernard Paris describes Emma
as “competitive toward women like Jane Fairfax and Mrs. Elton, who threaten her position as
favored child or first lady of Highbury” (75). Jane Fairfax is a foil character for Emma. Much
like Emma, she is both beautiful and talented. However, she lacks the financial security and selfesteem that Emma possesses. Emma is immediately critical of Jane because her arrival quickly
draws attention away from Emma. Emotionally reserved, Jane does not satisfy Emma’s
expectations of company, and Emma acknowledges her as competition in her high societal
ranking as well as a rival for Mr. Knightley’s and Mr. Churchill’s attention. Mr. Churchill joins
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in Emma’s criticism of Miss Fairfax, and Emma finds great joy in the fact that Mr. Frank
Churchill seems to prefer her to Jane. Mr. Churchill tells Emma after their dance at the Coles’
party, “‘I must have asked Miss Fairfax, and her languid dancing would not have agreed with me
after yours’” (236). This awarded attention permits Emma to retain her dignity, which she has
allowed to diminish upon the comparison of herself to Jane Fairfax.
Although Emma
judges any potential opposing females with contempt, she expresses this disdain subtly and
cleverly. Emma carefully disguises her dislike of Miss Fairfax, knowing that any unruly
behavior is sure to reflect upon her own standing as a lady. In order to avoid embarrassment,
Emma cleverly cloaks her competitive nature towards the young woman in friendly gestures.
Emma sings and plays piano alongside Miss Fairfax, attempting to prove that she is worthier of
praise. However, even Emma must admit that Jane’s performance was “infinitely superior to her
own” (233). This admittance merely compounds the preexisting disdain Emma feels for Jane.
This leads Emma to become hostile towards Miss Bates, Jane’s aunt, because of the great pride
she takes in Jane. Ruthlessly, Emma publically mocks Miss Bates’ lack of intelligence,
informing her that her dull comments “‘will be limited as to number—only three at once’” (383).
Mr. Knightley is quick to scold Emma for her unnecessary behavior. It is at this point that
Emma first recognizes and feels remorse for a mistake. Emma’s determination to “help” others
leaves her blind to a cruel part of her own nature. Emma assures herself that she is helping
others; however, her misunderstanding of her own flaws leads her to cause only pandemonium.
Emma’s inability to see her own flaws is also presented in her own illusions of reality.
Emma creates illusions of many characters according to how she would like to see them
portrayed. Harriet is a prime example of Emma’s creative manipulation. When Harriet is first
introduced to Emma, it is made clear that Harriet’s lineage is unknown. However, Emma is
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quick to determine that Harriet must be born of a family of high societal status simply because
that is what she would like to believe. As she further develops Harriet’s character in her mind,
she begins to manipulate the actual Harriet to act accordingly. Emma’s painting of Harriet
brings to light the physical illusion Emma possesses of Harriet. Mr. Knightley points out, “‘you
have made her too tall, Emma’” (47). Although Emma realizes this, she consciously decides to
retain a more beautiful form of Harriet. The painted image clearly adheres more closely to the
version of Harriet that Emma has created. Mr. Knightly acknowledges this difference in
appearance by commenting, “‘I cannot rate her beauty as you do’” (58). He clearly does not see
the form of Harriet that Emma has created in her mind. Unwilling to recognize and repair her
own flaws, Emma focuses on repairing Harriet’s imperfections.
Mr. Robert Martin finds himself subject to Emma’s “correction” as well. Austen presents
Mr. Martin as a less endowed member of the second class clearly in love with Harriet. Emma,
though, is excessively concerned with his lack of social superiority and refuses to allow his
marriage to Harriet. She is immediately hypercritical of Mr. Martin, unfairly and incorrectly
classifying him as an ignorant, unworthy member of the lower class. Upon reading Mr. Martin’s
proposal letter to Harriet, Emma is surprised and admits, “the style of letter was much above her
expectation. There were not merely no grammatical errors, but as a composition it would not
have disgraced a gentleman” (48). Even after this confession, Emma refuses to think of Mr.
