Description
Emma differs from many of Jane Austen’s heroines in that she is wealthy and therefore doesn’t need to marry to secure her financial life, as other women of her time did. This is what Emma tells Miss Harriet Smith, who tells her that her financial sufficiency is the reason she has no motive for marriage. This is a clear departure from the rest of Jane Austen’s novels, where the pursuit of marriage to secure one’s financial well-being is a central theme. However, Emma’s financial sufficiency doesn’t make the novel as serious as previous works such as Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Unlike other Austen heroines, Emma shows no affection for the men she meets, and is even surprised and contemptuous when Mr. Elton declares his love for her. It is also clear that Emma not only fails to understand the nature of the love affair between Harriet Smith and Robert Martineau, but also interprets the relationship as one of self-interest and financial gain. Harriet Smith soon reveals her interest in Mr. Knightley, and Emma realizes she’s about to fall in love with him as well. She doesn’t reveal this, but it’s possible that the reason she never fell in love with another man after that is because she was unconsciously in love with Mr. Knightley.
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