Emma's charity case

It's pretty clear to me that Harriet Smith is just a charity case Emma is using to fill the void of Mrs. Weston. Harriet is described as a "valuable addition to her priveleges," someone Emma could "summon" whenever she wants to walk or be entertained. "Harriet could be loved as one to whom she could be useful," Austen writes. Emma's fascination with being a match-maker seems to be just one way in which she chooses to pass away her boredom. She lives alone now with her father and the two must be constantly entertained by the company of some friend or other. Emma seems very afraid of being bored, and Harriet Smith gives her a chance to impose her meddlesome ways on someone in order to kill the time. She wants to transform Harriet into a sophisticated lady and find her a match in Mr. Elton. Exactly why Emma can't satisfy herself on her own isn't clear; perhaps she lacks confidence and must boost her ego by being among others of a lower station than her. Perhaps she is simply waiting around for that special someone of her own. It seems to me that she is very haughty, but inwardly insecure. She can't handle being alone. Harriet is just another pet who can distract her from the lonely life which she very well may have created for herself--isolating her self from "inferior" families in the surrounding area. I think Emma is definitely the cause of her own boredom because she thinks so highly of herself. Regardless, I still think she has respectable qualities and I like her playful, direct attitude. Emma is my favorite Austen heroine and I find her restlessness part of what makes her so attractive.