Flauberts Madame Bovary: Depicts the Unfulfilling Roles of Women in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
Gustave Flaubert's novel, Madame Bovary, is important because itoperates on many levels. While modern readers may appreciate Emma'sBovary's plight, it is also important to understand how the novel wasreceived to gain a greater understanding of its significance. The novelwas the first of kind in that it was what has now become known as a realistnovel. It depicts the unfulfilling roles of women in the mid-nineteenthcentury and, as a result, criticized the bourgeois society in general.Flaubert was condemned for his novel by a society that was absorbed inmorality. However, his great achievement is pinpointing human desiresthrough the character of Emma and presenting them in a realistic settingthat does not condemn or condone them. Literature of the mid-nineteenth century was largely a product ofromantic notions. Flaubert said that by writing Madame Bovary, he was"exorcising the romantic demons that hover about literature" (Russell 8).His style focuses instead on more realistic and natural aspects ofhumanity. In fact, Ernest Boyd, in his essay "Flaubert and FrenchRealism," notes that Flaubert is "generally accepted as the father of therealistic novel" (Boyd). This fact indicates that societ
Weare told that "she was becoming a part of her own imaginings, finding thelong dream of her youth come true as she surveyed herself in that amorousrole she coveted" (175). In fact, Abrams notes that "Variety is in part of a symptom of theVictorian writers' bold independence and their zest for literary experimentfor its own sake" (Abrams 933). Although they might not have considered her a hero for women,they would have known why she did what she did and would have been ableempathize with her lack of fulfillment. Heranxiety and disappointment over her marriage would not have been soshocking and offensive to readers who were familiar with strongprotagonists who confronted real life issues. An excellent example of this can be seen in Emma's reaction to her ownmarriage. Emma Bovary stands out from thetraditional female protagonist because she does not find happiness with hermarried life as she is led to believe. For instance, Flaubert emphasizes therigidity of the puritan system when Madame Tuvache claims that she heardthat Emma was "compromising herself" (104). Emma's exclamation, "O God, O God, why didI get married'" (Flaubert 57), would have made sense to writers and readerswho were breaking free from the puritanical restrictions in the latenineteenth century. y was notaccustomed to strong, independent women who felt desire and often actedimpulsively. Ironically, whatwould cause the novel to be condemned would also lead to its success. In fact, Emma looked at her affair withRodolphe as revenge, for she had suffered without love for long enough. If any character represents a selfish inclination towardhappiness outside the confines of marriage, it is Emma Bovary. Furthermore, she "savored it without remorse,disquiet or distress" (175).
Common topics in this essay:
Emma Bovary,
Madame Bovary,
Leon Emma,
Emma's Bovary's,
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte,
God God,
Barrett Browning,
French Realism,
Fair Victorian,
Madame Tuvache,
madame bovary,
emma bovary,
jane eyre,
mid-nineteenth century,
emma's behavior,
character emma,
bourgeois society,
human desires,
nineteenth century,
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Acceptance Essays
