A Psychological Study of Emma

Abstract

This thesis is a psychological study of Jane Austen’s protagonist, Emma. In the beginning Emma is cast into her own individual world and tries to hide her affair with Mr. Knightley for years. Instead, she spends her time as a match maker but her love for him bursts out in course of time. Specifically, this research has tried to analyze the protagonist’s sense of conflict between her conscious and unconscious world. It also discloses how a young girl gets trapped with her dream plan and disruptive instincts and passions. Austen’s Emma has been analyzed most of the time from a feminist viewpoint, along with the feminist issues; it deals with psychological issues like attraction, desire, repentance and self actualization. Furthermore, this research work reveals the protagonist as a narcissistic self. This research presents a vision of maturation from narcissism to transcendence. Emma ultimately corrects and achieves emotional, moral and personal wholeness. She also gains self esteem and self recognition through the reconstruction of self.