Emma as a character is both very strong, but she also seems a bit of a know-it-all and acts as if she is superior to every other character in the novel. Emma allows status to interpret her feelings towards people and this influences how she treats them. It's quite obvious that Emma allows herself to mistreat people for her own purposes, whether for mere satisfaction, to prove a point, or perhaps it's just a subconscious task for her that escapes her control until it's too late to be fixable. Emma is a character who sees herself as not only better than everyone else, but believes herself to be better than she actually is. It could be argued that she considers herself better than Mr. Elton because she rejects him, even though she claims it is for Harriet's good. Mr. Elton gives off all the signs that he has feelings for Emma, ​​but she is too oblivious to notice them because he is beneath her, but above Harriet, so that is enough for his purposes. She has no worries about how he feels about her, only about whether Harriet has feelings for him. This can be seen as Mr. Elton confronts Emma with his feelings, and she is completely confused and almost offended. “I only saw you as an admirer of my friend. In no other light could you have been more than a mutual acquaintance to me. (Page 119) This quote expresses the surprise Emma feels when Mr. Elton approaches her in an attempt to win her over. She clearly mistreated him as a person, and as a potential lover since being the third child is not "good enough" for someone of his rank and importance. Another person who feels the wrath of Emma's mistreatment is Miss Bates while at Box Hill; Emma completely mocks poor Miss Bates, f...... middle of paper ...... thinks it's better, but it 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 other people; he believes that everything he does is right for everyone, whether it is the truth or not. It's really a shame that I can't see people for who they are, people who are closely bonded as a community who are supposed to support each other, not put each other down; It takes Emma 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 and authoritative text with biographical, historical and cultural contexts, critical history and essays from contemporary critical perspectives. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2002.