Characters 

● Emma York, the titular “Emma”, is the mother of Dory York and is married
to Jack York. Is in denial of her husband’s affair. She plays an immense
role in Dory’s upbringing.
● Jack York, husband of Emma and father of Dory. Is mostly absent in
Dory’s life and is unfaithful to his wife.
● Dorian (Dory) York, the young daughter of Jack and Emma. Loves her
mother very much and seeks to emulate her in everything. Is best friends
with Maria Robinson.
● Maria Robinson is Dory’s best friend. Their bond is almost like that of
siblings. Envies Dory because Emma is her mother, and is a stark
contrast to Mrs Robinson, her own mother.
● Mrs Robinson is as cantankerous and vile as Emma is sweet and kind. Is
separated from her husband, and does not get along with her daughter
Maria. Is also envious of Emma and her marriage, as such, she tries to
sow discord by hinting at Mr York’s infidelity.
● The Lady at the train station is unnamed except for this title. She is Mr
York’s mistress and it seems that all the characters know this except
Emma, who is either unaware or in denial.

Setting 

The story is set in America, and the main events take place in the York household and
at the train station.

Point of view 

The story is told from the first person perspective of Dorian (Dory), a little girl. This point
of view helps the reader to have a more suspenseful experience while reading, as they
 

learn of events at the same time as the persona. Being a child, the persona does not
know much of the adult world, and this contributes to the overall suspense.

Themes 

One of the most prominent themes in the story is family relationships. Two major family
relationships exist in the book; the relationship between Jack, Emma and Dorian (the
Yorks) and the relationship between Mrs Robinson and Maria (the Robinsons). The
York family has a rather dysfunctional relationship, in that Jack is very distant from
Dory, as he is always at work, and rarely spends time with his child. Mr York also seems
to be having an extramarital affair with the “lady at the train station”, which is painfully
obvious to everyone but Emma, who seems to be in denial. On the other hand, Emma
plays a major role in Dory’s upbringing and is an ever present figure in her life. This is
seen in Dory and Maria’s playtime when the girls seek to emulate Emma in their skits. It
is clear that a very strong mother-daughter bond exists between Emma and Dory. In
stark contrast however, is the bond between Maria and Mrs Robinson. They clearly
have a very bad mother-daughter bond, which can be seen in Mrs Robinson saying that
“Maria would pack up and leave with you in a second” to Emma. It seems that Mrs
Robinson resents Maria, because she makes reference to wanting to “send Maria to
boarding school in a heartbeat.” Maria senses this resentment and as such wishes to be
more like Emma, which was seen in the fight between her and Dory over who got to
portray Emma in one of their skits.

Another major theme in Emma is deception. Deception is leading someone to believe

something that you know is not true. Deception exists between Mr York and Emma and
within Emma herself. Mr York deceives Emma into thinking that she is the “only woman
in his life”, when the other characters, even the children know that he is having an affair
with the lady in the train station. This is deception because Jack leads Emma to believe
that he loves her and only her, when he obviously loves another woman. Emma also
deceives herself about the affair, because it seems she cannot deal with the pain of
reality. Even though all her senses tell her that her husband is unfaithful, she refuses to
 

accept it and makes herself believe that everything is fine. This is deception because
Emma makes herself believe that her husband is faithful, when in reality, he is not.

Techniques 

Many literary techniques are used in Emma. One of these is symbolism. The symbolism
of having the ‘little joker’ in a game of cards is well presented in the story. In a card
game, the person with the little joker is at a disadvantage. Dory knows about the lady in
the train station and tells Maria that she wants to tell Emma, comparing the situation to
playing a game and telling Emma she has the little joker, so that she will not be at a
disadvantage. Maria advises her not to do so, as she says it would be unfair. This
symbolism translates to Emma’s being either unaware or in denial about her husbands
infidelity; the figurative ‘little Joker’ in the game of life. In the resolution of the plot,
Emma gives Dory and Maria a pack of cards shortly before she is hit by a car and killed
after finding out about her husband’s affair. In her shock, Dory tries to retrieve the cards
which were scattered on the impact of the collision and finds all but one, the little joker
which was right beside Emma’s hand, i.e. she had been holding the little joker and so
she lost the game (died).

Another technique used in Emma is foreshadowing. The overall mood of the story starts
out bright and innocent, but the tones seem to get darker and more urgent as the story
progresses. The importance of the lady at the train station’s role in the culmination of
the plot becomes more evident through repetition of her name throughout the story.
Also, the way in which she is mentioned is usually in a tone of derision or disapproval.
The children seem to be aware that she is a detrimental force in the relationship
between Mr and Mrs York and as such do not hold her in high regard. The frequent
repetition of her presence adds to the foreshadowing that she will be the cause of
something very bad at the end of the book.