Flaubert's Parrot
In Flaubert's Parrot, Geoffrey Braithwaite constantly asks the question, "How do we seize the past?" Throughout the course of the novel, Braithwaite briefly mentions moments regarding his late-wife, Ellen. However, he expands upon moments of Madame Bovary. Due to the sudden death of Ellen Braithwaite, Geoffrey is left with unanswered questions that he needs answered. By the means of identifying with Madame Bovary and the composition of the biography of Gustave Flaubert, Braithwaite hopes to answer these questions and understand his late-wife more. By doing extensive research on Flaubert, Geoffrey hopes to seize his past, understand his late-wife, and be able to move on into his present life. Geoffrey Braithwaite is a man who holds onto the past throughout the entire novel. He states that "It isn't so different, the way we wander through the past. Lost, disordered, fearful, we follow what signs there remain; we read the street names, but cannot be confident where we are. All around us is wreckage. These people never stopped fighting" (60). This quote shows that, even though Braithwaite knows he is in a familiar place, he cannot be comfortable with where he is in life. Geoffrey finds comfort and hope in completing a bi
He says that he hasn't been deceived by his wife, but that is completely untrue, since he was blinded by his misinterpretation of her actions. For example: Perhaps this was Ellen's weakness: an inability to gaze into the blackpit. Geoffrey is the type of person who needs to know everything; he needs to know the truth. Also, since Geoffrey yielded all of his questions to her during their marriage, he states that "we never talked about her secret life. In Madame Bovary, Charles was played the fool in his relationship with Emma. He must find out about his character for romance, sentimental flights of fancy, and melancholy. Though a complete breakthrough was not made regarding the learning of his wife through Flaubert, minor advancements were made through Geoffrey's journey. In his actions to write about Flaubert, Geoffrey is also on a quest for the truth. First of all, both Geoffrey Braithwaite and Charles Bovary are doctors. Geoffrey admits that he knows his wife's secret: "My wife went to bed with other men: should I worry about that?. One glance would make her despair, and despair would make her seek distractions. Charles Bovary learns of his wife's affairs after she has committed suicide, and died a lonely man. About that she lied impulsively, recklessly, almost embarrassingly; but about everything else she told me the truth" (164). He says that "That's the real distinction between people: not between those who have secrets and those who don't, but between those who want to know everything and those who don't. "We were happy; we were unhappy; we were happy enough.
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