The character of Emma in Madame
Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert, is different than any of the female
characters depicted in the story. Moreover, it is a character so strong, complex, rich,
and unique, that it overshadows any other "female presence" in the
story.
This is done purposely: Even though the novel begins
and ends with the life and death of Charles Bovary it is his wife, Emma Bovary and
her immensely intense character, who suddenly looms over the plot and takes over it,
infusing the story with a tour de force of passion, sex, deception, and ambition right
until her death. Interestingly, once Emma's life ends in the story, the novel seems to
begin to die a slow death as well.
Aside from Madame,
there are only a few females depicted in the story.
Mdme.
Homais, a folio of Emme, is the quintessential model of the perfect wife, mother, and
neighbor. She is kind to others, maternal to everyone, and an example of puritanism.
This is a complete and radical contrast to Emma.
Madame
Bovary, Senior (the mother of Charles) is depicted as the meddling mother in law, only
too ready to victimize her daughter in law. She criticizes Emma for her spending, and
her ways of treating Charles. She says she was raised "the old way" and she is unwilling
to change with time. This is another clashing personality to Emma's
own.
The other females include the house maid, Felicite, a
country simpleton, and Monsieur Bovary's first wife, Heloise, also another woman whose
lack of sophistication and consistent whining made Charles a very happy widow when she
finally died of a stroke.
In comes Emme: Obsessed with
Paris, in touch with her femininity, dainty and well-poised, and always dreaming of a
life of aristocrats and castles. On the other hand, she was also apparently beautiful,
quiet, intelligent, and well-mannered. On the bad side, she detested her own daughter,
was sick of her husband, of the country, of her mother in law, and everyone else.
However, she was always forgiven. Why? Perhaps because Emma embodies sophistication and
class and everyone around her knows that she is completely out of place in the country,
with little to do and not a lot of money to spend.
Emma is
a woman of a class of her own. She is the antithesis of the way the rest of the women
are described. She is more than a character, she is an catalyst in the story. She is a
one-of-a-kind character and there are not many characters like hers in
literature.
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