The Flawed Character of Emma WoodhouseIn Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen created a wonderfully flawed heroine. If Emma had been perfect, her situation would have interested no one; its faults are of interest to both the reader and the critic. Peter W. Graham is particularly interested in the first page of the novel where Emma is first introduced to the reader. He explains how important the beginning of the novel is in charting “Emma’s personal development” (42). Walton A. Litz and Patricia Meyer Spacks are much more interested in what Emma's imagination shows of her development. Litz says that “[t]he fundamental movement of Emma is from illusion to self-recognition, from illusion to reality” (369). Spacks takes the opposite argument suggesting that Emma is not growing up but is simply relieved of her boredom and her imagination disappears with it. I think Emma's growth throughout the novel is pronounced; she starts out quite adorable but with a lot to learn. She moves from illusion to self-awareness and learns to see the truth and not just what she wants to see. She also grows in her social outlook, but not as much as one might hope. Overall, Emma is making significant progress and it's easy to imagine that with more time and Mr. Knightley's influence, she will only continue to learn and grow. At the beginning of the novel, we are very aware of Emma's character, her strengths and her character. defects. It begins by “seeming to bring together some of the best blessings that exist” (Austen, 1; emphasis, Graham). Her faults are "at present so unnoticed that they are by no means considered misfortunes to her" (1) but instead of appearing fortunate, Peter W. Graham declares that "in naming what Emma has avoided so far .... middle of paper ...... which we are never told Overall, Emma is making great progress in her development and there is no. section of her life that she is not improving in part since she got there already and with Knightley's continued guidance, we can only imagine that Emma continues to learn and grow. we have already seen in her role as a daughter, she was tested and found not to be deficient. This bodes well for the remaining tests in Emma's future.Works CitedAusten, Jane Emma 1972. . Norton Critical ed. New York, NY: WW Norton & Company, 1993Graham, Peter W. "Emma's Three Sisters" Arizona Quarterly vol 43 no.1 (1987): 39-52Litz, A. Walton. Emma » Emma 1972. Norton Critical ed. New York: WW Norton & Company, 1993, 369-377 Spacks, Patricia Meyer. “Women and boredom: the two Emmas” Yale Journal of Criticism vol.2 no. 2 (1989): 191-205