Angela Kanda

INDEPENDENT READING REFLECTION - EMMA

When given the task to choose a book for an independent reading, initially I was
confused. I wanted to read something that I would find interesting, but I didnt want an easy
read or some typical young adult fiction. Recently Ive been more interested in classics after
reading some in class (like Pride and Prejudice - thanks Mr.Vtop). I went to the library and got
a bunch of classics. Telling myself I would read them all before the break ended, I started Crime
and Punishment, Sense and Sensibility and Emma. I didnt finish them all, but I did finish
Emma by Jane Austen.
In my personal opinion, I believe Emma to be a comedy. For one, there are no other
genres it fits into. And as it ends with a positive, happy ending, it can be defined as a comedy as
opposed to a tragedy which usually ends with death (according to Shakespeare). There were lots
of scenes and characters in the book that actually made me laugh out loud, such as whenever
Mr.Woodhouse would begin talking about his concern for the health of others. There was even a
point in the novel where he asked Mrs.Goddard if she would like half a glass of wine. He offered
half, when he could have offered her a glass, like a normal person. It thoroughly amused me, as
any great comedy should, and all throughout the story Austen has kept the plot lighthearted and
easygoing. Being a comedy, Austen had kept the underlying theme of society and marriage,
which arent extremely dark as a tragedy would be.
If Pride and Prejudice hadnt been introduced to me recently, I would never have
picked up another Jane Austen novel. Having read Emma, I have the ability to compare this
Jane Austen work to Pride and Prejudice. Looking back, many of the themes of marriage,
society and status are similar. Like Ive been told, good authors write what they know, and this
is what Austen knew. Like in Pride and Prejudice, Emma includes a marriage between the
protagonist and her love after many obstacles. As a class read, Pride and Prejudice dominates.
It is more complex in terms of plot (for example, there were many more marriages and characters
to keep track of) and the characters were better developed. In Emma, the characters were there,
but the characterization in Pride and Prejudice was done to a higher standard. In my personal
opinion, the language and subtlety of irony is also more sophisticated. However, I read Pride
and Prejudice first, and reading Emma second I had some previous experience reading
Austens language, which is why I may have some prejudice (see what I did there?) towards one
over the other. One thing is for sure, bias or no bias, and its that females in any class will relate
to this more than males, no matter which Austen work is chosen. Given that, I highly recommend
reading more than one, for not only did I learn more vocabulary, I improved my level of
comprehension while enjoying what I was reading.
Typically when I read a novel I end up liking one character the most, and in Emma, it
was Harriet, Emmas friend. Right from when Emma met her as a student of Mrs.Goddards
school, it was easy to see how easily manipulated she was. I dont mean she was stupid, but she
was unable to make her own decisions (even going as far as asking Emma what she should do
when Martin proposed to her) and this created pathos. As a reader I wanted the best for Harriet,
but of course it would be Emma who directed her on how to act in different situations. Because I
liked Harriet as a character so much, sometimes I disliked Emma, the protagonist. As comic as it
was to be able to understand Emmas thoughts and see her planning Harriets future with

Angela Kanda
different men, she took over in many situations and personally, that got annoying. I mean, I
understand that shes the main character, but poor Harriet never gets a chance when Emmas
around. Accidentally, Emma becomes both a likeable and unpleasant character.
There were many memorable scenes in Emma. One was Martins proposal to Harriet. It
was at this point in the novel Emmas tendencies to take control of situations really show
themselves. Emma shows her dark side- and her ability to manipulate others, especially more
gullible individuals like Harriet. All this can be seen through the way Emma replies to Harriet.
All Emma does is smile graciously and tell Harriet she needs to think herself what she wants to
do (in the kindest way possible of course). This scene is also important because it shows Martin
is a qualified candidate to marry Harriet, but like always what Emma wants, Emma gets. She,
indirectly, plans everything Harriet will reply to Martin.
Another memorable scene was when Knightley expressed his love to Emma. His words
flowed from one sentence to the next through the whole scene. His expressions matched his
personality and Emmas reactions matched hers. She behaved just as I thought her to- relieved
that Harriet was not competition anymore. This also reminded me of Darcys proposal to
Elizabeth near the end of Pride and Prejudice giving me yet another reason to compare the
two. In this scene, Emma breaks her biggest promise, the one that forbade her from marrying and
leaving her father. It also goes with the thematic significance of marriage.
If Emma were a particular type of drink, it would be a blueberry-strawberry-mangobanana smoothie with almond milk. For starters, the smoothie is rich with vitamins and nutrition,
just as this novel is nutritious in terms of academic learning. In the smoothie, there is a selection
of fruits, just as in the novel there is a variety of elements (irony, humour, characterization, etc.)
that make up the whole. Even though you would not expect something so healthy to be so good,
it is. The smoothie tastes sweet and is an enjoyable treat, just as the novel is.