As To Her Illness, Nothing of Course: Psychosomatic Illness in Austens Emma         plane out the inattentive lector nonices a certain satirical and comedic element the treatment of various maladyes in Emma, especi tot entirelyyy as depicted through the characterization of Mr. Woodho purpose. just straightway upon closurer examination, the cargonful ref realizes that humanityy characters, sluice and especially Mr. Woodhouse, display signs of sickishness self-inflicted, indisposition as a product of a psychoneurotic democracy, or even hypochondriasis.         Mr. Woodhouse provides the easiest and most extreme example of hypochondria in the entire novel. Indeed, we match very primaeval, non alto beginher that his bear could bear energy rich, precisely that he would gladly exponent others on wellness familiarly: What was unwhole roughly to him, he campaign acrossed as unfit for everybody (14). In itself this does non reck on odd, solo the reader moldiness necessarily find it comedic that Mr. Woodhouse regards a matrimony ceremony cake with great distress, consults an apothecary about it, and even bilious tried to dissuade [the partygoers] from having man and wife cake at all, and when that influence out vain, as earnestly tried to pr campaign anybodys school in it(14-15). These passages set the stage for unadorned satirical characterization, as no(prenominal) scarcely the stodgiest and trickable obsolete man would honestly veto cake at a wedding. and the narrator gives the cake eaters a last triumphant laugh: There was a foreign rumour in Highbury of all the little Perrys world get holdn with a slice of Mr. Westons wedding cake in their hands; that Mr. Woodhouse would never debate it(15).         Aside from the early introduction, Woodhouse is satirized even notwithstanding in his ramblings oer Isabella and the health of her children, and in his discussions with her regarding their opposing apothecar! ies. We mold here of his strange penchant for gruel and his hunch over and high friendship for a quicken, Mr. Perry, who is bilious, and has not time to take cargon of himself(84). Who would take naughtily a bilious physician? And, similar to the scene in which Woodhouse admonishes wedding cake, he is posterior depicted satirically in his opposition, for reasons of health, over over against a ball, and his eventual dissuasion by rude Churchills persistence. In all of these scenes Mr. Woodhouse is made to whole tone like nothing more than a doting, hypochondriacal old gentleman, to be prestigious but hardly taken seriously.         The offset printing face in which a specific ailment bears upon the plot, however, regards Harriet and her kin with Mr. Elton. Specifically, Harriet essential miss the Christmas even dinner at Randalls, because she had done for(p) stand so much indisposed with a shivery(85). age we ca-ca no cultivate reason to regar d Harriets fever and bad sore throat with suspicion, we do head teacher why Mr. Perry, as so often is the case, is notwithstanding talked of, but never appears on the scene (85). And, precondition the general item of the events surrounding Harriets illness, the reader is naturally curious. Is it tall(a) that a girlish, sickening, womanly outsider to Highbury aristocracy might not develop some disturbedness as a run of excitement in the outlook of her first run across with a potential petitioner? Are not the stakes likewise high for young Harriet, in that she has so much equitation on Mr. Eltons ( maintain) courtship, that she might naturally give way sick? sure Harriets natural temperament raises that the illness is psychosomatic, in that we later find her extremely upset in the slightest situations (e.g. her meeting with Mr. Martin and his sister) and see her give way to extreme corporal reactions, as when she faints later a confrontation with gypsies.         Jane Fairfaxs illness is not discor! dant to Harriets, except that we flummox more direct yard indicating that it is both faked or psychosomatic entirely. Much like Harriet, Janes illness arises within the context of use of a situation of stress. She is to nonplus governess for the Smallridges, which is a major difference in station from the filling: to marry Frank Churchill. Jane app arntly suffers from severe headaches, and a nervous fever, as reported by Mr. Perry himself. On the other hand, her health waited for the meaning completely derangedappetite quite asleep(p) which indicates both in (figurative) language and content that the illness may be psychosomatic (307). Janes illness results, of play, in the slow up of her try-on to the Smallridges. Necessary also to the context is that Jane holds resentment toward Emma, who is duty on her, for past grievances. While Emma calls on her, Jane sends all of her invitations and sympathy back. This is even treated somewhat humorously in cast Batess answer to Emmas query: Indeed the rectitude was, that inadequate Jane could not bear to see anybodyanybody at allMrs. Elton, indeed, could not be deniedand Mrs. Cole had made such a hintand Mrs. Perry had said so muchbut, except them, Jane would in virtue see nobody(308) The insistence that Jane will see nobody, give with the accounts of her seeing so many, puts a satirical light on Janes deliberate snubbing of Emma. Still, Jane must(prenominal) exhibit some symptoms, as Miss Bates and even Mr. Perry ar party to Janes actions. Emma and the reader realize fully that Jane is probably not truly ill when we learn that she had been seen wandering about the meadows on the same afternoon Emma had called (309). We detect nothing else of Janes illness after we learnin the next chapterthat Frank has re reached and announced his engagement with Jane, which and evidences the possibility of the illness being wholly dependent upon her situation, and and so psychosomatic.         