An example of gender stereotyping is provided by the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley. Mr. Knightley is presented as unfailingly calm, rational, and sensible, in contrast to Emma's immaturity and self-confessed foolishness. Knightley takes Emma in hand, adopting a paternalistic attitude towards her, acting as a kind of surrogate father and teacher.
Their relationship reflects the prevalent understanding of gender roles at the time, with men placed in a position of control over their womenfolk. Throughout the novel, Emma has been presented as something of a free spirit, slightly unconventional in her behavior. Yet, the message seems to be that there's a limit as to how much freedom a woman should have.
What Austen appears to be suggesting here is that at some point in a woman's life she needs to settle down with a nice husband and devote herself to his well-being. Although Knightley is a kind and honorable man, it's clear he is the dominate partner in his relationship with Emma, which is exactly what would've been expected in society at that time.
Jane Austen uses stereotypes as the frameworks on which to build characters that rarely conform completely to narrow views. The title character of Emma is a gossipy, meddlesome upper-class girl who might easily be dismissed as shallow. Austen shows, however, that Emma’s good heart and well-protected innocence are also factors in her behavior. She is easily swayed by Frank Churchill because she does not realize that people can be so malicious.
Emma also accepts her class status, and thus she assumes that she should “help” Harriet obtain a higher-status husband. In that regard as well, Austen plays with the stereotype of women as fundamentally oriented toward pursuing matrimony.
In addition, the author introduces Mr. Elton’s bride as a flat character whose flaws are bold exaggerations of Emma’s minor negative tendencies. Her critical, bossy personality makes her a stereotypical shrewish wife who is matched up with a hen-pecked husband.
Emma conceives of herself as a kind of stereotype, and her opinions of other characters in the book serve to stereotype them as well. As the head of Highbury society, she thinks herself immensely clever at matchmaking, but she is mistaken about almost everyone around her. Emma constructs a kind of stereotypical story around Frank Churchill, who she thinks is pursuing her (because she is so desirable!). But Frank is not the stereotypical lover Emma imagines -- he is in love with Jane Fairfax, not her! Emma similarly stereotypes Harriet, whom she conceives of as well connected, when in fact Harriet's mysterious parent turns out to be a tradesman. Her stereotyping of Knightley as family friend blinds her to his growing attachment. None of the people around Emma assume the roles she assigns to them, and the conclusion of the novel works to show that the story Emma thought she was the protagonist of (the story where Emma gets the dashing young lover and secures for her friends their due place in society) is not the story of her life at all.
Austen uses gender stereotypes to show how people in Highbury treat other people unfairly based on gender.
For example, Emma treats Miss Bates unkindly based on the stereotypes she holds about older single women. At times Miss Bates may act silly, but Emma seems not to comprehend that Miss Bates is a poor woman who needs to be friendly to everyone to survive. At Box Hill, Emma ridicules Miss Bates, causing Mr. Knightley to scold her for her insensitivity. Emma needs to learn that even poor older women have feelings and should be treated with compassion.
Austen also attacks a gender stereotype that treats it as permissible to allow women to be ill-educated. Emma is a good case in point. Because she has had a scattershot and undisciplined education under the direction of a too kindly governess, dabbling a bit in reading, art, and music, she tends to jump to conclusions, overestimates her own abilities to read other people, and, in general, behaves cluelessly. This causes trouble for the people around her, such as Harriet Smith, and pain to Miss Fairfax.
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