Heroines and their Society

In Jane Austen’s novel Emma, the protagonist Emma is a young woman with high social status, a know-it-all attitude and little vexations. Much like the main character Cher in the film clueless, she acts to serve her own interests and her restlessness leads her to take on projects that play with the fates of other individuals. The parallels between this film adaptation and Jane Austen’s original piece are abundant, from the matchmaking Emma sets up for Harriet and the ploys Cher develops for her teachers to the noticeable romantic tensions between Emma and Mr. Knightley and Cher and her step-brother Josh. Both heroines believe they are acting for the good of society in their matchmaking schemes and Cher claims this isn’t her only wonderful contribution to society and when she finally receives her license, she plans to “brake for animals” and donates her italian clothes to Lucy. While Emma is set in a small town and Clueless in a high school, the social hierarchy and decorum is reflected by the levels of popularity in the high school. Much like Emma takes on projects to set people on a certain path most beneficial to her, Cher gains a sense of control in a chaotic world from doing so as well. This theme of control, stemming from Emma’s confined nature as a women in a male dominated society to Cher’s limitations as a high school student are underlined by both plots. I really enjoyed the film and think it was a great modern twist on Austen’s work.