Bella says, "I’m reading Emerson. He speaks about the improvement of men. I do not know why he does not give advice to women. Perhaps he does not know any."
Emerson seems like a poor choice since he had such an intimate, collaborative relationship with Margaret Fuller, who was a notable women’s rights activist, among other things. Maybe it’s meant to be a joke at Bella’s expense but it’s hard to discern since it is implied that her new friend,…