In Jane Austen's Emma, the title character is an unlikely heroine. In fact, the reader dislikes Emma so much that when she makes mistakes we laugh at her instead of feel sorry for her. Mr. George Knightley is the only character in the book who openly sees Emma for who she really is, and in this regard "he acts as a stand-in for Austen's and the reader's judgments of Emma- (spark notes). Emma is so busy trying to match people up, mainly Harriet Smith, that she doesn't realize that while she claims she will never fall into the temptations of love, she will in fact succumb to them, and marry by the end of the novel. Emma's blindness to what is going on around her becomes evident in chapter 49 of the novel. In this chapter Mr. Knightley and Emma are speaking with each other, Knightley and Emma are on a different wave length and therefore confuse each other when they speak. While this is not the only chapter of the novel that deals with misunderstandings, Harriet and Emma's discussion about Knightley, and Mr. Elton's comments to Emma about Harriet, this is the climax of the book, and contains the biggest misunderstanding of them all. Emma is filled with misunderstandings that should not be, and chapter 49 is a shining example to this testament. .
As the chapter beings, Emma has recently realized that she is a fool for trying to set up Harriet with Mr. Knightley, as she herself is now starting to have feelings for the man. As the chapter opens we find Emma outside as Mr. Knightley is approaching her. .
They walked together. He was silent. She thought he was often looking at her, and trying for a fuller view of her face than it suited her to give. And this belief produced another dread. Perhaps he wanted to speak to her, of his attachment to Harriet; he might be watching for encouragement to begin.""She did not, could not, feel equal to lead the way to any such subject. He must do it all himself.
