An Analysis of the Loathsome Emma Bovary
In Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary the character of Emma Bovary is in a constant internal struggle between what most would consider a normal life and her overly romantic fantasies. Emma is an amoral housewife in the sense that she pursues extra-marital affairs out of boredom without ever taking into consideration the feelings of anyone around her. Throughout her life Emma has developed slowly through a series of increasingly immoral actions from the schoolgirl innocently perusing romantic novels to the suicidal sociopath she was at death.
Emma Bovary began her decline into immorality when she began reading romantic novels, an action which seems harmless but implants Emma's discontent with the average and ordinary. During her time at the convent Emma read Paul and Virginia and [she] had dreamed of the bamboo cabin [and] of the Negro Domingo(41), Emma's preoccupation with fantasy and romantic literature plants the seeds of dissatisfaction with life for Emma as she dreams to experience the unattainable situations within literature. Although Emma Bovary's first experiences with literature may seem harmless, the foundation for her dissatisfaction with life is lain with her first readings, escalating after her marriage throughout her time in Tostes.
After marrying Charles her discontent with their relationship is immediately apparent upon arriving in Tostes. This section of the novel shows more than any other Emma's desire for true love. After the wedding, Emma believed that she was in love but...the happiness which she had expected this love to bring her hadn't come(40); this statement shows Emma's disconnect with reality. Emma believes that by getting married she will somehow gain the passion as described in her novels and she is genuinely surprised when this doesn't happen. After the couple settle in to their home Emma's frustration deepens, she resented his settled calm, his serene dullness, the very happiness she herself brought him(48), a statement which demonstrates Emma's disillusionment with her marriage but also her personal vanity. The Bovary's time in Tostes displays Emma's regret with regard to marriage, also, her transformation into an amoral person exhibits her desire for luxury and grandeur.
Emma's desire for a greater than average life accompanies her desire for passion and romance, also involved is her desire to become a member of the upper class as opposed to another member of the bourgeoisie. At Marquis d'Andervillier's ball Emma shows a further dislike of Charles and an extreme desire for wealth and social status. When surrounded by the luxury of the chateau Emma is constantly amazed by her surroundings forcing herself to stay awake in order to prolong the illusion of this luxurious life she would so soon have to be leaving(63). Emma's general displeasure with her social status and marital life are merely a prologue to the infidelities of her time in Yonville.
Emma Bovary's early life and time in Tostes form the basis for the adulteress affairs which occur in Yonville. Any virtue that remained in Emma Bovary disappeared when she decides to have an affair with Lon, to escape to some far-off place where they could begin life anew(129). From here everything Emma does is completely self-interested or sociopathic, when she pushes Berthe over being a prime example of this. Emma's behavior becomes repetitive after she begins her affairs, her moral fiber is no longer a question as the reader becomes increasingly aware of her unstable condition. Emma's monetary indiscretions also feed into the question of her faded sense of morality, she takes it upon herself to borrow copious amounts of money from Lheureux in order to buy gifts for her new lover Rodolphe. Because of the newly accrued debt Emma sells part of Charles deceased father's estate, an act which not only occurred without Charles' permission but also by tricking him out of his power of attorney. Emma Bovary's decent into immorality leads to and ends with her various exploits in Yonville and her eventual suicide.
Emma begins as an innocent schoolgirl but her inability to be appeased and excessive romantic idealism lead her into a downward spiral of immoral decisions which eventually lead to her suicide.
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