“Emma Woodhouse, beautiful, intelligent, and wealthy, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition, seemed to combine some of the best blessings of existence... with little to suffer or irritate her. (Emma, ​​​​V.1,Ch.1) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This summary of the opening character of Austen's novel heroine, Emma, ​​should immediately set off alarm bells in the mind of any avid Austen reader. In Emma, ​​we have an Austen heroine who is attractive, wealthy, and even described as having the “best blessings of existence”; this seems too good to be true. Indeed, Emma is different from all of Austen's other heroines in that she is financially independent and lacks most of the romantic sensibilities that plagued young women of her time as she does not see marriage as a goal worth aspiring to. Her wealth gives Emma the privilege of marrying solely for love and not in the hope of gaining financial security. Yet despite Emma's nonconformity to Austen's standard protagonist, Emma still finds happiness in marriage in the end. One interpretation of the frequent, happily married endings in Austen's novels might be that they belie Austen's feminist stance on the patriarchal nature of marriage in the nineteenth century. In nineteenth-century literature, marriage is often presented as a gender hierarchy that requires the female protagonist to submit to her male counterpart, ultimately losing a part of herself. However, further analysis of Emma suggests that Austen actually subverts the marriage trope such that marriage actually adds to Emma rather than subtracts from her. Austen uses pedagogy and personal development to monitor her protagonist's emotional growth. Through her descriptions of Emma's childhood machinations before and after realizing her love for Mr. Knightley, Austen implies that Emma's maturation is the only prerequisite for finding true love with Mr. Knightley. In doing so, Austen emphasizes that marriage itself is not the focus of the story and not the goal of her protagonist, supporting the feminist interpretation of Emma. To properly evaluate Emma's maturation over the course of Emma, ​​one must first understand Emma's initial flaws as a character, as well as her motivations behind her friendship with Harriet Smith. For a woman of her time, Emma has extraordinary financial independence and social ability, especially when compared to her fellow Austen heroines. Thus, one of the first things we learn about Austen's protagonist is that Emma sees no point in marriage for a lady of her station, telling Harriet, “I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. If I fell in love, in fact, it would be something different! but I have never been in love; it is not my way, nor my nature; and I don't think I ever will. And, without love, I'm sure I'd be crazy to change a situation like mine. I don't want luck; job I don't want; consequence I do not want: I believe few married women are half as master of their husband's house as I am of Hartfield...” (Emma, ​​​​V 1, ch. 10) Not only does Emma have no financial compulsion to marry , he also considers falling in love out of his "nature" and doubts that it will ever be in his nature. Emma also seems to eschew the power dynamics inherent in marriage, doubting whether the familial power she would have as a married woman would parallel her unquestioned power as Hartfield's "lover." In fact, the narrator tells the reader that the only “trueevils” that afflicted Emma “were the power to do too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too highly of herself.” (Emma, ​​V. 1, Ch. 1) In short, these quotes reinforce Emma's power within her family, her power in her community, and her power over the people closest to her, like her father and his former partner, Mrs. Weston. With economic problems and social inequality disqualified as a possible source of conflict for this novel, the question remains what Austen might use to afflict her heroine. In fact, it is Emma's mistreatment of those less fortunate than her that highlights the flaws in her character, marks her character's improvement over the course of the novel, and opens her path to true love. Harriet Smith, Emma's unfortunate protégé, is the first source of conflict in the novel. Harriet is “someone's natural daughter” (Emma, ​​V. 1, ch. 3), and a boarder at the local boarding school. It is Harriet's beauty that first catches Emma's attention, and so Emma decides that: “He would notice her; it would improve her... it would detach her from her bad acquaintances, it would introduce her to good society... it would form her opinions and her ways. It would be an interesting and certainly very kind undertaking; highly suited to his life situation, his free time and his powers. (Emma, ​​V. 1, ch. 