Change often stimulates maturity, and such is the case in Jane Austen's Emma. Emma's life undergoes many changes and Emma finds herself with new roles and responsibilities. Thanks to the new roles, Emma matures throughout the novel. Emma gains humility throughout the novel. In book 1, Emma is saddened that her friend Miss Taylor recently got married, because now she will have no one to talk to. She is happy to have made a match for Miss Taylor but admits that "Miss Taylor's need would be felt every hour of every day" (2-3). This attitude of selfishness diminishes as Emma grows, and by the end of the novel Emma focuses more on others than herself. Emma's new altruism is evident in Volume 3 when she tries to decide whether to accept Mr. Knightley's proposal. She carefully considers the effects of her decision on her father as well as on Harriet, wanting to “preserve as much as possible the comfort of both” (285). Emma doesn't want to damage her relationship with Harriet any more than she already has and only wants to "spare her from all friendship »....