"They had a very BAD day for Box Hill"

“They had a very fine day for Box Hill” (Austen). However, this day did not end as pleasantly as it started. According to Sigmund Freud, five conditions must be in affect or lacking for a comic situation to take place. These conditions are directly involved with chapter 43 in Emma. Freud’s first condition is the presence of “a generally cheerful mood in which one is ‘inclined to laugh’” (Freud 271). As the guests begin arriving in Emma, everyone was in a good mood and excited about the day, but the guests separated into parties. These parties reflect one of Bergson’s main ideas as well. “Laughter always implies a kind of secret freemasonry, or even complicity, with other laughers, real or imaginary” (Bergson 64). As the guests split into parties, each comic situation became an “inside joke” for two or three people only. These separate groups of people ruined the light and cheerful mood, and therefore, they ruined the inclination to laugh as well. The second condition highlighted by Freud is “a similarly favourable effect is produced by an expectation of the comic” (Freud 272). Everyone has an intention to laugh and will laugh when watching a humorous movie in the theatre, even if the comedy is not up to normal standards. In the text of Emma, Mrs. Elton declares, “These kind of things are very well at Christmas, when one is sitting round the fire; but quite out of place in my opinion, when one is exploring about the country in summer” (Austen). Therefore, in Emma, no one is inclined to laugh, even at Emma’s considerably funny joke about Miss Bates. The other condition that is very apparent in the text of Jane Austen’s novel is “the comic is greatly interfered with if the situation from which it ought to develop gives rise at the same time to a release of strong affect” (Freud 273). Out of the three conditions above, this is the most obvious in the text. When Emma insults Miss Bates, Miss Bates is so hurt and it affects the emotions of Emma as well when Mr. Knightly scolded Emma on her behavior. Overall, the mix of guests, the clash of social classes and wealth, the not very cheerful mood of most of the guests, and the harsh insult towards Miss Bates combine to create a very bad day for Box Hill.