Emma The Character of Frank Churchill and Reading The Moral Qualities of Men in Jane Austen
One of the challenges posed by Jane Austen, of her heroine EmmaWoodhouse, in the novel entitled Emma, is how Emma must learn to be a goodreader of both male and female characters. The persona of Frank Churchillposes a constant series of challenges to Emma-is Frank a rouge and acoxcomb, or is he a nice young man, worthy (and willing) as a maritalprospect' This education of Emma in moral terms is illustrated by thechoice eventually posed for the titular heroine, between Mr. Knightly andFrank Churchill. By becoming a better reader of the human character ingeneral, Emma learns that Mr. Knightly is the better choice of the two maleromantic prospects, and also, by extension that she has misread the femalecharacters of Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax throughout the novel. FrankChurchill thus functions in the novel as kind of a transition figure forEmma's moral education-by learning to read Frank properly, Emma learns tobe a better person, even if Frank is not the most moral character, by anystretch of the imagination in the novel. That Emma begins the novel as a poor reader of the human characterbecomes immediately apparent in the first chapter of the book, which
Knightly, he is not a trifling, sillyyoung man. There would havebeen either the ostentation of a coxcomb, or the evasions of a mind tooweak to defend its own vanities. Typically, Emma thinks much of Harriet simply because Harriet thinksmuch of Emma, "seeming so pleasantly grateful for being admitted toHartfield, and so artlessly impressed by the appearance of every thing inso superior a style to what she had been used to, that she must have goodsense and deserve encouragement. htm) Emma is essentially both right and wrong about Frank's character. "Emma's very good opinion of FrankChurchill was a little shaken the following day, by hearing that he wasgone off to London, merely to have his hair cut. However, she is correct in that he is not a complete coxcomb, else he wouldnot love Jane. However, Frank's carelessness with Jane's feelings mightbear some weight in the reader's mind, for however much his apparentflirtation with Emma may be a ruse, it is undeniably painful for Jane, andmisleads Emma's own affections. Weston did not like it, was clear enough, by her passing it over as quicklyas possible, and making no other comment than that 'all young people wouldhave their little whims. Vanity, extravagance, love of change, restlessness of temper,which must be doing something, good or bad; heedlessness as to the pleasureof his father and Mrs.
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