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Perfect and Whole Unions (Part Three of EMMA)

© Lisa Martin McAfee

It would seem, at a superficial glance, that Emma is a fairy-tale type story in which Mr.Knightley’s role is a redeemer or savior of sorts. Emma is a clever, intelligent woman who thinks too well of her own opinion, and Mr. Knightley is the “knight on the white horse” who must save her from her erroneous interference’s in other people’s lives. All will be well if Emma just marries, submits to her husband, and busies herself with more domesticated chores.

However, the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley runs much deeper than a cursory reading might suggest. First of all, we need to remember that Emma does not need to marry in order to be financially secure. She has a fortune, a home, and confidence in herself that is very unusual for this particular time period.

Yes, she does have faults, and yes, Mr. Knightley (the closest character in the novel to being virtuous) does see Emma clearly and completely for who she really is, and yet he loves her just the same. He does wish to bring her up to his level, but stop and think for a moment how truly wonderful this is. He expects her to better herself, and be an equal in their relationship. He sets high standards for himself, and would never consider marrying a woman he did not believe could also meet those standards of intelligence, virtue, honesty, and compassion.

We know early on that he would never consider Harriet as a suitable wife for himself. He considers her to be fluffy, naive, and inferior in true understanding. However, as time goes on, he is compelled to change his mind and see her intrinsic worth realizing she would be an excellent wife to his friend, Robert Martin. At first he does consider her to be inferior to Robert. He passionately tells Emma, “No, he is not her equal indeed, for he is as much her superior in sense as in situation . . . She is not a sensible girl, not a girl of any information. She has been taught nothing useful, and is too young and too simple to have acquired any thing herself . . . She is pretty, and she is good tempered, and that is all. My only scruple in advising the match was on his account, as being beneath his deserts, and a bad connexion for him . . . The advantage of the match I felt to be all on her side.”