Emma vs Clueless

In Emma, by Jane Austen it is easy to see that the female characters main purpose throughout is to find suitable husbands. Even Emma who originally states that she does not need a man in the end has found true love. “Clueless” has that exact parallel in it’s plot when Cher mentions that she would not date a high school boy and yet she still ends up happy and in love with Josh. One reason for the novel Emma to focus so much on marriage and relationships is that it was set in the early 1800’s and that was the way of society. Another possible reason Jane Austen may have written the novel to end in such a happy manner is merely that it is a love story. What is important to realize is that it is constantly forced upon us by society that in order to be happy one needs to be in a relationship. Emma hersel

Another interesting aspect to the movie “Clueless” that follows gender stereotypes is that the female characters are portrayed as bad drivers. Cher has gotten repeated tickets for driving and she fails the drivers test. Dionne in the highway scene is another example of the movie showing bad driving by females. Yet, Murray is in the car and it seems to be his job to direct them off the road, as their protector. Murray and Dionne are the same age that would make you think they had similar driving backgrounds, why is it that he is shown as the experienced driver while she isn’t? Josh is the person chosen to drive Cher around once her father takes away her driving privileges, yet another example of a male dominance.

Physical appearance is another way in which the gender stereotypes are protrayed in the movie and novel. In the novel appearances are described very vividly and those female characters that are not as ‘pretty’ such as Ms. Bates are treated differently. The attention to detail of dress and beauty shows that female’s main focus is to be looked at without much emphasis on their intellect. The movie “Clueless” does nothing to change the focu

Some topics in this essay:
Jane Austen, Emma Cher, Southern Californian, Murray Dionne, Whenever Tai, , Ms Bates, female characters, follows gender, emma originally, gender stereotypes, taking care, gym teacher, relationship emma, jane austen, cher father, physical appearance,