Of course the major role of Harriet within the story is to enable Emma’s creativity through match making. With her first attempt to bring Miss Smith and Mr Elton together, Emma manages to mortify herself and break Harriet’s heart, and even so this does not prevent Emma for long in her matchmaking “talent”. Emma repeatedly causes the hurt for Harriet and yet it is not until she herself becomes hurt by her own actions that she realises fully what she has done to Harriet. She treats Harriet as though she has charge of her assuming she is taking care of her but in fact does quite the opposite. In Emma’s arrogance of trying to introduce Harriet into “polite society” her idea of taking care of Harriet, she cuts her friend off from the world in which she belongs a class to which she truly belongs, where eventually she happiest. However Emma cannot permit Harriet to connect herself with Mr Martin or any of his family and even tells Harriet that if Harriet were to acquaint herself with Mr Martin she were afraid she many be able to speak to Harriet again. Harriet in complete adoration of Miss Woodhouse agrees not to marry Mr Martin due to this, so Emma is able to control Miss Smith through her superiority of class and arrogance.
Though Emma never directly says to Harriet that she is lucky to have her company this is always inferred by Jane Austen in Emma’s diction and the narrative. It is also clear that Harriet does feel grateful for the attention received from Miss Woodhouse, “...for I am never happy but at Hartfield,” Harriet is so delighted to be accepted in the Woodhouse’s home that she feels she wishes to stay there, she holds on to her acceptance into higher class, she is delighted by every welcome and compliment from Emma, and Emma in her ability to create admiration for herself, helps to make Harriet feel so appreciative towards herself.
The relationship between the two characters always seems as though Emma is constantly giving Harriet favours by allowing her to stay at Hartfield, by introducing her into polite society, and by finding her a superior wedding match. However all of these so called favours end up being but the opposite of Harriet and in the end prevent all kinds of happiness for the character. Harriet’s time, mostly spent at Emma’s home prevented a meeting between her and Mr Martin and the introduction into Emma’s class stopped Harriet from being with the people she loved and felt so happy amongst, The Martin family, and Emma’s attempts at matchmaking only cause more sadness and embarrassment for Harriet as she has to refuse Mr Martin only to be then refused herself. So it is seen that all Emma interventions do not at all aid the happiness of her friend yet do the opposite.
The eventual sadness is not only revealed in Harriet but Jane Austen shows how with the presence of Harriet in the novel Emma can gradually see the error of her ways. With her first mistake of matching Harriet with Mr Elton there is only a small amount of reproach towards herself, and though she tells herself and Harriet that she will no longer influence Harriet’s decisions, she still does in a passive way, wondering who Harriet’s new love interest is and when she feels she has guessed it, she tries to encourage the couple very in a sly way. However her repeated mistake is shown and when Emma realises that it is the person that she herself loves that Harriet is aiming for Emma becomes distraught and sad. She begins to question her own judgement finally, and begins to believe that perhaps Mr Knightly does in turn love Harriet. This is almost a punishment for Emma’s behaviour through out the book. Her spoilt upbringing, control and ability to do and have what she likes when she wishes has moulded the character, and Jane Austen has shown that Emma has been her own downfall, this may be a kind of tragedy falling along the Greek rules that a tragedy is a great man falling from greatness from his own mistakes. This is certainly true for Emma.
Though the book does strike a trough within the emotions of Emma once she has realised her own mistakes, the book however can evolve into a new atmosphere, the tension is realised at least between the friends with Harriet’ good nature and willingness to forgive, this is perhaps aided by her joy as she finally marries Mr Martin the only person she can truly be happy with, or so Jane Austen leads us to believe. With the revelation that Emma is yet again wrong about Mr Knightly and in fact he requites her love there is a happy ending for the characters who maintain their friendship and which may change without Emma as the superior character within it, as she learns from her mistakes and becomes more humble and down to earth.
Therefore although the evocation fits with the relationship between Emma and Harriet during the main of the novel, Emma leading Harriet for her own amusement and Harriet obediently following, the ending of the play shows the beginning of a change in this pattern. Harriet’s new marriage symbolises a new independent direction for herself a life free of intervention from Miss Woodhouse. Emma’s marriage to Mr Knightly gives her a new focus of attention and relief from boredom and also a satisfaction that the character wasn’t even aware she needed, but as soon she joins with Mr Knightly there is a sense of completion in the character and the tone of narrative by Jane Austen. So it is evident that the evocation is true for most of the novel however Jane Austen is able to show a change in character of her heroine by the comparison of behaviour towards Harriet.
