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Fiction

Notes society at the time. Most occupations were deemed inappropriate for women (akin to prostitution),
which left women almost incapable of supporting themselves independently. Jane Fairfax is
presented as an example of this ingrained oppression of women. Although she possesses all
of the same personal qualities as Emma, she lacks the wealth that could give her financial and
social security. The only options available for her are marriage or becoming a governess. Most
of the other female characters in the novel are faced with a similar choice: Harriet Smith can
either marry or continue to work at Mrs. Goddard’s school; Mrs. Weston only marries Mr.
Weston after working as Emma’s governess. Although Emma is luckier than most, even she
has limited options for her future: she can either marry or become a wealthy spinster. Ironically,
Austen herself had to submit to this ingrained oppression: because she never married and
could not publicly claim her novels, she was dependent on her family for support.

Miscommunication

Many of the major conflicts in the novel are a direct result of miscommunication between
characters. One primary example is Mr. Elton’s misguided courtship of Emma during which
Emma assumes that Mr. Elton is actually courting Harriet Smith. This misconception is perpetuated
when Mr. Elton presents Emma with a riddle for Harriet’s book. Because there is no real
communication between the three characters, the revelation of Mr. Elton’s true feelings is
much more problematic. Similar problems arise because of miscommunication between Frank
Churchill and Emma. While Emma initially views Frank Churchill as her future husband,
Frank is secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax and manipulates Emma into promoting the façade.
Even Mr. Knightley engages in miscommunication by failing to reveal his true feelings for
Emma until the very end of the novel. As such, Emma assumes that Harriet and Mr. Knightley
are in love with each other. In each of these cases, the required formality of social interactions
ends up causing nothing but confusion and hurt feelings. However, in the end, all of these
social mishaps are resolved, and each character is ultimately matched up with an appropriate
partner.

Moral relativism

For the majority of the novel, Emma operates under the assumption that she knows what is
best for those around her. A prime example of this is Emma’s relationship with Harriet Smith,
in which Emma assumes that she has the right to determine Harriet’s choice of husband and
future happiness. She even takes responsibility for Harriet’s personality: taking it upon herself
to “improve” Harriet. Emma indulges in similarly condescending behavior with many other
characters in the novel, including Mr. and Mrs. Weston, her sister and father, Mr. Elton, and
Frank Churchill. Emma’s belief in her own infallibility is undermined by her behavior toward
Miss Bates at the picnic at Box Hill. Although Emma had made mistakes with Harriet and Mr.
Elton, this is the first time that Emma is blatantly wrong in her behavior. This forces her to
acknowledge that her seeming infallibility regarding those around her is nothing more than
ego and arrogance.

Love

For the majority of the novel, Emma considers herself to be immune to romantic love. Although
she considers the possibility of marriage to Frank Churchill, she acknowledges that she does
not actually love him, as she is just as happy during his absence as she is during his presence.
This ability to exist without love relates to the larger theme of marriage that permeates the
narrative. Austen makes it clear that love is not a requirement for marriage and can actually

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