Journal 2

So, after Emma made her decision to find Mr. Elton a wife, lots of people showed up at Hartfield for dinner. One of the women is a lady named Mrs.Goddard is in charge of a boarding school. There is an elderly woman there named Mrs. Bates, who has a single daughter Emma believes will never marry. These were the only three people there who Emma paid much attention to. Mrs. Goddard requested that she be able to bring along a Miss Harriet Smith. Her true parents were unknown and she spent much of her time at Mrs. Goddard’s school. Emma found her to be a very beautiful girl and decided to make it her undertaking to teach Harriet how to be more like her, in the upper class. She was going to teach her how to talk, act, and who to befriend. She also decides she will match Mr. Elton and Harriet. Harriet and Emma became very intimate. She spent much of her time at Hartfield and took walks with Emma. She quickly took Mrs. Weston’s spot in Emma’s life. One person Harriet talked a lot about was a man named Mr. Martin. He was a man of no substantial status that Harriet was rather fond of. He lived on the Abbey-Mill Farm. One day, the two girls ran into Mr. Martin and Emma was not at all impressed with him. Emma tells Harriet she found him very plain and ended up getting Harriet to talk about Mr. Elton. Mr. Knightly doesn’t like how close Emma and Harriet have become and voices his opinion to Mrs. Weston. She doesn’t agree. Some day later, Emma draws a picture of Harriet for Mr. Elton and he is all too please. He goes off to have the picture framed and in his absence, Mr. Martin proposes to Harriet. She quickly runs to Emma and begs her advice. Emma wants Harriet to make her own decision, but sort of leads Harriet to decide to refuse him. Harriet blushes when talking about Mr. Elton and Emma knows her plan is working.

            I still enjoy this novel a lot. The relationship between Emma and Harriet makes me think of the song popular from the Broadway show Wicked. Emma thinks she is doing her some great kindness by teaching her the ways of upper class life, but in my opinion Harriet is far too innocent and Emma is shaping her too much. I would have to agree with Mr. Knightly and his opinion of their friendship. I don't think it will end well and I feel very bad for Harrie. I do not like how Emma sways Harriet into refusing Mr. Martin. It just goes to show how much she is falling to Emma’s influences. Emma should really mind her own business sometimes. I don’t think Mr. Martin will leave the story at this point and I am interested to see what will happen with him in the future. Also, I think Emma is overconfident in her matching of Mr. Elton and Harriet. Something tells me it just won’t work out. The next few chapters are sure to be very important now that more is happening in the plot and I am very interested to see what will happen.