The Flawed Character of Emma Woodhouse in Jane Austens Emma Essay

The Flawed Character of Emma Woodhouse In Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen has created a wonderfully flawed heroine. Had Emma been perfect, her situation would have been of no take to anyone her flaws are what interest both reader and critic. Peter W. Graham is interested particularly with the first page of the myth where Emma is first introduced to the reader. He discusses how significant the number 1 of the novel is to mapping out Emmas personal development(42). Walton A. Litz and Patricia Meyer Spacks are much more interested in what Emmas imagination shows about her development. Litz says that the basic movement of Emma is from finesse to self-recognition, from illusion to reality(369). Spacks takes the opposite argument suggesting Emma doesnt grow but is simply alleviated of her boredom and her imagination disappears with it. I think Emmas growth throughout the novel is pronounced she starts out loveable enough but with much to learn. She grows from self-delusion to self-aware ness and learns to see truth and not just what she wants to see. She also grows in her social vision, although not as much as one may hope. All in all Emma makes significant developments and it is easy to imagine that with more time and Mr. Knightleys influence she will and continue learning and growing.At the beginning of the novel we are made very aware of Emmas character, both her strengths and her flaws. She starts out, seeming to unite some of the best blessings in human race(Austen, 1 Italics, Graham). Her flaws are at present so unperceived that they do not by any means rank as misfortunes with her (1) but instead of probable a fortunate thing Peter W. Graham states that by naming what Emma has hitherto avo... ...ce we are never told.All in all Emma makes great strides in her development and there is no section of her life in which she doesnt improve in part. Having come this far already and with Knightleys continued guidance we can unless imagine Emma continuing to lear n and grow. As we have already seen in her role as daughter, she has been tested and not been found wanting. This definitely bodes well for any tests remaining in Emmas future. Works cited Austen, Jane. Emma. 1972. Norton Critical ed. New York, NY W.W. Norton & Company,1993Graham, Peter W. Emmas Three Sisters Arizona Quarterly vol 43 no.1 (1987) 39-52Litz, A. Walton. Limits of Freedom Emma Emma. 1972. Norton Critical ed. New York, NY W.W. Norton & Company, 1993, 369-377Spacks, Patricia Meyer. Women & Boredom The 2 Emmas Yale Journal of Criticism vol.2 no. 2 (1989) 191-205