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Fiction

Notes herself yet again in the middle of a romantic game in which true feelings and emotions cannot
properly be conveyed.
Chapter Forty-two: Mrs. Elton plans a picnic, and Mr. Knightley offers Donwell Abbey as the
location. She presumes to make all of the invitations herself, even though it takes place at his
estate, but Mr. Knightley tells her that only one woman can invite anyone to Donwell Abbey,
and that is the future Mrs. Knightley, whoever she may turn out to be. During the picnic,
Emma sees Mr. Knightley and Harriet together, which she finds odd. Jane Fairfax leaves early
while Frank Churchill arrives late, primarily due to delays from Mrs. Churchill. Frank is not
in a good mood during the party and, while talking with Emma, claims that he is not at all
a fortunate person and that he wishes to leave England. He turns down Emma’s invitation to
a picnic at Box Hill the next day, but finally relents.
Analysis: Mrs. Elton receives a long-awaited comeuppance in this chapter when her presumptions
and breaks of etiquette reach an unreasonable level. Her great mistake is to demand the power
to invite whomever she pleases to Donwell Abbey, a power that only Mr. Knightley may have.
Mr. Knightley’s reproach of Mrs. Elton contains an interesting comment. When he says that
only the future Mrs. Knightley may invite whomever she chooses to his estate, he gives the
first indication that he is interested in marriage. The automatic assumption before this point
was that Mr. Knightley had resigned himself to remaining a bachelor.
It now seems more and more likely that Jane Fairfax will suffer the indignation of becoming
a governess, and even worse, she may owe her position to Mrs. Elton’s intervention. This
chapter bolsters the suspicions that Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax are involved, considering
the strange circumstances of his late arrival and her early departure—both are unhappy during
their separate visits to the picnic at Donwell Abbey.

Also, Harriet spending time with Mr. Knightley is a notable change in events. This is a reminder
of Harriet’s earlier claim that she was in love with a man of great status. Harriet has shown
no interest in Frank Churchill, so it must be assumed that Emma was mistaken and Harriet
has developed feelings for Mr. Knightley.

Chapters 43-49

Chapter Forty-three: The next day, the party goes to Box Hill for a picnic. Frank Churchill is
still in a bad mood, but his mood improves when he concentrates only on amusing Emma. The
party is listless, so Frank proposes a little game: everyone must say one thing very clever to
Emma, or else two things moderately clever, or three things dull. When Miss Bates begins to
chatter on incessantly, Emma puts her down harshly, telling her that she is limited to only
three dull things. Later on, Emma, Jane and Frank discuss marriage. Jane speaks about how
quick marriages can be salvaged, while Frank tells Emma to choose a wife for him and mold
her (in her own image). Emma returns to the idea of Frank and Harriet. Afterwards,
Mr. Knightley scolds Emma for treating Miss Bates so rudely, telling her that Miss Bates
deserves her compassion and not her scorn.
Analysis: Although Miss Bates previously acted only as comic relief in Emma, she serves a
greater purpose in this chapter. No matter how absurd, chattering or boorish she may be, even
Miss Bates deserves to be treated with some dignity. Her low situation makes her deserving
of even kinder treatment, which makes Emma’s sharp remark particularly cruel.
As Mr. Knightley reminds Emma, she made a great mistake when she puts down Miss Bates.
As one of the highest members of Highbury society, Emma has a duty to treat those of lesser
rank with kindness and to take pity on those such as Miss Bates. This is a turning point in
Emma’s behavior. Although she has thought ill of a number of Highbury residents before (the
Eltons, Jane Fairfax), this is the first time that Emma has not behaved politely to one of them.

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