„’Oh, I must write, Aunt Elisabeth,’ said Emily gravely, folding her slender, beautiful hands on the table and looking straight into Aunt Elisabeth’s angry face [...] ‘You see, it’s this way. It is in me. I can’t help it. And Father said I was always to keep on writing. He said I would be famous some day.’” (306)1
These sentences are taken from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s most autobiographical novel Emily of New Moon (1923) which is set in Prince Edward Island in Canada. The book draws a picture of a child who has lost her father and therefore is forced to get along with her New Moon kinship, who cares for her from that time on. It is no wonder that conflicts are preprogrammed between Emily, the young author who urges for freedom, and the conventional Blair Water people, especially Aunt Elisabeth, who is integrated in the social constrains of her time. Like Maud, as Montgomery was called, Emily nevertheless makes her way in the Victorian society in the beginning of the twentieth century and looks forward to a successful writing career at the end of the novel.
The aim of this paper is to trace Emily’s relation to her developing body in this first part of the Emily-trilogy, that is in the age from nine to thirteen. Furthermore, it is important to look at other people’s behaviour according to Emily’s own body image, which is a symbol for and immediately linked to the limitation of freedom the girl experiences in many different areas of the puritan society she lives in. To illustrate this connection, the main part of this paper deals with a chronological analysis of the different stages of Emily’s cognitive as well as physical development in middle childhood and adolescence and the reactions on it from her own and society’s point of view.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Main part
General Description of Emily’s Outward Appearance
Emily’s Relation to Her Body, Her Physical and Cognitive Development
Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the evolution of Emily's body image and her sense of self within the first installment of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Emily-trilogy, specifically focusing on the protagonist's development from age nine to thirteen. It explores how her physical maturation and social environment influence her quest for autonomy and personal expression.
- The intersection of physical development and personal identity in middle childhood.
- The influence of Victorian social norms and puritanical constraints on adolescent autonomy.
- The symbolic role of physical features, such as hair and clothing, in representing agency.
- The transition from childhood innocence to a more mature understanding of human relationships.
- The balance between societal expectations and the preservation of individual creativity.
Excerpt from the Book
General Description of Emily’s Outward Appearance:
As in Anne of Green Gables (1908), Montgomery’s most successful novel, in Emily of New Moon, hair plays a very important role. It is an expression of the traits of character of the author’s protagonists. Therefore, Emily is introduced into the novel as nine years old girl with a “long, heavy braid of glossy, jet-black hair” (4) which symbolises her [...] talent for writing, her more thoughtful and nuanced creativity that leaves a recoverable record. As the Pre-Raphaelite painters associated women’s hair with weaving yarns of spinning tales, so Montgomery locates power and creativity in Anne’s and Emily’s hair, which is ‘profuse’ and flowing like her words.
Aunt Elisabeth who unconsciously feels the relation between Emily’s hair and her inborn creativity tries to cut her wings by the attempt of cutting Emily’s hair (105-107). As Mc Master points out, to Aunt Elisabeth writing stories is “an alien growth that must be pruned off ruthlessly.” But while Emily obeys her aunt in everything she can, although she often cannot understand her viewpoints, the girl is not able to follow Aunt Elisabeth’s command this time. For the first time in their relationship, Emily triumphs over her aunt: “Aunt Elisabeth returned with the scissors; they clicked suggestively as she opened them; that click, as if by magic, seemed to loosen something – some strange formidable power in Emily’s soul. [...] she felt an uprush as from unknown depths of some irresistible surge of energy.” (106). This nearly supernatural power Emily feels lets one think of the biblical Samson figure, whose physical power was immediately linked to his very long hair. He lost his physical power, a gift from God, when his hair had been cut off through a woman’s trick. As Samson has lost his physical power, Emily would have suffered mentally from this deep intrusion into her private sphere.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section establishes the paper's aim to analyze Emily's developing body image and sense of freedom within the rigid societal structures of Prince Edward Island.
Main part: This chapter provides a detailed examination of Emily's outward appearance and how her physical and cognitive development are challenged and shaped by her interactions with her family and her environment.
General Description of Emily’s Outward Appearance: This chapter analyzes how physical traits like hair and facial features serve as symbolic representations of Emily's creativity and her resistance to oppressive social norms.
Emily’s Relation to Her Body, Her Physical and Cognitive Development: This chapter explores the chronological progression of Emily's growth, tracing her struggle for agency against the restrictive conventions imposed by her guardians and society.
Conclusion: This final section synthesizes the key milestones in Emily's maturity, noting how she navigates the transition from childhood to adolescence while reconciling her personal ambitions with external expectations.
Keywords
Emily of New Moon, L. M. Montgomery, Body Image, Adolescent Development, Cognitive Development, Victorian Society, Female Autonomy, Identity Formation, Literary Analysis, Middle Childhood, Social Constraints, Self-Determination, Coming of Age.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the development of the character Emily in L. M. Montgomery's novel "Emily of New Moon," specifically examining how her body image evolves in relation to her physical and cognitive maturation between the ages of nine and thirteen.
What are the central thematic areas addressed?
Key themes include the struggle for personal autonomy, the influence of social and religious constraints, the symbolism of physical appearance, and the challenges of growing up as an orphan in a conservative society.
What is the main goal or research question?
The research aims to trace how Emily’s relation to her own body serves as a symbol for her restricted freedom and how she navigates the path toward self-determination during her transition from middle childhood to adolescence.
Which scientific method is utilized in this study?
The author employs a chronological and analytical approach, examining textual evidence from the novel alongside psychological insights into child and adolescent development to interpret Emily's behavioral and developmental milestones.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body discusses Emily's physical description as an expression of her creativity, her conflicts with her aunts regarding her autonomy, her relationships with peers and potential suitors, and the symbolic significance of key events like her time at Whyther Grange.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Relevant keywords include Emily of New Moon, Body Image, Adolescent Development, Victorian Society, Female Autonomy, Identity Formation, and Self-Determination.
How does the author interpret Emily's interaction with Aunt Elisabeth?
The author interprets these interactions as a series of power struggles where Aunt Elisabeth attempts to enforce societal norms, while Emily acts to protect her private sphere and creative identity.
What is the significance of "Whyther Grange" in Emily's life?
The author describes Whyther Grange as a transformative environment where Emily begins to leave childhood behind, gains a more mature understanding of her own body, and learns about the impact of her appearance on others.
How does the paper categorize the relationship between Emily and Dean Priest?
The relationship is categorized as a deep but unconventional bond between a young girl and an older man, where Emily's intuitive resistance to "seductive bondage" highlights her early understanding of her own boundaries.
- Quote paper
- Maria Fernkorn (Author), 2001, Body Image in "Emily of New Moon" with Reference to the Stages of her Cognitive and Physical Development in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence (9-13 Years), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/55438