3) Emma's intentions, while probably good-hearted, are rather condescending, a fact that is apparent to the reader but not to Emma herself. Emma's salvation complex masquerades as righteousness as she decides to "notice" and "improve" Harriet. Emma also believes that her “situation in life, her free time and her powers” ​​qualify her for the role of mentor. However, his flaws as a mentor soon become apparent. As Harriet's director of reform, Emma often guides her protégé down paths that make Emma's life more interesting, without using Harriet's interests as a compass. For example, Emma encourages Harriet, a woman of little wealth, to forget her "rough and uncouth" farmer Martin (Emma, ​​V. 1, ch. 3). Emma convinces Harriet, however, to look beyond her social class and aim for a richer husband so that she can remain in Emma's social circle. But her plans go awry when her chosen one, Mr. Elton, leaves Harriet heartbroken. Emma's naivety stems from her privilege and prevents her from seeing the damage this social climbing project could do to Harriet. Although Emma is right in believing that, as a woman with the power and resources she has, it is her responsibility to help those less fortunate, Emma fails to realize her social function and potential as a leader. She instead plays with Harriet's fate only because her reformation would be an "interesting undertaking." The problem with Emma is that she is unable to see the weight that her actions carry and the long-term implications they may have on Harriet's future happiness. Although Mr. Martin truly cares for Harriet, he is not part of the fun plan Emma has in mind, and is therefore useless to her. What saves Emma as a heroine in the eyes of the reader is the fact that Emma does not hate Harriet. ; her ignorant machinations seem to stem from a genuine desire to help her friend. Emma hopes that her meeting will lay the foundation for the relationship between Harriet and Mr. Elton, and in her heart she truly believes that Mr. Elton is "in the right way to fall in love, if not already in love" (Emma, ​​V. 1, chapter 6) with Harriet. Her good-natured ignorance keeps the reader invested in her character's growth, hoping that Emma gains the maturity she needs to put her intelligence, wealth, and social importance to good use. The readercertainly supports Mr. Knightley when he chides Emma that whoever raised Harriet surely had “no intention of introducing her into what you would call good society… [they] thought [Mr. Martin] good enough for her; and it was good enough” (Emma, ​​​​V. 1, ch. 8). He concludes his statement by announcing that Emma "has not been a friend of Harriet Smith" (Emma, ​​V. 1, ch. 8). At the time, Emma "did not regret what she had done" (Emma, ​​V. 1, ch. 8), but after Mr. Elton proposes to her and not to Harriet, Emma's attitude changes . He says: “The first mistake, and the worst, was blamed on her. It was foolish, it was wrong to take such an active role in bringing two people together. He was… assuming too much… he was quiet, worried and ashamed, and determined not to do things like that again.” (Emma, ​​​​V. 1, ch. 16). In this quote, Emma recognizes the implications of her actions and, more importantly, is remorseful, even if her repentance is late. This guilt from a girl who once had “little to distress or irritate her” is truly remarkable growth. Not only does he call his actions “silly” and “wrong,” but he also admits that his role as matchmaker “[assumes] too much,” implying that there are things he shouldn't control even though he has the power to do so. In the end, Emma's inaction finally allows Harriet to happily marry her Mr. Martin. Her friendship with Harriet teaches Emma that she has the power to influence the lives of others, both positively and negatively. However, her friendship with Harriet is not the last lesson Emma must learn before her maturation process truly comes to an end: her treatment of The Bates Family also forces Emma to recognize its social consequences and her ability to influence society. The narrator describes Miss Bates as being "in the worst situation in the world to have so much public favor" (Emma, ​​V. I, ch. 3): after experiencing an unexceptional youth and middle age, she remains a spinster. throughout Emma, ​​and is financially dependent on her mother's meager income. Although she and her mother are part of Emma's social circle, their wealth is dwindling rapidly and they therefore rely heavily on the charity of other Highbury residents. Austen presents Miss Bates as a pitiful and sympathetic character, and Emma admits that as a resident of Highbury she has a subtle duty to "contribute what she ought to the whole of [the Bates'] meager comforts" (Emma, ​​V. II, chapter 1). However, it is a duty that he often shirks because