" Though most of her readers have proven her wrong, Austen's narration creates many ambiguities. The novel is narrated using free indirect discourse, which means that, although the all-knowing narrator speaks in the third person, she often relates things from Emma's point of view and describes things in language we might imagine Emma using. This style of narration creates a complex mixture of sympathy with Emma and ironic judgment on her behavior. It is not always clear when we are to share Emma's perceptions and when we are to see through them. Nor do we know how harshly Austen expects us to judge Emma's behavior. Though it creates problems of interpretation for the reader, this narrative strategy makes Emma a richly multidimensional character. .
Emma does not have one specific foil, but the implicit distinctions made between her and the other women in the novel offer us a context within which to evaluate her character. Jane is similar to Emma in most ways, but she does not have Emma's financial independence, so her difficulties reinforce Emma's privileged nature. Mrs. Elton, like Emma, is independent and imposes her will upon her friends, but her crudeness and vanity reinforce our sense of Emma's refinement and fundamentally good heart. Emma's sister, Isabella, is stereotypically feminine "soft-hearted, completely devoted to her family, dependent, and not terribly bright. The novel implicitly prefers Emma's independence and cleverness to her sister's more traditional deportment, although we are still faced with the paradox that though Emma is clever, she is almost always mistaken. .
Mr. Knightley - Mr. Knightley serves as the novel's model of good sense. From his very first conversation with Emma and her father in Chapter 1, it is clear that his purpose is to correct the excesses and missteps of those around him. He is unfailingly honest but tempers his honesty with tact and kindheartedness.
