Summary:
Jane Austen's novel "Emma" portrays the highly stratified class structure of early 19th century England. Although these class barriers are not nearly as rigid, they still can be seen in U.S. society.
Social status is a touchy topic in Jane Austen's Emma. Written and set in 1816, Emma's society is full of social class divides. Even though the extremes between the classes is not as evident today as it was in the 1800's, there are still divides. The rich celebrities throw extravagant parties, the majority of the populace strive to be higher on the food chain and everyone helps the poor people in America. The same can be said about Jane Austen's England; there are the upper class privileged heirs that need not do anything to support themselves, the middle class working men, and the lower class farmers. The Martins and Bateses represent the lower class, the Eltons are a part of the middle class, and the Woodhouses and Knightleys are the upper crust.
The two families representing the lower class in Emma are the Martins and the Bateses. However, Miss Bates and her niece, Jane Fairfax, are acknowledged as a part of society and are often invited to social engagements and balls. Whereas Robert Martin farms for a living and wishes to marry Harriet, another lower class character accepted into the high society after befriending Emma. The single contrast between the Martins and the Bateses is the fact that the Woodhouses and other upper class members accept that the Bateses must be invited to all social events, no matter how poor or disliked they are. Miss Bates and Jane are always in attendance for outings to Box Hill and Downwell, no matter how boring they are. Both must be invited so that the delicate balance of Highbury's social class is left undisturbed. On the other hand, Emma refuses to let Harriet marry Robert Martin, saying, "The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do with" (IV 17). Robert Martin is a lowly farmer who's only influence in the novel, until the last few pages, is to provoke Emma's taking young Harriet under her wing. The lowest class structure in Jane Austen's England is represented by the farming Martins and the accepted, although poor, Bateses.
The next step up on the social ladder is the middle class, which is represented in Emma by Philip and Augusta Elton, the town vicar and his wife. The Eltons are a permanent fixture in all activities taking place in Highbury. However, they often think of themselves as far superior to Highbury's other inhabitants, even though they are merely middle class citizens. Augusta continues to place herself above others; she is always talking of her well-off brother and sister in Maple Grove. Mrs. Elton believes that just because her brother and sister are rich and a part of the upper class, she is entitled to join them; however, she married a town vicar, which results in a middle class life style. Augusta continually brags about her horses being faster than other's, and her dresses are always made of far superior fabric. "Our coachman and horses are so extremely expeditious! I believe we drive faster than anybody...Upon such an occasion as this, when everybody's eyes are so much upon me...I would not wish to be inferior to others. And I see very few pearls in the room except mine" (XXXVIII 215-217). Continual boasting does not an upper class citizen make, although that is what Mr. and Mrs. Elton believe.
The last, and finest, social class of Jane Austen's Emma is the elite upper crust, whose members include: Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley. The Woodhouses are far superior to other Highbury citizens because of their social engagements and family wealth. They are continually throwing balls and inviting others over to play cards and chat, whereas other Highbury citizens only attend these balls and social engagements. "It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively, without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind; but when a beginning is made-when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly felt, it must be a very heavy set door that does not ask for more" (XXVIV 165). Here the narrator is talking about the ball that both Emma and Frank are planning. Both are members of Highbury's upper class and continually throw parties and balls for neighbors and acquaintances. Neither the Bateses nor the Eltons plan such social engagements as balls or trips to Box Hill; they are merely attendees. George Knightley, another upper class citizen and friend of the Woodhouses, is the epitome of an English gentleman. He rides into England from Highbury for important business matters and is, for a great deal of the time, at Emma's side. Knightly is also a wealthy landowner who leases land for the Martins to live and farm on. The wealthy Woodhouses and the perfect English gentlemen, George Knightly, represent the superior social class in Jane Austen's England.
Jane Austen's portrayal of England's class structure in 1816 presents the idea that there are three distinct social classes: the poor, or lower class; the working, or middle class; and the elite, or upper class. Even though there are three dissimilar social classes, all three join together in harmony to create the essence of Highbury. The elite arrange social engagements, the middle class attend them, and the lower class provide the much needed contrast. Times have changed since 1816, but the clear line between different social classes is still evident today, and the interaction among all three classes provide the substance of any town in America
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