Emma

1st and 2nd Level Reading

Atharva

1st Level

Plot
This short story is about a girl, whose name is Dorian York. Dorian’s best friend is named Maria,
who is nine years old, and they spend most of their time together. Dorian’s mother’s name is
Emma, and both of the little girls want to become just like her when they grow up. Dorian and
Maria fancy partying, going to dinners and wearing long dresses. Since Maria is older than
Dorian, she is much more mature and understands the events that occur around the grown-ups.
One day, the girls were playing ‘grown-up’ and Dorian asks Maria whether the lady at the train
station was present at their imaginary party. However, Maria twists Dorian’s arm and commands
her to keep silent, as saying such a thing would get her into trouble. Dorian then recalls a time
where her grandfather taught her how to use the sun and a cup to tell the time, and whilst she was
in a conversation with him, Grandpa mistook Dorian for Emma. He also says that Dorian’s father
was busy enough for both of them, which was a statement that little Dorian couldn’t decipher.
One day, Dorian, Maria, Mrs. Robinson and Emma go to do some shopping and then, they go to
the mall. The girls and their mothers then eat at a place called Gino’s. At the restaurant, Mrs.
Robinson insults Emma, by calling Emma’s husband (Dorian’s Dad) a ‘player’, and saying that
Jack (Dory’s father) hasn’t given up anything since Dory’s birth, its only Emma that has. By
saying so, Mrs. Robinson insults Emma, by implying that Jack is cheating on her. Mrs. Robinson
then suggests to Emma that she should put Dory into a boarding school so that Emma can spend
more time with Jack. Dorian then asks Emma if she can go on the bus with Maria to the old train
station to skate. When the girls arrive, they see the lady, who waits for someone, and then Jack
arrives and they embrace and kiss. This was followed by Emma’s arrival at the station with Mrs.
Robinson. Emma then sees Jack with another woman, and screams, then runs away. This is then
followed by Jack running after her to stop her. Eventually, Emma runs into a car on the street and
is severely injured, which leads to her death. Dorian is also affected, but she suffers minor
injuries. After Emma’s death, Jack and Mrs. Robinson get romantically involved and send
Dorian and Maria off to a boarding school in the country, which is called Saint Agnes.

Setting

This short story takes place in multiple locations. From the beginning of the story until page 52,
it takes place at Emma’s house. We know this because on page 52, Carolyn Cole (the author)
writes:” Mrs. Robinson was already in the car when we got to the garage”. The fact that “when
we got to the garage” was the first reference to a location in the entire story, it is obvious that this
portion of the plot took place at Emma’s house. In between pages 52-55, the story takes place in
4 different locations. On page 52, the story takes place in a few shops, and we know this because
Carolyn Cole writes: “We went to a lot of shops”. The second location was at an arcade at the
mall, and we also know this because on page 52, Carolyn Cole writes: “Maria and I went to the
arcade”. Then, on that very same page, there is another change in the setting, which takes place
at a restaurant called Gino’s. Then, on page 56, the setting takes place at the old train station, and
it is once more changed on page 56, where it takes place on a street called “Georgia Avenue”.
The final change in location is on page 58, which is on a train. The author also sets the mood as
very curious, because the story is narrated in the perspective of a little girl. Examples of this
happening are on page 55, where Dorian asks Maria: “What is a player?”, and later on, Dorian
says that grown-ups never tell you anything. By making Dorian say this, Carolyn Cole sets the
mood as very inquisitive and curious.

Characters

Emma York: Emma is Dorian’s mother, and is married to Jack York. We learn that Emma is
very friendly and kind, and that she pampers her daughter a lot. We know this because on page
48, Dorian says that she and Maria want to be just like Emma when they grow up. Dorian also
constantly says “like Emma does” on page 8. This tells us that Emma is really looked up by her
daughter, because he provides her with the love and respect that she needs. This also tells us that
Emma’s relationship with Dorian is very healthy and free from toxicity. We also learn that
Emma is a very modest and good wife, as she is very considerate of her husband’s opinions and
feelings. We know this because on page 53, when Mrs. Robinson asks Emma why she wouldn’t
have another child, Emma responds by saying: “We’re not going to talk about another baby until
he gets the business of Dory straight in his head”. By this statement, we know that Emma is very
respectful towards her husband’s opinions and is willing to give him some space to gather his
thoughts before talking about having another baby.

