Emma Question 3 Answer

These are my thoughts on the third question I wished to look at for my trip through Emma:

At the end of the novel, do Emma and Knightley deserve each other?  Why or why not?

Sure Emma and Knightley deserve each other.  Mr. Knightley deserves Emma because he is the only man who would be able to put up with all her character flaws.  He clearly has no problem pointing out her poor behavior, and Emma only allows Mr. Knightley to get away with those comments.  Mr. Knightley is also the only man willing to move into Emma and Mr. Woodhouse’s home and deal with Mr. Woodhouse and his rapid rise into old age, and his ever decreasing amount of patience.

Emma deserves Mr. Knightley because he is the only one that accepts her for who she truly is, flaws included.  This acceptance allows her to be herself at all times, without any fear of being ostracized.  As mentioned previously, Mr. Knightley is also amenable to accommodating Emma’s persistence in remaining in her father’s home so she can continue to care for her father.  She has also always looked up to Mr. Knightley, and respects him terribly.

They make a perfect match as they clearly understand each others’ points of view, and share a common vision of how their lives going forward should be.