Jane Austen s Emma, Madame Chapone s Paradigms Regarding...

What is the ultimate purpose of friendship? What is the desired outcome- status, wealth, amusement, or perhaps, the betterment of morality? In Jane Austen’s Emma, Madame Chapone’s paradigms regarding women mentoring young girls are delineated as a pertinent social guide since both promote the cultivation of inner morality as the pinnacle of mentorship. Chapone accentuates that qualities and traits are cardinal for the assessment of prospective mentors; and we see the calamity unfolding between Emma and Harriet Smith if these criteria are neglected. Austen concurs, and depicts the ideal mentorship through Mr Knightley and Emma. Chapone, although she recommends an older woman as companion, does not dismiss the potential intimacy between†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Emma could not resist. Ah! Ma’am but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me- but you will be limited as to number- only three at once†; Emma insults Miss Bates, who is a dear friend, in order to quench her desire for social credit. When Mr Martin’s proposal arrives for Harriet, Emma shakes her head with disdain. Emma has the highest social status, apart from Knightley, and uses this to diminish those of lower class. Chapone asks us to â€Å"Observe her manner to servants and inferiors† and whether she treats â€Å"them always with affability†, but we know, Emma does not. Emma thinks Mr Martin is a â€Å"very inferior creature† and when Harriet asks for advice Emma says â€Å"the letter had much better be all your own† but sneaks in â€Å"You need not to be prompted to write the appearance of sorrow for his disappointment†. Harriet refuses Martin, and Emma proclaims that Harriet, if she accepted, would have been â€Å"confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar† and â€Å"could not have visited Mrs. Robert Martin† since she deems the lower class as unsophisticated primitives. Emma would have lost her latest amusement and her chance to prove her intelligence. Emma’s subtle manipulations illustrates the absence of inner morality, and is thus, an ill-qualified mentor. A criteria instituted on character is more concrete and practical to determine the legitimacy of a mentor. A trait, such as good