Thomas Hobbes points out Emma's imperfection

Chapter 7 from Jane Austen's Emma initially was not easy to understand without knowledge of the characters. By the end of the chapter one thing you did know and understand fully was the characteristics of Emma. She was the one the author chooses to use in demonstration a lesson. That lesson was to understand what is appropriate and what is inappropriate as a group of individuals are joking with one another. Emma seemed to cross the line of inappropriate in the scenario with Miss Bates. While reading this particular text I did not experience laughter as the scene unfolded. Although I did not experience laughter while reading, I did laugh as I watched it. I would label myself laughing at Emma’s joke towards Miss Bates as a shameful laugh. A shameful laughter is when you initially hear or see something you snicker at what has just happened but as time progresses and the situation unfolds more and generally becomes more awkward you realize you probably should have been more cautious when you laugh. It is easier to see and experience sympathy as you watch Emma’s cruel joke towards Miss Bates. The characters depict the tension much better actually watching it than the image that forms as you are reading. Thomas Hobbes targeted individuals of Emma’s character when he states “…And it is incident most to them that are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves; who are forced to keep themselves in their own favor by observing the imperfections of other men.” As you translate this quote in application to the same scene were previously discussed, Hobbes makes it clearer why Emma targeted Miss Bates so harshly. We learn Emma is conscious about herself from how the author depicts her selfishness and need for attention. Because of these flaws in Emma, she chooses to target someone she saw with an “imperfection” to aid her insecurities by pointing them out to everyone, when in return she only end up showing her own imperfections. Thomas Hobbes is clever in the way he helps others see what is the cause of joking cruelly and why the “joker” seems to act in such an illogical way. Hobbes quote implies that we should have not laughed at Emma’s joke of Miss Bates as it shows the lack of ability in her own character. Joking and laughing at someone’s joke should be something that you think through before it is at someone else’s emotional expense.