Martin as a gentleman and concludes that his sister must have assisted in writing the letter.
Emma refuses to allow her original impression of Mr. Martin to be altered and stands beside her
predetermined negative illusion of Mr. Martin.
Mr. Elton also possesses an alternate illustration in Emma’s mind. Emma chooses Mr.
Elton to take the place of Harriet’s companion. Emma truly believes that Mr. Elton is in love
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with Harriet, despite Mr. Knightley’s warning that Mr. Elton’s affections are instead directed
toward Emma. Emma continually insists that “‘Mr. Elton and I are very good friends, and
nothing more’” (115). Inside Emma’s mind, Mr. Elton is, in fact, in love with Harriet so his
every act of kindness is misconstrued to correspond with Emma’s illusion. Emma’s inability to
read characters such as Mr. Martin and Mr. Elton is closely related to her inability to recognize
and understand her own flaws. Ironically, by creating alternate forms of others to deal with their
flaws, she is also avoiding acknowledgment of her own faults.
It is in order to deal with the loss of Mrs. Weston that Emma initiates her ploy to become
“matchmaker.” However, so as to soothe any guilt caused by her self-serving actions, Emma
creates an illusion using an alternative motivation. According to critic Shinobu Minma, Emma’s
actual incentive of her matchmaking project is to satisfy “the absence of intellectual stimulus
after Miss Taylor’s marriage, a desire to display her own cleverness, a love of managing and
arranging, and so on” (51). Emma convinces herself that her true reason for “helping” Harriet to
find a husband is merely to act as a helpful, worthy friend. Mr. Woodhouse says of Emma,
“‘Emma never thinks of herself, if she can do good to others’” (10). Emma successfully
persuades herself to consider this project a completely selfless act constructed to improve the
welfare of her dear friend. The belief that she has based her actions entirely on generosity
towards her friend allows Emma to overlook the self-serving undertones of her actions.
In addition to her delusional motivation, Emma paints an illusion for herself pertaining to
her skills as a “matchmaker.” While Emma does nothing to encourage the successful matches
made throughout the novel, Emma takes great pride in claiming the triumphs of the couples as
her own spark of genius. Emma’s first self-gratifying match is made between Emma’s best
friend, Miss Taylor, and Mr. Weston. It is this match that serves as Emma’s premiere into the
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world of matchmaking. Mr. Knightly softly rebukes Emma’s explanation of her “success” by
matching Miss Taylor with Mr. Weston, insisting that to succeed requires some amount of effort.
He assures Emma that she has played no part in the match between the lovers. However, Emma
insists that if she “‘had not promoted Mr. Weston’s visits here, and given many little
encouragements, and smoothed many little matters, it might not have come to anything at all’”
(10). Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse, proves to be of no assistance in supporting Emma’s selfdiscovery. He, instead, supports his daughter’s delusional matchmaking successes. Feeling that
Emma’s success in matchmaking was the driving force that ripped Miss Taylor from their
family, Mr. Woodhouse begs, “‘my dear, pray do not make any more matches’” (10). Mr.
Woodhouse contributes to Emma’s illusion of her success, leading to additional faulty matches.
Emma believes that her hindrance of Harriet’s marriage to Mr. Martin is another
successful play in her game of matchmaker. Emma experiences a sense of duty to find a match
for Harriet that she feels is suitable. Although Mr. Martin is clearly in love with Harriet, Emma
discourages the marriage, certain that Harriet must marry a gentleman of higher social status.
Mr. Knightley becomes angered at the news that Harriet has rejected Mr. Martin and
immediately accuses Emma of intervening, saying, “‘you have been no friend to Harriet Smith,
Emma’” (63). Mr. Knightley recognizes the opportunity for Harriet’s life that Mr. Martin’s
proposal provides, claiming that Mr. Martin is Harriet’s superior. However, Emma’s lofty
illusion of Harriet causes her to overestimate Harriet’s chances of marriage aside from Mr.
