Emma
Miss Bates
Highbury's talkative neighbor
A kind, cheerful, endlessly talkative woman, grateful for every kindness. She is hurt by a careless remark at Box Hill.
Miss Bates lives in modest lodgings in Highbury with her mother, old Mrs. Bates. She is humble, cheerful and grateful for everything, and she talks without stopping, usually about her niece Jane Fairfax. There is no malice in her at all.
She is poor, and she has known better days, which is something Mr. Knightley tells Emma to remember. Highbury sometimes laughs at her, but the story shows her to be good-hearted and sincere.
“I must have made myself very ridiculous... I am so grateful to those who bear with me.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Miss Bates is the first to tell Highbury that Mr. Elton has gone to Bath, and that dear Jane is coming to stay. She is baffled and delighted by the mystery pianoforte. At Box Hill, Frank asks everyone for something clever, and Miss Bates jokes that she will say three dull things. Emma tells her she will be limited to three at once.
Miss Bates is deeply stung and quietly says she must have made herself very ridiculous. After Mr. Knightley scolds her, Emma visits the Bates home and Miss Bates welcomes her with warmth.
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