Change often stimulates maturity, and this is the case with Jane Austen's Emma. Emma's life goes through many changes and Emma finds herself with new roles and responsibilities. Due to the new roles, Emma matures over the course of the novel. Emma increases in humility throughout the novel. In volume 1, Emma is saddened that her friend Miss Taylor recently got married, because now she will have no one to talk to. He is happy to have found a match for Miss Taylor, but admits that "missing Miss Taylor would be felt every hour of every day" (2-3). This attitude of selfishness diminishes as Emma matures, and by the end of the novel Emma's focus is more on others than on herself. Emma's newfound selflessness is evident in volume 3 when she is trying to decide whether to accept Mr. Knightley's proposal. He carefully considers the effects of his decision on his father and Harriet, wanting to "cherish the comfort of both as much as possible" (285). Emma doesn't want to damage her relationship with Harriet any more than it already has and only wants to “spare her from any inconvenience”....