Emma by Jane Austen

As Emma discovers that the way to love people is to encourage their independence, she builds a life that’s not only delightful on the surface, but deeply fulfilling.

This is not a review. See why.

Context

Emma Woodhouse is a wealthy, charming young lady. Her family owns a grand mansion called Hartfield—one of two large estates near the small village of Highbury. She has suffered only one serious grievance in her sheltered life: the loss of her mother when she was very young. She was raised by her loving father, who worries so much over everyone’s health that he becomes very good friends with the local physician. She also had a kind and affectionate governess, Miss Taylor. (A governess was a live-in teacher and nanny employed by many wealthy families in England to educate their children, especially the girls.)

The story opens with Miss Taylor marrying a cheerful, wealthy gentleman who lives nearby, thus becoming Mrs. Weston. Emma had encouraged the couple’s blooming romance, and having been successful once in matchmaking, sets out to do it again. Her first target is a young woman she takes under her wing called Harriet Smith, a student at a local boarding school who doesn’t know who her parents are. Emma’s friendships, flirting, and misadventures in her own and others’ personal business form the heart of the story.

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Key Ideas

• Interfering in others’ lives often has unintended consequences

• What we want isn’t always what’s best for us

• Being honest works out best in the end

Interfering in others’ lives often has unintended consequences

Emma wants only the best for her friends; that’s precisely why she encouraged the kindly Mr. Weston (who had no plans of marrying again) and the sweet Miss Taylor to find happiness together. However, when Mrs. Weston moves away from Hartfield, Emma loses the close female companionship she’d had all her life—a situation she resolves to remedy quickly. She decides that Harriet will be her new dear friend and sets about getting to know and “improve” the girl through reading with her, giving her advice, and introducing her to more aristocratic society.

Harriet, impressionable at seventeen years old and gratified by the attentions of someone regarded as higher up the social ladder, happily takes to the role of Emma’s protégé. Emma works carefully to encourage a romance between Harriet and Mr. Elton, the parish priest—despite being well aware of Harriet’s feelings for a sensible farmer named Robert Martin. Her determination in making the match blinds her to the fact that Mr. Elton is not at all interested in Harriet, but is a social climber intent on marrying the richest, most important young woman available—that is, Emma herself. The awkward moments, disappointment, and even heartbreak that result from Emma’s meddling in Harriet’s decisions and ignoring or misinterpreting much of Mr. Elton’s behavior is a vivid illustration of how badly wrong even well-intentioned interference in others’ affairs can go. We all want to help our friends, but some matters, most especially romance, are things each person must decide on for him- or herself.

What we want isn’t always what’s best for us

Emma has always been indulged, rarely criticized by anyone close to her. As a result, she tends to overlook her flaws or weaknesses and chooses to surround herself with those who flatter her. There are a few examples of this throughout the book, but perhaps the clearest is her friendships. As we’ve seen, Emma decides to “improve” Harriet, who eagerly accepts Emma’s advice and friendship. Emma is older than Harriet, from a more powerful family, and has had a better education. For all these reasons, Harriet is in awe of Emma, looking up to her even more than perhaps a younger sister would. Emma graciously and happily accepts Harriet’s compliments and dependence on her approval on matters great (such as whom she should marry) and trivial (such as which ribbon she should buy). In other words, the friendship between Emma and Harriet is not one of equals, but of a poorer, younger woman looking up to a more powerful one who allows Harriet’s awe and flattery to puff up her ego.

By contrast, there is a young woman closer in age and rank (though not in fortune) to Emma: Jane Fairfax. Jane doesn’t often stay in Highbury, but when she does, Emma feels that she and Jane are expected to be friends. Emma, however, resents Jane, who is an accomplished pianist and artist. Emma finds herself “always doing more than she wished, and less than she ought” in terms of inviting Jane to events, visiting her, and other social interaction (1549).¹ For her part, Jane is fairly reserved but very polite and determined to make the best of her circumstances. Emma finds little to criticize about Jane, yet dislikes her anyway.

Eventually, after various misunderstandings are untangled, Emma and Harriet begin to drift apart (though they stay on good terms), and Emma and Jane begin to form a genuine friendship. What’s changed? Emma has accepted responsibility for improving her character, and is thus able to be around Jane without resentment. She’s also realized that what she desires in friendship (unconditional admiration) isn’t what’s best for her in the long run; companionship from someone who’s honest and in some ways her superior gives her more room to grow. We shouldn’t pursue close friendships that are primarily sources of compliments and flattery, however sincerely meant, but people who aren’t afraid to be honest and whose aims and accomplishments in life are broadly similar to our own. Praise is pleasant, and praise from those we respect is a legitimate value, but truth and people we can look up to improve our lives more.

Being honest works out best in the end

Because Harriet is so eager for Emma’s approval, she doesn’t speak honestly about her love for Mr. Martin. She’s swept up by Emma’s plans to aggrandize her, and when it doesn’t work with Mr. Elton, she sets her sights on someone even richer—which causes Emma pain when she finds herself in love with the same man. All this could have been avoided if Harriet had acted on her feelings from the beginning.

There are many other instances of characters keeping their feelings to themselves when being more open about their intentions would have served them better, but perhaps none is so obvious as the secret engagement that is revealed later in the story (as this is a big revelation, I won’t say who is secretly engaged). Both parties end up lying to their friends and family on myriad occasions to keep their secret, risking friendships and causing emotional pain to those they consider dear. All is eventually forgiven, in part because the couple are so clearly in love, but the whole mess could have been avoided if one of the parties had been courageous enough to brave disapproval. As one character declares near the end, “does not every thing serve to prove more and more the beauty of truth and sincerity in all our dealings with each other? (1845)”

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Side Note

There are many film and TV adaptations of Emma. Most recently, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in a 2020 version that makes some tweaks to the portrayal of her romance and emphasizes the humor, especially of Mr. Woodhouse’s character (portrayed by Bill Nighy). Though it tones down certain aspects of Emma’s drive to self-improve, enough of it remains that I consider it a fairly good adaptation. I will be discussing it in more detail in an upcoming video for my YouTube channel.

Update February 13, 2025: The YouTube video has been posted! Watch here.

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Conclusion

Emma is a delightful story full of romance, friendship, and lessons learned. As Emma discovers that the way to love people is to encourage their independence, she builds a life that’s not only delightful on the surface, but deeply fulfilling because it’s fully in accord with her principles and values.

1. Page numbers are from The Complete Works of Jane Austen: (In One Volume), Pandora's Box, Kindle Edition.