Martin’s proposal. Emma’s impression of Harriet’s courtship with Mr. Martin as less than
desirable expresses her own underlying discontent with marriage and obsession with societal
status.
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Emma’s greatest misconception is her illusion of herself. The narrator immediately
identifies Emma’s misconceived self-image, stating “the real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation
were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too
well of herself” (2). Though Emma is clever, arguably the “cleverest member of the family,” she
often misapplies her intelligence (Paris 74). Emma has an extraordinarily high level of
confidence in her intellectual competence and is, quite frankly, often too smart for her own good.
Mr. Knightley reprimands Emma, insisting it is “‘better to be without sense than to misapply it as
you do’” (64). Through her numerous follies, Emma is consistently presented to readers as a
narcissist. Emma is so in love with the perfection of the image that she has created of herself
that she fails to see her flaws. Emma’s inability to successfully apply her intelligence in a
constructive manner, as opposed to continually attempting to constitute her own beliefs, leads to
repetitive failures and misconceptions of reality. Emma fails to see that having intelligence is
not always synonymous with making clever inferences and decisions. Ironically, Emma focuses
so intently on her own perfection that she is blind to her imperfections.
Emma’s choice to refrain from marriage is questionable to readers since she is so
involved in creating matches for her peers. The reason constituting this decision lies with
Emma’s misconception of the institution of marriage. Critic Smith claims “she resists the
prospect of domestic confinement” (131). She perceives marriage as a restriction to her freedom.
Paris agrees with Smith, stating “marriage presents itself to Emma less as an opportunity for
fulfillment than as a threat” (78). Due to her independent, self-superior nature, Emma refuses to
be at the mercy of a male other than her father. Additionally, unlike many women of her time,
Emma does not need the financial support that marriage brings. Emma explains to Harriet,
“‘were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing; but I never have been in love; it is
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not my way, or my nature’” (87). Emma’s comfort with her current situation leads to her
insatiable longing to improve the less-than-desirable conditions of the other young singles. The
very institution that she finds threatening to her own happiness is that which she uses to improve
the lives of others. In her mind, Emma ironically “fixes” situations and people instead of
identifying and repairing her own flaws.
Analyzing the supporting characters’ views of Emma provides a greater understanding of
Emma’s sense of self-confusion. Emma is first introduced alongside her governess and most
intimate friend, Miss Taylor. It is Miss Taylor’s marriage to Mr. Weston that initiates Emma’s
ongoing game of matchmaker. Miss Taylor, having been with the Woodhouses for sixteen
years, serves as a mother figure for Emma. Austen describes Miss Taylor’s affections for Emma
as those falling “little short of a mother” (1). However, the relationship between the two women
is “less as a governess than a friend” (1). Miss Taylor thinks very highly of Emma and, though
her job calls for such, is rare to restrain her in any way. Emma’s great love and companionship
with Miss Taylor lies in her ability to remain in control of the relationship and evade criticism.
However, upon Mrs. Taylor’s marriage to Mr. Weston, Emma is forced to find a new companion
with similar traits. Regardless of Emma’s actions, Miss Taylor consistently provided the
approval that Emma sought.
Harriet Smith soon becomes the companion to fill Miss Taylor’s absence. Critics Julia
Brown and Harold Bloom suggest that the “characters have a tendency to repeat the relationships
they have known; for example, Emma seeks a replacement for Mrs. Weston in Harriet” (3).
