Poor Miss Bates..

Amber Sawley

In Chapter 43 of Emma there are examples which support all three of the philosophers on why people laugh. Much of my laughter is credited to the awkwardness created by Miss Bates and the quick, witty conversation of the other characters. Bergson states that a “comic character is generally comic in proportion to his ignorance of himself”. This is true in the case of Miss Bates whose constant scatterbrained rambling unknowingly grates on the nerves of those around her. From an insider’s perspective this might not be particularly funny but as an outsider not immediately involved in the conversation it is humorous because the person is ignorant of his/her effect on others. Hobbes’s idea that we “keep… in [our] own favor by observing the imperfections of other men” and laughter ensues is also supported by Emma’s joke on Miss Bates. Emma believes herself to be superior in social skill and intelligence to the older woman and therefore makes her the brunt of the joke. However, in the words of Freud, an “unfavorable condition” arises and the mood of cheerfulness vanishes as the viewers begin to feel pity for Miss Bates because Emma’s comment hurts her feelings. The worry of the characters for the feelings of the woman “interferes with the capacity of the cathexes for discharge”. Despite the pitiful ending to the picnic, the scene remains funny. As I stated earlier this is due in part to the awkward situation created by Miss Bates but also by the seemingly harmless banter between characters like Mr. Elton and Emma when he states that he “has nothing to say that can entertain Miss Woodhouse”. Also, the situation as a whole is a little humorous because going on a picnic with such a diverse group of people with a wide range of ages does not really happen in today’s society. The inside perspective which the reader receives also adds a comic effect as in the case of Frank Churchill. He seems to believe that his obvious efforts to win Emma’s favor are working yet the reader knows that Emma has no romantic interest in Churchill.