Dorian York: Dorian is Emma’s daughter and is best friends with Maria. We know this because
she states this on page 48. By this, we can tell that there is a huge amount of trust and love
between Dorian and Emma. We also learn that Dorian is a character that is very curious and
wants to grow up and become independent. We know this because on page 55, Dory says: “I
wanted to grow up as quickly as possible, so I could understand things”. By this statement, we
can also say that Dorian is tired of being told what to do and that she wants to be self-reliant.
Dorian also thinks of her mother as a role model, because on page 48, she says: “We’ve decided
just to be like Emma when we grow up.” By making Dorian say this statement, Carolyn Cole
intends to inform us that the character of Dorian has a very healthy relationship with her mother,
and that there is no toxicity in their relationship. On the other hand, Dorian’s relationship with
her father can be described as very nameless and strange. The reason for this is because Dorian
never really interacts with her dad throughout the short story. The only time when Dorian
mentions her relationship with her father is on page 51, where she says: “Daddy never came into
my room”. This tells us that their interactions were very limited, hence the reason why Dorian
constantly look up to her mother, and not her father.

Jack York: Jack York is the father of Dorian, and the husband of Emma. He is called a ‘player’
by Mrs. Robinson on page 53. Based on this statement, we can say that Jack is very
untrustworthy and unfaithful towards his wife, Emma. We also learn that Jack is very lustful. We
know this because on page 50, Dorian says that Jack and Emma would talk, and then she would
hear the bed squeak. Later on, in page 53, Emma says that Jack wasn’t ready for Dory, and then,
on pages 56 and 58, Jack becomes romantically engaged with the lady at the train station, as well
as Mrs. Robinson. This tells us that Jack just wants to be romantically and sexually entertained,
and that he has no real intentions on being a good parent towards Dorian.

Maria York: Maria is Dorian’s best friend, who is 9 years old (page 49). We learn that Maria is
more mature than Dorian, and that she can understand grown-up conversations better than
Dorian. We know this because on page 49, Dorian constantly asks Maria what the grown-up
game is called. This tells us that Maria is much more logically developed, and that it is very
likely that she has a tendency to eavesdrop, because throughout this story, she is always
explaining to Dorian the conversations that their mothers have. We can also say that Maria is
violent, because whenever she is upset at Dorian, she twists Dorian’s arm still she screams. An
example of this occurring is on page 49.

Mrs. Robinson: Mrs. Robinson is a character that is very cunning, and disrespectful. We know
this because on pages 53 and 54, she is constantly disrespecting Emma, by saying that Jack is a
‘player’, and that Emma should protect Jack’s interest, or else he will leave her for another
woman. This tells us that Mrs. Robinson really likes to see other people in distress, by saying
things that might potentially manipulate the person that is being spoken to. We also learn that
Mrs. Robinson has a very disturbed love life, because on page 54, she calls her husband Frank a
‘player’ as well. This tells us that Mrs. Robinson is very disturbed by a past experience, which
could be the reason why she acts in this way towards other people.

Grandpa York: Dorian’s Grandpa is a very kind individual that really cared for Dorian, because
he constantly had Dorian’s attention when he was around. An example of Grandpa being caring
towards Dorian is on page 51, where he teaches her how to tell the time by using the sun. This
tells us that Grandpa York really loved Dorian, and that he treasured her deeply. We also learn
that Grandpa York tried his best to bring the York family together in unison. We know this
because on page 56, Dorian says: “Granddaddy told my daddy something when he was here that
made him forget all about that lady”. This means that Grandpa York found out about Jack’s
affair with the lady at the train station, and tried to put a stop to it by confronting Jack about it.
This tells us how considerate Grandpa York is about keeping the York family together.

Context
“Player”
On page 53, Mrs. Robinson calls Jack a ‘player’. By making her say this, Carolyn Cole makes a
reference to how the percentage of men and women involved in infidelity is increasing every
day, as the world continues to develop and modernize. This also makes a reference to how the
modern society is more flexible with infidelity, whereas in the 20th century, it was considered
humane, which is why less people did it and more people stayed committed to their marriages.
Carolyn Cole also makes a reference to how the percentage of women that commit infidelity
nowadays has significantly increased, if compared to the numbers of the 20th century. Carolyn
Cole does this by making Mrs. Robinson get involved in a passionate relationship with Jack
York. By doing so Carolyn Cole educates the audience about the importance of staying comitted
in a marriage.
(*Sources cited in the works cited page)

2nd Level

Main Topic/Central Message

The main topic of the whole story was the fact that Jack cheated on Emma, causing her to run on
the road and get run over by a moving car, which resulted in her death. I believe that the central
message that Carolyn Cole is trying to portray in this story is that truthfulness in unison always
prevails, but if it isn’t followed, then failure will be reached. In this story, Jack fails to be united
with his family, as well as being truthful, because he has an affair with the lady at the train
station. This eventually leads to failure, as Emma finds out and accidentally kills herself, ruining
the whole York family.