Emma becomes transfixed with the task of transforming Harriet to fit the mold of Mrs. Weston’s
character. Emma contemplates the task at hand, thinking, “She would notice her; she would
improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good
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society; she would form her opinions and her manners” (21). As Emma befriends Harriet,
Harriet begins to seek Emma’s advice in her most important decisions, such as her marriage
proposal from Mr. Martin. Emma easily manipulates Harriet, severely lacking in wit, to adhere
to her own opinions and choices, easily believing them to be her own. Additionally, Harriet
holds Emma in such high admiration that she truly believes that Emma holds her best interests at
heart. Therefore, she is willing to sacrifice that which would give her greatest pleasure in order
to please Emma and remain in her good graces. Harriet confides in Emma, “‘dear Miss
Woodhouse, I would not give up the pleasure and honour of being intimate with you for anything
in the world’” (53). Harriet’s great faith in Emma’s judgment assists in the growth of Emma’s
ego, ultimately leading to the disorder caused by Emma in Harriet’s love life.
In addition to being the subject of Harriet’s undying affection, Emma is also wellregarded by other numerous characters. However, Emma’s admirers throughout the novel offer
two very different views of Emma’s character. Much like the women of Highbury, Mr. Elton
holds an unusually high opinion of Emma, so much so that he believes he is in love with her and
proposes marriage. Readers, though, are reluctant to accept the validity of Mr. Elton’s affection.
While Mr. Elton is fully convinced that he is in love with Emma Woodhouse, he appears to be in
love with the idea of Emma. Mr. Elton fails to acknowledge Emma’s numerous faults or
misjudgments, and instead, he continually praises her intellectual abilities and talents. By
ignoring her faults, Mr. Elton is unable to provide the intellectual stimulus required to fully
appreciate Emma’s character and prove himself as a suitable mate for the vivacious woman. On
the contrary, Mr. Knightley continually reprimands Emma and, without caution, challenges her
intellect and reasoning. Mr. Knightley continuously guides Emma and identifies the faulty
nature of her judgment. Ironically, Mr. Knightley, the only character willing to admonish
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Emma, is the man truly in love with her. Through acknowledging Emma’s errors and gently
correcting them, Mr. Knightley helps Emma to become more aware of herself. Paradoxically,
the only character with the ability to assist Emma ultimately understand herself is the character
with a less-than-perfect view of Emma.
In Emma, Austen conveys Emma’s twisted self-perception through dialogue between
characters, Emma’s illusions as opposed to reality, and explanations of the ironic views of
others. The dialogue shared between characters offers a glimpse of Emma’s egotistical selfimage, foreshadowing of Emma’s mistakes, and Emma’s critically competitive attitude towards
other females of her standing. In addition to her delusional self-image, Emma also creates false
illusions of other characters in order to format them to suit her desired reality. By believing only
what she chooses to see, Emma effortlessly makes many misinterpretations, such as the
opportunity Mr. Martin’s proposal poses for Harriet, Mr. Elton’s true affections for her, and her
true lack of matchmaking ability. Emma’s dearest friends, despite the chaos Emma causes in
their lives, maintain a surprisingly positive opinion of Emma, contributing to her unnecessarily
high self-esteem. Ironically, Mr. Knightley, the man truly in love with Emma, proves to be the
only character with the ability to see Emma’s flawed nature and continuously attempts to correct
her false self-impression. Through the use of irony, Austen successfully portrays Emma’s
transition from a state of self-ignorance to a more mature young woman in touch with her true
self.
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Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Emma. New York: Dutton, 1906. Print.
Brown, Julia Prewitt, and Harold Bloom. "Civilization and the Contentment of "Emma.."
Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations: Emma (1987): 45-66. Literary Reference
Center.EBSCO.Web. 23 Sept. 2010.
Minma, Shinobu. “Self-Deception and Superiority Complex: Derangement of Hierarchy in Jane
Austen's Emma." Eighteenth-Century Fiction 14.1 (2001): 49-65. Print.
Paris, Bernard J. Character and Conflict in Jane Austen's Novels. Detroit: Wayne State UP,
1978. Print
Smith, Leroy W. Jane Austen and the Drama of Woman. New York: St. Martin's, 1983. Print.