Emma as a character is both very strong, but she also comes across as a know-it-all and she acts as if she is superior to everyone else. character of the novel. Emma allows status to interpret her feelings towards people, and this affects how she treats them. It is quite obvious that Emma allows herself to mistreat people for her own sake, whether it is for simple satisfaction, to prove something, or perhaps it is simply an unconscious task for her which escapes his control until it is too late to be. fixable.Emma is a character who truly considers herself to be better than everyone else, but believes she is better than she actually is. It could be argued that she considers herself better than Mr. Elton due to the fact that she rejects him, even though she claims it is for Harriet's sake. Mr. Elton shows every sign of feelings for Emma, ​​but she is too oblivious to notice them because he is below her, but above Harriet, so he is sufficient for her purposes. She doesn't care about how he feels about her, only that Harriet has feelings for him. This can be seen when Mr. Elton confronts Emma about her feelings, and she is completely confused and almost offended. “I only saw you as my friend’s admirer. From no other perspective could you have been more than a casual acquaintance to me. (Page 119) This quote expresses the surprise Emma feels when Mr. Elton comes to her to try to convince her. Clearly, she mistreated him as a person and as a potential lover, because being the third son is not "good enough" for someone of his rank and importance. Another person who feels the wrath of Emma's mistreatment is Miss Bates in Box Hill; Emma completely ridicules poor Miss Bates, f...... middle of paper...... believes it's for the best, but only seems to end in misery for the characters. Overall, Tobin's assessment of Emma's behavior is correct. Emma is a heartless person who allows her position to manipulate others; she believes that everything she does is good for everyone, whether it's the truth or not. It is quite unfortunate that she is unable to see people for who they are, people who form a close-knit community who are supposed to support each other, instead of putting each other down; It takes Emma far too long to realize the importance of the people around her, and Box Hill seems to be the turning point for her, the point where a revelation occurs. Works Cited Jane, Austen,. Emma comprehensive, authoritative text with biographical, historical, and cultural contexts, critical history, and essays from contemporary critical perspectives. Boston: Bedford/St. that of Martin, 2002.