Author’s Purpose

Carolyn Cole’s intention in this short story is to educate the audience how important family
values are, as well as to provide the audience with an entertaining plot. Carolyn Cole does this by
making the character of Jack face the consequences after cheating on his wife Emma. By
creating a tragic ending, such as Emma’s death, Carolyn Cole manages to captivate the reader’s
attention, resulting in the reader remembering it as the highlight of the story. By striking the
reader’s attention like this, Carolyn Cole successfully gets her message through to the reader.

Point of View

This short story is in the first-person point of view, which is in the perspective of little Dorian.
Due to this, the readers get to experience how the character of Dorian feels throughout this short
story. By doing so, Carolyn Cole is able to captivate the readers’ attentions, as many serious
events, (such as Jack cheating on Emma and the bed creaking) are occurring around an innocent
little girl, such as Dorian. By doing so, Carolyn Cole makes use of the character’s innocence by
using it as bait to grasp the readers’ minds. Carolyn Cole also uses Dorian’s point of view to
create comedic relief for the audience. She does this by making the character misinterpret things
that are supposed to be discussed by grown-ups, such as the time where Mrs. Robinson called
Jack a ‘player’, and Dorian didn’t understand (page 53). By doing so, Carolyn Cole suspends the
readers’ disbeliefs, resulting in a very entertaining plot for the readers.

Story Structure

The exposition took place at the beginning of the story, where Dorian started to explain how her
and her best friend Maria looked up to her mother, Emma. Carolyn Cole then started to build
conflict and tension so that she could develop the rising action of the story. She did this first,
when Dorian mentioned the lady at the train station, and second when Mrs. Robinson started to
be disrespectful towards Emma. The tension kept building up to the point where Emma started
running away when she found out that Jack cheated on her, and the climax was reached when she
got hit by a car. The falling action was very concise, and was when Jack and Mrs. Robinson
loaded Dorian and Maria onto the train, and then got romantically involved. The resolution was
reached when the two girls were sent to a boarding school called St. Agnes.

Text Features and Literary Devices

1. “We’ve decided to be just like Emma when we grow up” (page 48)
This is an example of a simile because it is a direct comparison between two objects
(Maria and Dorian with Emma) using the word ‘like’. What Dorian means when she says
this is that Maria and her look up to Emma.

2. “Skirts that spread out way like umbrellas when you spin around (page 48)
This is an example of a simile because it is a direct comparison between two objects
(Skirts and umbrellas) using the word ‘like’. What this means is that the skirs are so ling,
its almost as if they are umbrellas when you spin.

3. “but not happy like when he sees the lady at the train station” (page 50)
This is an example of a simile because it is a direct comparison between two objects
(Jack’s happiness when he sees Emma vs. when he sees the lady at the station.) using the
word ‘like’.
 4. “I’ll probably sound just like that next year” (page 49)
This is an example of a simile because it is a direct comparison between two objects
(Maria’s voice vs. Dorian’s Voice) using the word ‘like’.

5. “squeak” (page 50)

This is an example of an onomatopoeia, because it is a word that imitates a sound.

6. “Humph” (page 50)

This is an example of an onomatopoeia, because it is a word that imitates a sound.

7. “Emma’s black hair…Like Jabo, the downtown clown (page 52)

This is an example of a simile because it is a direct comparison between two objects
(Emma and Ruby’s hair with Jabo, a clown) using the word ‘like’.

8. “So I could understand things like Maria” (page 55)

This is an example of a simile because it is a direct comparison between two objects
(Dorian’s understanding vs. Maria’s Understanding) using the word ‘like’.

Works Cited
Wang, Wendy. “Number 1 in 2018: Who Cheats More? The Demographics of Infidelity in
America.” Institute for Family Studies, IFS, 31 Dec. 2018, ifstudies.org/blog/number-1-in-2018-
who-cheats-more-the-demographics-of-infidelity-in-america.
Schonfeld, Zach. “Wives Are Cheating 40% More Than They Used to, but Still 70% as Much as
Men.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Oct. 2013,
www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/wives-cheating-vs-men/313704/.