Harriet is seventeen years old, with very little experience of life outside of Mrs Goddard’s local boarding school. Her parentage is unknown until the end of the novel, meaning she is an illegitimate child. This would have been the cause of a great scandal, but Emma overlooks this in favour of acting as Harriet’s matchmaker. Harriet is enamoured by Emma’s sophistication and eagerness to help her, and so she willingly, and rather unknowingly, participates in Emma’s schemes. However she is naïve, so accepts Emma’s interference even when it is at the expense of her own desires, such as marrying Mr Martin. As Emma’s plots fail, Harriet is able to see more clearly. After several misunderstandings (involving Mr Elton, Frank, and Mr Knightley), she revives her interest in Mr Martin and acts upon it without seeking anyone’s approval but her own.
