Emily in If It Makes You Happy: Character Analysis

Overview of Emily Burke in If It Makes You Happy

Emily Burke is Cliff Burke's sixteen-year-old daughter, a high school student living in Copper Run, Vermont, with her father and younger sister, Brittany. She is introduced as a teenager on the cusp of independence, navigating her first serious relationship with Josh while struggling with feelings of being overlooked by her family. Her arc in the novel moves from rebellion and secrecy to understanding and maturity, making her a key catalyst for the central romance between Cliff and Michelle. Emily's journey is intertwined with the novel's exploration of grief and the slow process of healing, self-reliance vs. accepting community support, and redefining home and belonging.

Plot Role

Emily serves as both a source of conflict and a bridge between the main characters. Her sneaking around with Josh forces Cliff to confront his fears about his daughter repeating his own teenage mistakes—he had Emily when he was very young, and he is determined to prevent her from following that path. Her strained relationship with her father creates tension that Michelle helps mediate, allowing Emily to open up and eventually accept Michelle as a trusted adult. Emily also provides moments of levity and insight, such as when she tells Cliff she wouldn't mind if he dated Michelle, signaling her growth and acceptance of change. Without Emily's rebellion and subsequent reconciliation, the central romance between Cliff and Michelle would lack a crucial emotional catalyst.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Emily's primary motivation is to be seen and trusted by her father. She feels that Brittany, being younger, receives more attention and that her father doesn't take her seriously. This drives her to act out—skipping school and work to spend time with Josh, lying about her whereabouts, and sneaking out. Her actions reveal several key traits:

• Intelligence: She maintains an all-A report card, which Cliff mentions when defending her to Tracy. This shows she is academically capable, making her rebellion a choice rather than a failure.

• Stubbornness: When confronted at the video store, she refuses to back down, grumbling that her father is annoying. She also holds a grudge after the Halloween incident, staying angry for days.

• Vulnerability: Beneath her defiance, she is deeply hurt by feeling overlooked. In a conversation with Michelle, she admits she wasn't picked again and that her father doesn't trust her. She accidentally calls Michelle