Social Class In Jane Austen's Emma

Jane Austen’s books are mostly based on a social hierarchy, especially when it came to the English societies. The people were supposed to know their place in the society and act accordingly. The actions of a person were solely based on how the society would want them to be in their designated social class. For instance, if you were to be brought up in the wealthier parts of society, your schooling, the clothes you were, the land you own and the family that you were to get married into hold great importance in what rank of society you are going to be in. Even the things that might seem so simple such as; bowing to greet other or just the way you address people would show which class in the social hierarchy you belong to. In Jane Austen’s time, people would have to be really careful as to how they would act because the slightest mistake would bright a downfall in their social status. When it comes

Emma, the character, has been shown to be financially stable which is why she didn 't need to get married into a rich family. The fact that she was from a high class made her seem more of a nuisance to everyone else because she treated the lower class quite differently. She befriended Harriet, who was from the lower class just because Emma admired her beauty. Harriet adored Emma and would always listen to everything she said. “She would notice her; she would improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners” (Austen, Emma). Emma didn 't want Harriet to be with her true love just because he wasn 't not from the upper class. She also wanted to set her up with Mr. Elton because doing this would increase her status in society. Although Mr. Elton never wanted to be with Harriet, he wanted Emma and the fact that she was unaware of this made him want her even