Mr. Knightley's Envy
Posted by Tom on September 06, 1997 at 15:19:42:
In response to The Envious Point, written by LauraN on September 06, 1997 at 12:57:31
] I think Mr. Knightly is envious of Frank Churchill, not as a result love for Harriet, but rather as a result of his (Mr. Knightly's) love for Emma.
I feel that Mr. Knightley's envy arises from three causes:
(1) the closeness he thinks has existed between Frank Churchill and Emma [Laura's comment];
(2) the easy success that Frank Churchill seems to have had in winning the affections of the woman he (Frank) loves [Kathleen's comment]; and
(3) the generally bold, risk-taking way in which Frank Churchill approaches life.
In expressing this third point, I observe that Mr. Knightley is cautious when it comes to romance ["If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more"]. To me this seems to be the talk of a man with such a strong attachment to hearing the answer 'yes', that he hesitates to ask the question in the first place. This hesitation is understandable in a man who, until moments before, had totally misunderstood where Emma's affections were directed.
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