Frank: "If so, you must extend your suspicions and comprehend Mr. Dixon in them."Emma: "Mr. Dixon.—Very well. Yes, I immediately perceive that it must be the joint present of Mr. and Mrs. Dixon. We were speaking the other day, you know, of his being so warm an admirer of her performance."
Frank: "Yes, and what you told me on that head, confirmed an idea which I had entertained before.—I do not mean to reflect upon the good intentions of either Mr. Dixon or Miss Fairfax, but I cannot help suspecting either that, after making his proposals to her friend, he had the misfortune to fall in love with her, or that he became conscious of a little attachment on her side. One might guess twenty things without guessing exactly the right; but I am sure there must be a particular cause for her chusing to come to Highbury instead of going with the Campbells to Ireland..."
One wonders how happy Jane Fairfax will be with such a husband, one who is willing to flirt with another woman in front of her eyes, one who has fallen in love with her but not so much as to risk everything and announce their engagement, and one who can so easily bend the truth to suit his interests. His attentions to Emma even as Jane Fairfax looked on were inexcusable and in extremely bad form.
Frank Churchill might not be a dastardly villain, but as far as I am concerned, this cad is no great catch for a husband. Unfortunately, Jane Fairfax has no choice. Either she marries him, or she must seek employment as a governess. She chose the lesser of two evils, but one suspects her marriage to Frank will be an uneasy one.
Read a number of informative articles about Emma in the Winter 2007 edition of Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal Online.
3 comments:
In the book, it is Emma, not Frank, that actually thinks up the Jane/Mr. Dixon plot. She then proceeds to tell Frank, a person she barely knows, of her idea.
I agree that it is Emma who thinks up the Dixon/Fairfax plot. It is also Emma who is jealous of Jane and thus, makes up the scandal about her. I don't think Frank is evil nor a cad. In the 19th century, money does mean a great deal and if Frank was to say he would marry Jane, his whole fortune would be taken away from him. He isn't as free to chose as Mr. Darcy or Mr. Knightley.
And if you blame Frank for flirtting with Emma even though he doesn't love her, you might also blame Emma for flirting with Frank even though she doesn't love him. And though he flirts with Emma right in front of Jane, he also sends Jane the piano, proving his love for her. I don't think he actually means anything to come of his flirting with Emma, just as I doubt Emma wants to marry Frank.
All in all, I believe Frank is actually a decent guy who is just trying to marry the woman he loves but also providing them with an income and a steady living.
FRANK CHURCHILL IS A GOOD GUY IN MY MIND, AS WELL AS MISS FIREFAX. I DON'T LIKE EMMA AT ALL.
FRANK CHURCHILL LOVES JANE SO MUCH THAT HE DOES NOT MIND SHE OWNS NOTHING. ALL HE TRYING TO DO IS JUST OBTAIN A GOOD LIFE FOR THE WOMAN HE LOVED. AS FOR EMMA, SHE FLIRT WITH CHURCHILL WHILE SHE DID NOT LOVE HIM, NOTHING SHE COULD BLAME FRANK CHURCHILL.
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