our knight

I wanted to return to a point in our discussions from last week.  Melissa asked how we can fit in Mr Knightley's and Mrs Wheston's conversation in chapter five with our opinion of him as possibly the most likeable hero yet.  Here Knightley tells Weston that she is 'very fit for a wife, but not at all for a governess. But you were preparing yourself to be an excellent wife all the time you were at Hartfield.  You might not give Emma such a complete education as your powers would seem to promise; but you were receiving a very good education from her, on the very material matrimonial point of submitting your own will, and doing as you were bid...' (36-7).  If this is really Knightley's view of marriage and Mrs Weston is the embodiment of the ideals that make for a good wife, then this is troubling for us when we think of Emma's future with Knightley-- especially since Knightley is pretty frank that he 'should like to see Emma in love, and in some doubt of a return; it would do her good' (39).

Though we can read this as an articulation of Knightley's desire to control his wife, Emma, and the narrative, I think we can also read it all pretty ironically (like everything Austen).  Wheston is educated to become subservient and Knightley criticizes Wheston for it because where Wheston was to teach, she was instead taught herself and that too on the 'very material matrimonial point' (i.e. superficial and not deep) from someone with no experience (Emma has never been married, was not witness to her parent's marriage, and neither her sister's marriage since she lives away from the Woodhouses).  Knightley recognizes Harriet as Emma's next student and wants to stop this mentorship perhaps because he sees Harriet's future as a second Mrs Wheston and doesn't support such education.  Harriet knows 'nothing herself, and looks upon Emma as knowing every thing' just as Wheston, Mr Woodhouse, and arguably everyone other than Knightley do (37).  Knightley sees this as dangerous as he ironically articulates in his criticism-- not support-- of Wheston's role in her marriage.

I know this is pretty overarching and I'm mostly rambling here but I do think Knightley is the least conservative character of the book.  He can see Emma for her flaws and all and can cut through her 'cleverness' to see what she's really doing and perhaps even why.  Knightley recognizes that Emma wants an escape from this society (again, may be overarching here) and that though she is too 'clever' for everyone, she misdirects her boredom from her lack of playmates or even intellectual-mates into manipulating the lives of those around her and playing author.  Like Knightley says, 'Emma is spoiled by being the cleverest of her family' because her family has made her out to be and has thereby put her on a pedestal from which she can safely exclude herself from the narrative and just narrate (36).  Yet Emma is entirely clueless about marriage, love, and even friendship at times and so this may be where Knightley comes in to educate Emma on this point by hoping 'to see Emma in love' which really would 'do her good.'  So, where other characters have had to grow before marriage, it seems that Emma will grow in marriage because Knightley can afford her that room to grow by refusing to provide her with false flattery that already leaves her perfect and not in need of improvement or any 'bildungs.' 

I find that Emma's frustrations come from the stasis of her society.  She tries to remove herself from it and is compromised, then tries to escape it by leaving it altogether but finds that impossible too, and ultimately recognizes Knightley as her escape-- maybe not a physical one (I don't know how this all ends) but at least from perfection.  Knightley can and will challenge her as no one has thus far and it seems as though Knightley seeks a challenge himself.  He and Emma bicker and banter and seem like true friends of an equal footing in their conversations.  Though Knightley wants Emma to correct her ways, he can't mean for that to come from a submission to his patriarchal reign as her husband because then she would become just as inferior as Wheston or Harriet in doing so.  And as Knightley asks, 'how can Emma imagine she has any thing to learn herself, while Harriet is presenting such a delightful inferiority?' (37).  If we apply this same question to Knightley and Emma's future marriage, Knightley could not benefit from Emma's blatant inferiority.

I really like Knightley and am perhaps being too generous here in giving him the benefit of the doubt and I'm sure I'm guilty of being an 'imaginist.'  As I read on, my views here might change, but if this argument cannot hold, I wonder why I still root for Knightley to get together with Emma.  Can we only read this chapter as non-ironically and misogynistic?