Emma Woodhouse is the main character of Jane Austen's novel Emma.
The novel concentrates mainly on Emma and her life. Throughout the
novel, Emma exempts herself from marriage and romance in order to
assert her independence. Of course by the end of the novel Emma
herself decides to get married just like the other characters in
this novel. Her reasons for not getting married are the fact that
she is wealthy enough not to require a husband to support herself,
and she is so attached to her father that she does not long to
leave his house. Although convinced that she herself will never
marry, she takes it upon herself to persuade Harriet Smith, a
younger friend, into a potential gentleman's wife. She sets her
sights on Mr. Elton, the vicar, one of Highbury's most eligible
bachelors. She leads Harriet away from Robert Martin, a well-to-do
farmer, who is infatuated by Harriet. Harriet rejects Martin's
proposal and becomes infatuated with Mr. Elton under Emma's
encouragement, but Emma's plans go wrong when Elton makes it clear
that she herself is the true object of his affections. I would
recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading for lengthy period
of times.