Emma · Chapter
Chapter III explained
Emma Woodhouse, seeking to enliven her father's quiet evenings, invites Harriet Smith, a pretty and unassuming girl from Mrs.
What happens
Emma Woodhouse, seeking to enliven her father's quiet evenings, invites Harriet Smith, a pretty and unassuming girl from Mrs. Goddard's school, to Hartfield. Emma is immediately charmed by Harriet's beauty and sweetness, and resolves to take her under her wing, improving her manners and detaching her from her current acquaintances, the Martin family, whom Emma deems unworthy. The chapter also introduces the regular visitors to Hartfield, including the Bateses and Mrs. Goddard, and highlights Mr. Woodhouse's gentle, fussy hospitality.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Mobility
Emma's determination to 'improve' Harriet and detach her from the Martin family underscores class distinctions and the desire for social elevation.
Friendship and Influence
Emma's immediate plan to mentor Harriet reveals her desire to exert influence and shape a friend according to her own ideals.
Gossip and Community Life
The chapter highlights the close-knit community of Highbury, where regular visits and harmless gossip form the fabric of social life.
Characters to notice
- Emma Woodhouse
Emma takes charge of her father's social life and is delighted to meet Harriet Smith, whom she decides to mentor and improve.
- Harriet Smith
Harriet is introduced as a pretty, sweet-natured girl of seventeen, a parlour-boarder at Mrs. Goddard's school, who becomes the object of Emma's patronage.
- Mr. Woodhouse
Mr. Woodhouse enjoys quiet society and is particular about his evening card-parties; he fusses over his guests' health at supper, recommending only the mildest foods.
- Miss Bates
Miss Bates is described as a universally beloved, talkative woman who lives with her elderly mother and is a frequent visitor at Hartfield.
- Mrs. Goddard
Mrs. Goddard is the mistress of a respectable old-fashioned boarding-school in Highbury; she brings Harriet Smith to Hartfield and is a regular guest.
- Mrs. Bates
Mrs. Bates is the elderly widow of a former vicar, nearly past everything but tea and quadrille, and is a regular visitor at Hartfield.
Key passages
“She was a very pretty girl, and her beauty happened to be of a sort which Emma particularly admired. She was short, plump, and fair, with a fine bloom, blue eyes, light hair, regular features, and a look of great sweetness.”
Harriet Smith was exactly the type of pretty, soft-featured girl that Emma found most appealing.
Emma's admiration of Harriet's beauty is the catalyst for her decision to take Harriet under her wing.
“She would notice her; she would improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners.”
Emma resolved to take charge of Harriet's social education, removing her from unsuitable friends and guiding her into proper society.
This passage reveals Emma's confident, almost manipulative, sense of her own social power and her desire to play matchmaker and mentor.
“The simplicity and cheerfulness of her nature, her contented and grateful spirit, were a recommendation to everybody, and a mine of felicity to herself.”
Miss Bates's happy and grateful disposition made her beloved by all and brought her great personal contentment.
The narrator contrasts Miss Bates's genuine goodwill with Emma's more calculated social schemes.