Page 125 - DENG404_FICTION

Unit 9: Emma Plot Construction

Mr. Elton brings his new wife back to Highbury. She is a vapid name-dropper, who compares Notes
everything to the supposedly grand lifestyle of her relatives and addresses her new peers in
Highbury with a startling lack of formality. Emma takes an instant dislike to her, and upon
realizing this, Mrs. Elton takes a dislike to Emma.
When Frank Churchill returns, he and Emma sponsor a ball at the Crown Inn. It is generally
assumed that Frank and Emma have formed an attachment, but Emma has already ceased to
imagine Frank as her own suitor and perceived him as a potential lover for Harriet.
During the ball, Mr. Elton takes the opportunity to humiliate Harriet, openly snubbing her in
front of the other guests. Mr. Knightley undercuts this social slight by graciously dancing with
Harriet in Mr. Elton’s stead.
The next day, while walking home, Harriet is attacked by a group of gypsy beggars, but Frank
Churchill saves her. His gallant rescue becomes the talk of Highbury and leads Emma to
confirm her belief that he would be a suitable match for Harriet. While discussing the event,
Harriet admits that she has feelings for the man who saved her, though she does not explicitly
name Frank Churchill. Thanks to this new infatuation, Harriet is finally past her heartbreak
for Mr. Elton.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

1. Emma Woodhouse is the ......... girl in her town.
2. Jane is ......... and accomplished, but Emma dislikes her.
3. Mr. Elton bring his new ......... back to Highbury.
4. Harriet is finally past her heartbreak for ......... .

Mr. Knightley begins to suspect that Frank Churchill has a secret relationship with Jane Fairfax,
but Emma laughs at him and continues to flirt with Frank Churchill. At an outing at Box Hill,
Frank Churchill’s bad influence over Emma comes to a head, and Emma insults Miss Bates to
her face. Afterwards, Mr. Knightley severely scolds Emma for her behavior. When Emma
visits Miss Bates to apologize, she discovers how much her insult has damaged her relationship
with the family.

After the death of his aunt, Frank is suddenly free to reveal that he has been secretly engaged
to Jane Fairfax. The engagement had to remain a secret because of his aunt’s disapproval and
threat to disown him if he made a bad match. Frank Churchill’s flirtatious behavior toward
Emma is revealed to be nothing more than a ruse meant to divert attention from his feelings
for Jane. When Emma attempts to break the bad news of Frank Churchill’s engagement to
Harriet, Emma learns that Harriet is actually in love with Mr. Knightley, who “rescued” her
at the Crown Inn ball. With Harriet’s revelation, Emma realizes that she is in love with Mr.
Knightley herself. Emma concludes that, not only has been put her friend in the position of
yet another heartbreak, but she has done Harriet a great disservice by making her think that
she could aspire to such heights of society.
Mr. Knightley soon professes his love for Emma, and they plan to marry. Yet there are two
obstacles: first, if Emma were to marry, she would have to leave her father, who would not
be able to bear the separation; second, she must break the news to Harriet. Mr. Knightley
decides to move in to Hartfield after their marriage to allay Mr. Woodhouse’s fears of being
left alone. Harriet takes the news about Mr. Knightley well and soon after reunites with Robert
Martin. The novel concludes with three marriages: Robert Martin and Harriet, Frank Churchill
and Jane Fairfax, and finally, Mr. Knightley and Emma.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 119