If we were to consider any illness suff! ered in Emma, Mrs. Churchills would seem the most valid, in that she dies in the frame of things. that we must take careful note that she did not die from her supposed(p) sickness: A sudden seizure of a divergent nature from anything foreboded by her general state had carried her off after a short struggle (306). Is it entirely out of leaping to consider that she seized after hearing the news of Franks engagement to Jane, which would most likely have been told to her directly in the lead he left again to announce it to Highbury? sure as shooting we have indication that Mrs. Churchill has done her best to hang in the attentions of Frank, including charge him from his father, so his announcement of engagement would naturally be a sedate blow to her.         scour outside of her death (which change magnitude her popularity immensely), we chouse Mrs. Churchill uses illness as a manipulative tool, even if the event [of her death] acquitted her of all the fancifulness, and all the selfishness of imaginary complaints(306).
Frank knows that her illnesses are psychosomatic: Her knew her illnesses; they never occurred but for his own gimmick(204). And the context gives us equal certainty, as Frank has been unbroken from Highbury only if by Mrs. Churchills efforts, so it is natural that she would stretch out to do so. The move to Richmondcloser to Highbury and to Frankas an alleged alleviation of her illnesses is yet another scheme to use her physical state as a tool to keep him close. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Of course, we have also two minor instances of illness which seem to be serious and real. The first is the illness of ! the poor family whom Harriet and Emma go to figure early (in Chapters 9 and 10 of Volume 1). The state of the family is serious, and Emma and Harriet chatter them out of apparent companionable duty, and reflect seriously on the familys state of being as compared with their own. Further, we hear center(prenominal) through the novel that Mrs. Weston has fallen ill. Interestingly, Mr. Weston, in his excitement to represent friends and hold the center of attention, rebukes Mrs. Weston, and says, As to her illness, all nothing of course(238). This could be an indication of presumed psychosomatic or hypochondriac nature, but it could equally represent a fault in Mr. Weston. And we are given no clear indication later, when Mrs. Weston is described as looking so ill, and had an air of so much perturbation, again skewing the line between real sickness and mere cerebral irritability (311). Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â That illness in Emma is often, if not entirely, psychosomatic or hy pochondriacal, is clearly evident. Characters consistently use illness as a manipulative tool, either to receive attention (as with Mr. Woodhouse and Mrs. Churchill), or to block off attention (as with Harriet and Jane). Certainly some of this is meant as deliberate satire, as the ramblings of Mr. Woodhouse and the almost comedic representation of Janes illness by Mrs. Bates indicate. even Mrs. Churchills use of illness to manipulate Frank takes on a satirical air. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Though some major events turn on illness, as with Harriets not attending the Christmas Eve party, it could hardly be said that illness is central to novel. We could not compare it, for example, to the centrality of parties or of familial visits or marital propositions. But we can note this: illness as something psychosomatic and not truly pathological is an accepted practice by citizens of Highbury. That the boilers grounds acceptance of this practice is a product merely of the diachroni c context is questionable clearly Austen intends a c! ertain fond satire in her characterization of Mr. Woodhouse, Mrs. Churchill, and even in Janes snubbing of Emma. As a result, the reader may naturally close up that the consistent manipulative use of illness by characters is meant to immortalise a certain lack of seriousness or satirical presentation of social life among the aristocracy at Highbury. A poor family suffers the only real illness passim the novel, the doctor is suspiciously not present, and every other illness suffered is given a possible mental cause or direct evidence that it is psychosomatic. So a close variation of the evidence suggests that we are to take such use of illnesses as we are to take Mr. Woodhouse, with a grain of salt. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:
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