“Everything is good as soon as it leaves the hands of the author of things” but “everything degenerates in the hands of man” (Rousseau Emile, Book I) Every human being is fundamentally good and perfect at birth and through human manipulation, humans become corrupt. Rousseau's statement about the fundamental goodness of humanity and its corruption through education is reflected in the novel Maria by Mary Wollstonecraft. In Maria, Wollstonecraft shows how humans are perfect at birth, but with the harsh realities of society, those virtues and emotions that made us perfect are twisted and turned against ourselves by society. Wollstonecraft, through his characters, shows that the emotions that drive people throughout life can turn against them and ruin their lives. Wollstonecraft's character Jemima best exemplifies Wollstonecraft's ideas about human goodness corrupted by society as well as his theory of moral sense, according to which emotional responses like anger or sympathy guide moral and ethical lifestyles, but are inherently risky when associated with society. While Maria, the main character, is in the insane asylum she meets and somehow befriends a nurse named Jemima. Jemima, although a supporting character, depicts the true struggles of women in the world and illustrates the perfection that humans are born with and the corruption that is taken from them by society. Jemima was born an illegitimate child and after the death of her mother, she was taken in by her father. Used as a house slave by her stepsister and stepmother as well as abused by her father, Jemima is stripped of her humanity and never feels the love of humanity. Jemima's stepsister is loved and spoiled by her parents and Jemima soon begins to hate her stepsister for the love and affection she receives...... middle of paper ..... .es and its societal guides. It is in this character that Wollstonecraft simply narrates the feelings and decisions that women must face and why they must face them. Works cited Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Emile. Internet. March 5, 2011. Wollstonecraft, Mary, Anne Kostelanetz. Mellor, Noelle Chao and Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of Woman's Rights; And the wrongs of the woman, or Maria. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Print. Burton, John. Fundamental theory of human needs. The theory of basic human needs states that there are certain physical and psychological needs that must be met for all humans. If these needs are not met, conflict arises. Burton's interpretation of this theory is that psychological needs are equal to those of physical needs when applied to invoking conflict..