nces from the young and handsome Frank Churchill to the
             more staid Mr. Knightly, whom like a true knight in shining armor has been
             by her side all along, chiding her, and watching her grow up with a careful
             eye. In contrast, Frank is only alluded to through most of the first part
             of the novel, like a shadowy prince whom is hardly real.
             It is interesting to note that Emma alone, of all of Austen's mature
             novels, is the only one that bears the female protagonist's name, rather
             than that of a home (Northanger Abbey or Mansfield Park), or the pairing of
             two virtues (like Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice), or simply
             one virtue, as was to cumulate in Persuasion. The moral education of Emma
             as a reader of character drives the plot arc and the narrative energy of
             the entire novel. The novel is framed as a dilemma between the two men,
             and the different paths open to Emma, that of the superficial person who
             begins the bookâ€"famously, the novel begins, "Emma Woodhouse, handsome,
             clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to
             unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-
             one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her"â€"and the
             steadfast qualities embodied by Mr. Knightly.
             (http://www.austen.com/emma/ch1.htm) Only after subsequent vexation'
             after realizing where the true affections and true character of Frank
             Churchill lies, can Emma emerge as a fully-fledged human moral entity.
             This superficiality of Emma's ability to read people is most evident
             in her dealings with Harriet Smith. Emma is attempting to improve the
             character of Harriet Smith, much in the same way that s
             ...