There’s much fun to be had in living vicariously through the lives of others, and none so much the risk as is found in experimenting with one’s own. Such a sentiment is sure to be shared by the titular protagonist of Jane Austen’s Emma. Within the novel, Emma Woodhouse undergoes a rocky transition into womanhood at the behest of the ever shifting social world around her, that, in actuality, is resultant of the imposition of her own mental image of the world onto her peers, in spite of the reality of the situation. Emma can very well be considered a coming of age story; Emma herself experiences what seem to be micro-traumas at multiple intervals throughout the course of the novel, which threaten to bring her vision of reality to a violent stop. According to the philosophical teachings of Dugin and Heidegger, Emma exhibits a near offensive state of character as she is ultimately to blame for the traumas she faces, for it is her own individualistic way of thinking that causes her to act in such a childish manner. Through a moral reading of Emma, the reader can deduce philosophical teachings that encourage an openness of mind and educate one on their role as an individual within the whole. 

Confusion and hysteria, a natural part of any girl’s journey into adulthood. By the by, Miss Woodhouse seems to experience her fair share of these unsavory ordeals within her own personal journey. At the ripe age of 20 years old, Emma fancies herself a matchmaker; her self proclaimed title granting her all the explanation she could possibly need for inserting herself into the romantic endeavors of others. Emma upholds a moral relationship to the community of Highbury that is manifested in her commitment to matchmaking services. This delusional sense of commitment leads to the creation of an epistemic world that overlays the reality of Highbury. Finding her place within the whole, Emma comes face to face with the philosophical dogma, “beings and being are not one and the same” (Dugin 41). It is not enough to define humanity as simply a characteristic intrinsic to humans, therefore the state of being is something that must be developed and honed. Coming into herself, Emma Woodhouse must grapple with this concept as she steps into being as well. Her projection of an individualistic mindset onto the world as a whole stems from the neglect associate to the matters of her own heart. Emma boasts, “Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I have never been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall. And, without love, I am sure I should be a fool to change such a situation as mine” (Austen 68). By redirecting the focus she should be attending to her own heart, Emma Woodhouse has no choice but to direct her energy into the hearts of Highbury. 

“With insufferable vanity had she believed herself in the secret of everybody’s feelings; with unpardonable arrogance proposed to arrange everybody’s destiny” (Austen 335). At the height of the novel, Emma is forced to finally confront the effects of her meddling and achieve a sense of self awareness. Once she comes to this realization, Emma feels immense sorrow for her transgressions. It is this sorrow that signifies the completion of her transition into womanhood. Contrition, in this case, becomes a transfigurative virtue for the likes of Miss Woodhouse. Once she is able to clearly view reality for what it truly is, exiting the subjectivity of her mind, she can begin to appreciate the people of Highbury for who they really are. Virtue cannot be embodied all of the time—virtue is a state of being. And, as Emma grapples with coming into being, she must also navigate the courses in which she may exhibit her own form of virtue. At the conjoinment of two overlay landscapes, the one true of Emma’s mind and the one true of reality, there is a moment of perfect clarity. There is a sort of spiritual profundity at the conjecture of perfect unity and light which can only be achieved at the tail end of one’s suffering (Dugin 92). Without the trials imposed upon Emma both by herself and by society, she would not have been able to emerge a fully fledged woman, let alone a fully fledged being. 

Conclusively, there is a great deal of moral guidance that can be gleaned from the experiences of one Miss Emma Woodhouse. In this day and age of social media and online dating, there is a particular gravity in the effects of individualism on the human perspective. In this way, Emma can be read as a sort of cautionary tale on the dangers of living wholly detached from reality. The internet, consequently, has created the perfect set of circumstances necessary for escaping into imaginary realms. And, as is inherent to the scenes of social media, places an upsetting amount of emphasis onto the lives of individuals that should be all but inconsequential in the way one leads their own life. But of course, just as Emma was lured by the attractiveness of affairs unconcerned with her own livelihood, modern society is likewise obsessed with superficial status and presence. According to Heidegger, advancements in technology have created a breeding ground for morally gray thinking (Dugin). In the absence of emotions and social duty, technological, or calculative, thinking becomes the only form of thinking across the societal conscience. Consequently, this leads to an utter lack of virtue among the masses. A sliver of hope, perhaps, is read thus: “Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken” (Austen 350). For it is not entirely a lack of virtue or flaw in character that can result in such human mistakes. The truth exists across multiple planes of reality—the danger of such lies in mistaking to consider all perspectives.