he finds it "very unpleasant... a waste of time... boring women" (Emma, ​​​​V. II, ch. 1). Because the reader pities Miss Bates, Emma's apathy is jarring and immediately repulsive in the reader's eyes. In the first chapter of Volume II, Emma decides to visit the Bateses, even though her reasons for visiting are slightly selfish. During her visit with the Bates, Emma finds Miss Bates' talkativeness extremely boring and quickly ends the visit. His internal derision, however, doesn't become a real problem until later in the novel. During a picnic scene on Box Hill, Emma's internal dislike of the Bateses becomes an external issue. As part of a picnic game, Miss Bates, Emma, ​​and the other picnickers are tasked with saying one intelligent, two moderately intelligent, and three boring statements. As Miss Bates prepares to say three boring statements, Emma jokes “Ah! ma'am, but there may be a difficulty. Forgive me, but you will be limited in number, only three at a time" (Emma, ​​​​V. II, chapter 7). Austen prefaces Emma's cruel remark with "Emma couldn't resist", making the author's intention in highlighting the obligatory nature unclearof Emma's observation. Therefore, the reader may wonder whether Austen intends to rebuke or excuse Emma's insensitivity. However, one thing is clear: Emma can't resist using her privilege and intelligence as leverage to mock those less fortunate. Instead of angrily responding to the obvious joke, Miss Bates responds by saying, “Ah!, well, of course. Yes, I understand what you mean... and I will try to hold my tongue. I must make myself very unpleasant, otherwise she would not have said such a thing to an old friend” (Emma, ​​​​V. II, ch. 7). While Emma's observation is the truth, it is a truth that her social circle has implicitly agreed to ignore in the name of decency and out of respect for Miss Bates. Another reason for their tolerance is revealed in Mr. Knightley's reproach for Emma's actions as they wait for their carriages after the picnic. He says, “Emma, ​​​​I must speak to you once more…How could you be so…insolent in your spirit to a woman of [Miss Bates'] character, age, and situation? - Emma, ​​​​I had not thought it possible... If she had been in your equal situation - but, Emma, ​​consider how far this is from being the case... You, whom she had known since she was a child, whom she had watched grow up from a time when her notice was an honor, to have you now, in the reckless spirits and pride of the moment laugh at her, humiliate her - and even in front of her niece - and in front of others, many of whom (certainly some) they would be entirely guided by how you treat her.” (Emma, ​​​​V. II, ch. 7)Mr. Knightley, as usual, gets to the root of Emma's cruelty; the reason Emma's joke was so inappropriate was because, not only is Miss Bates not equal to her in status, wealth, or intelligence, but also because Emma's high social status might set a precedent for how the rest of Highbury society treats Miss Bates. Mr. Knightley rightly points out that Emma's actions and words carry enough weight to give her power, and her power has the ability to hurt Miss Bates. Despite the brazenness of her comment, there are signs of growth in Emma's character that were absent in her relationships with Harriet. Unlike the case with Mrs. Smith, as soon as Mr. Knightley begins to speak, Emma “remembered, blushed [and] regretted it” (Emma, ​​V. II, ch. 7). As she reflects on the incident in private she feels "irritated...she had never felt so agitated, mortified, sorrowful, under any circumstances in her life...How could he have been so brutal, so cruel to Miss Bates!" (Emma, ​​V. II, ch. 7) The weight of her social consequences and responsibilities finally dawns on Emma: as the leader of her society, she has the power to set a standard of behavior. Often, a sign of maturity is the ability to shift one's attention away from oneself and onto those around them. Toward the end of Emma, ​​our heroine earnestly visits the Bateses, no longer driven by duty but by her new responsibility to her community. Miss Bates played an important role in Emma's maturation process and journey towards self-knowledge. Throughout the novel, there is one character who serves as Emma's moral compass, holding her accountable for her actions and words: Mr. Knightley. She articulates a vision of individualism for Emma, ​​recognizing and working to amplify her power. Early in the novel, he explains his function by saying that correcting Emma when she makes missteps is something he considers “a privilege rather endured than permitted, perhaps, but I must use it nonetheless. I cannot see you act badly, without a remonstrance” (Emma, ​​​​V. II, chapter 7). Within the novel he often speaks on behalf of the reader, recognizing Emma's potential.