Emma Woodhouse, the heroine of Emma, has both social position and personal fortune. Emma’s father comes from a good, well-respected family; he owns a private estates Hartfield. He has enough money so that he has never needed an occupation to earn money. Emma inherited her father's position as well as a personal fortune of thirty thousand pounds. Since Emma’s older sister is married, Emma’s duty in life is to look after her father. This duty causes problems when late in the book Emma and Mr. Knightly plan to marry. If Emma had remained single, her life would not have changed much from the lifestyle described in the book. She would have lived at home and taken care of her father. Her social life would have consisted of visits to the Bates or Westons and going to occasional tea or dinner parties. As a single woman she would not have been able to travel, (a married woman could travel with her h

When Jane Fairfax was three she was orphaned and was left to be brought up by

Marriage for any woman in Jane Austen’s time meant security and probable happiness for the rest of one's husband's life. One would, of course, be dependent an one's husbands but being legally bound to a husband who must support one is infinitely more desirable than having to depend on the good-will and charity of one's neighbors. A single woman’s sphere was so limited compared to a married woman's sphere, and there was much more respect due a married woman than a single woman.

Some topics in this essay:
Miss Bates, Bates Westons, Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen’s, Jane Austen, Harriet Smith, Emma Knightly, Robert Martin, School Girls, Miss Bates', miss bates, social position, personal fortune, position personal, position personal fortune, jane fairfax, relatively little intelligence, married woman, little intelligence, getting married, governess occupation, social position personal, harriet smith girl, relatively little,