Share:

Book Review

Book: “Emma”

Review By: Agraj Rijal

Roll.no: 29004

Class: 10 Machhapuchhre

Introduction:

Emma is a famous novel written by Jane Austen, one of the most respected English writers. This book first got published in 1815. The main setting of this story is the English countryside and this book is focused on a young girl named Emma Woodhouse. Emma was a young, intelligent, wealthy and confident woman who lived with her father and enjoyed arranging marriages for the people she was close with. She thought she was really good at matchmaking but often made wrong decisions. Her close friend was Harriet Smith. Harriet was a kind and simple woman. Emma gave her best to find a suitable husband for Harriet. Her plans created a lot of confusion and misunderstandings. As the story progresses, Emma figures out that she actually does not understand other people’s feelings well. She also begins to understand her own feelings. The story is written on different themes such as love, friendship, social class, marriage, misunderstanding, and personal growth. The author uses humor to show the weakness of society and human behavior.

Summary:

The story begins with the introduction of Emma, a young, beautiful, intelligent, wealthy, and confident woman. She lived with her father Mr. Woodhouse at Hartfield. Her father loved her a lot but was nervous. She did not usually have personal life problems, so she enjoyed interfering in the lives of other people. Emma believed that she was very good at understanding other people’s feelings. Her former governess, Miss Taylor married Mr. Weston which made Emma more interested in matchmaking. Harriet Smith became Emma’s close friend. Harriet was a sweet and inexperienced young woman. Harriet started to gain interest in a farmer named Robert Martin. Robert truly loved her. But Emma thought Harriet should marry someone else from a higher social class. She convinced Harriet to marry someone else and reject Robert’s proposal. Emma Then tried to match Harriet with Mr. Elton who was a loyal clergyman. Emma thought that Mr. Elton loves Harriet but she never knew she was completely wrong. Mr. Elton actually loved Emma and later proposed to her. Emma rejected him and made him leave the area to marry another woman. Emma continued making mistakes as she often judged people without understanding their real feelings. She started developing feelings for Frank Churchill who was the son of Mr. Weston. Emma enjoyed being with him and thought about a possible relationship with him. But sadly Frank loved Jane Fairfax who was a young, talented and beautiful woman. They kept their relationship secret due to some family problems in Frank’s family. They finally revealed their engagement and Emma realized that she had misunderstood the situation. George Knightley was a close family friend of Emma. He was honest, sensible and often told Emma when she was behaving badly. At the beginning Emma did not realize how important Knightley was to her. She believed that she was never going to marry because she always wanted to stay with her father. However, as the time passed by Emma realized that she had deep feelings for Mr.Knightley. One day she insulted Miss Bates during a visit to Box hill. It was one of her biggest mistakes. Kinghtly told Emma that her behaviour was cruel and thoughtless. Emma feels ashamed and realizes that she needs to become more considerate toward others. It became an important moment for her. Later, Emma discovered that Harriet had feelings for Knightley. Emma becomes jealous because she herself loved Knightley. Knightley also loved Emma and eventually proposed to her. Harriet returns to Robert Martin, and they too become engaged. In the end, Emma finally realized that she cannot control other people's lives or always understand their feelings. She became more humble, caring and mature. She marries Knightley, while Harriet marries Robert Martin. The novel contained a happy ending with Emma finally realizing her mistakes and improving herself.

Critical Analysis:

Emma by Jane Austen is an interesting novel that combines romance, humor and social criticism. The strongest part of this book is Emma Woodhouse, who is also the main character. She is intelligent, confident, and kind in many ways, but she is also proud and often thinks she knows what is best for others. Emma making mistakes made this story entertaining and realistic. The writer shows that good intentions do not always lead to good results, by the means of Emma. The writer also gives a clear picture of English society during her time. Social class plays an important role in friendship, marriage, and relationships. Emma’s belief that Harriet should marry someone from a higher class shows how strongly people were influenced by social status. Another strong part of the novel is the use of humour by the author. She makes fun of human weaknesses, misunderstandings, and social behavior without making the story too serious. However, some parts of the novel can feel slow because there are many conversations and social events. Overall, Emma is a meaningful novel about love, friendship, social class, mistakes, and personal growth.

Character Analysis:

The book Emma by Jane Austen introduces a lot of characters. The main character is Emma Woodhouse. Emma is a young, intelligent girl. She was also wealthy and confident. She is kind and caring toward her friends, but she is also proud and sometimes thinks she understands people better than she actually does. Emma loved weddings and matchmaking, especially for her friend Harriet Smith. Her attempt created a lot of misunderstandings because she had a habit of judging people very quickly when she had difficulties understanding her own feelings. Another important character is George Knightly. He is honest, wise, practical and mature. He used to correct Emma when she was wrong and played an important role to make her a better person. Harriet Smith was a sweet, innocent, and easily influenced girl who trusts Emma's advice. Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, was very kind and loving but was nervous and worried about changes. Frank Churchill was charming and very friendly. But he kept important secrets about his relationship with Jane Fairfax. Jane Fairfax was a talented, intelligent, and polite girl while Mr. Elton was proud and interested in social status. Through these characters, the writer shows different qualities such as kindness, pride, honesty, immaturity, and growth. The most important was Emma’s development. She learnt from her mistakes and became more understanding and mature.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

The book Emma is about a girl Emma Woodhouse connected with the ancient English Society to give various kinds of information. It teaches readers to avoid judging others quickly and to understand their feelings. Emma’s journey from a confident matchmaker to a more mature and thoughtful person makes the novel valuable and memorable. It is not only a love story but also a story about learning from mistakes and becoming a better person. It remains popular because of its interesting characters, humor, and meaningful lessons. So, it is a recommendable book to reading lovers and history lovers.