Emma - Story Summary (continued)
By Vicki Unsworth
Emma was a decent, kind person at heart, and this became apparent by the way she graciously broke the news to Harriet about Mr. Elton's feelings, "Harriet did not consider herself as having anything to complain of. The affection of such a man as Mr. Elton would have been too great a distinction. She never could have deserved him, and nobody but so partial and kind a friend as Miss Woodhouse would have thought it possible" (Austen: 1986:137).
Although her matchmaking attempt with
Mr. Elton and Harriet backfired, Emma still did not want to see
her dear friend Harriet 'settle' for poor Mr. Martin. When she
heard news that Mr. Weston's son Frank Churchill would soon be
coming to town, Emma's decided that he might be the perfect match
for Harriet. Mr. Frank Churchill arrived and Emma was impressed
with his charm and handsome good looks. He had similar characteristics
as Emma - he was young, wealthy, attractive and with an enticing
and appealing personality. She began questioning whether or not
she was having feelings for him, however; she quickly dismissed
these ideas when she realized she had only thought about Frank
once when he went away to London for a few days.
It became public that Frank Churchill
had been secretly engaged to a young, lower class woman by the
name of Jane Fairfax. Emma was relieved that her feelings for
Frank never grew stronger and that she did not pursue him for
Harriet. As time went by, Jane Austen hints at a possible relationship
between Emma and Mr. Knightley. When Harriet was rejected for
a dance with Mr. Elton at a party at the Weston's home, Mr. Knightley
stepped in, sweeping Harriet off of her feet with his charm and
charisma. Emma witnessed Mr. Knightley's kind behaviour and the
reader finds that at this point, Emma begins to slowly realize
her true feelings; she is in love with Knightley!
The next conflict occured when Harriet
admitted to Emma that she was having feelings for Knightley. Emma
was shocked at the news because she had always had Mr. Knightley
all to herself, he was always there for her whenever she needed
him and she was not willing to share him with anyone else, especially
since she realized her own true feelings her him. Harriet was
angry with Emma and accused her of thinking she was not good enough
for Mr. Knightley. Harriet stormed off and Emma was left alone
and miserable.
Days passed and it was obvious to the
reader that the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley had
changed. For the first time she felt awkward around him, and was
at a loss for words. Mr. Knightley told her how disappointed he
had been with her lately, and Emma believed he no longer wanted
to continue their friendship. However, he grabbed hold of her
and professed his undying love and devotion. The story ends, like
all Jane Austen novels, with the main character marrying the man
she loves.. Harriet became engaged to Robert Martin, the poor
but loving farmer who had always cared for her, and Emma and Mr.
Knightley lived happily ever after.
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