Emma_and_Clueless-_Transformation_Values!

The combination of Emma, written by Jane Austen that sets in the nineteenth hundreds England and the film Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling sets in modern day Beverley hills results in a transformation.. Although Heckerling’s characters are based on the teenagers of the twentieth century Beverly hills resident, the film still presented some essential values that are present in Emma. These values are the social status, marriage and love and the role of women. Heckerling achieved this through the use of camera techniques, audio effect and other filming techniques. In a community, social status is a very important aspect of the community. It decides who you are, who you can talk to and what you can do. A person of a lower social class often cannot perform activities together with someone of a higher social class. In Emma, social class is strictly followed. Emma would not let Harriet marry Mr. Martin just because he is of a lower social class and Emma thinks Harriet deserves better. She thinks Mr. Martin is “unworthy of her”. Even though she heard positive things of the Martin family, she still believes that “they must be coarse and unpolished, and very unfit to be the intimates of a girl…” This further proves the importance of social status in Emma’s time. One’s social status automatically gives the other person a general idea of who you are and what you do. It is very hard to change one’s social class in the time of Emma. Some people believe in love at first sight some people believe that one must spend time with each other in order to have affection with each other. Either way, people thinks that marriage is a way to seal this love so that I can be preserved for life. In Emma, women need to get married before they go old to that they can marry a reputable man and to secure their wealth. In nineteenth hundred England, women cannot own any property. Thus the only way to secure their live and their wellbeing is to marry a wealthy and reputable man. In Emma it is stated that “A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter” Instead, women need to marry in order to secure wealth in order to survive in the nineteenth hundreds England. Without money, they would not be able to survive. Life was cruel and women had little choice over what they can do. It is also considered unconventional for divorces as people believe that marriage is forever and should not be broken. In Clueless, love has evolved. Women no longer need the support of a man. They can survive by themselves. However, this caused love to have a shorter lifespan and marriage to have a weaker bond compared to Emma. Cher’s father is divorced and yet people still pay respect to him. This would not be the case in nineteenth hundreds England as people believe marriage is an eternal thing. Tai also shows affection for Josh out of nowhere. One moment she is after Elton and the next, she is after Josh. This fast paced target change supports the fact that characters in Clueless do not take love as seriously as it is taken in Emma. Values of the society are discussed in both Emma and Clueless. Although some values transformed slightly, they still remain to have the same fundamental basis. The importance of social status is present in both texts, the importance of marriage/ love is also discussed and finally women’s role is examined in both Emma and Clueless as well. Emma and Clueless will remain a classic example of transformation as it successfully transformed the values of society from one text to the other.