Dealing with Change
~Blog post #1 ~
Topic D
April 17, 2015
Mary Kate Mooney
In the novel Emma, by Jane Austen, the idea of change seems to be a motif in the first few chapters. Austen does not give great detail about the plot line or the characters right away. However, we do learn that some changes are taking place in the life of Emma and Mr. Woodhouse, and change is not handled well with the two of them. Mr. Woodhouse especially "hates change of every kind," (Austen 5). They both are struggling with saying goodbye to Miss Taylor, even though she will only be a few miles away from them. They are used to having her around all time, so this change leaves them sad and distressed. Mr. Woodhouse and Emma have trouble feeling happy for Miss Taylor, because the change for them is so great. It leaves them unsure what to do. Emma seems to eventually start to feel happy for her, and recognizes that this change is a good thing for her best friend. Mr. Woodhouse, on the other hand, is feeling some resentment towards her for bringing about this change in his life. This change affected the Woodhouses and Miss Taylor very differently. We also learn from the introduction that the characters' perspectives will evolve and shift throughout the course of the novel. With this recurring idea and motif, we know some changes are going to take place for Emma in good ways and bad.
I completely agree with what you are saying. I feel like they have emphasized the changes that have happened in these first few chapters to really foreshadow what these events will eventually lead to happening. An example of a time they emphasized a change was Miss Taylor getting married. They really focused in on how close her and Emma were and how hard not having her as close would be on Emma. Later we see her take a particular interest in Harriet Smith who she "had long felt an interest in" (20). The change from not having Miss Taylor as present in her life anymore causes her to step out and make new friends.
ReplyDeleteMary Kate, this is good. You executed your thoughts well and had evidence to back up the motifs you were trying to explain. Overall I'm going to give a 24/25 because you did summarize a little, but it was still very good :)
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