FREE ESSAY ON FLAUBERT'S MADAME BOVARY

FLAUBERT'S MADAME BOVARY

A theme throughout Flaubert's Madame Bovary is escape versus confinement. In the novel
Emma Bovary attempts again and again to escape the ordinariness of her life by reading
novels, having affairs, day dreaming, moving from town to town, and buying luxuries
items. It is Emma's early education described for an entire chapter by Flaubert that
awakens in Emma a struggle against what she perceives as confinement. Emma's education at
the convent is perhaps the most significant development of the dichotomy in the novel
between confinement and escape. The convent is Emma's earliest confinement, and it is the
few solicitations from the outside world that intrigue Emma, the books smuggled in to the
convent or the sound of a far away cab rolling along boulevards. 
The chapter mirrors the structure of the book it starts as we see a satisfied women
content with her confinement and conformity at the convent. 
At first far from being boredom the convent, she enjoyed the company of the nuns, who, to
amuse her, would take her into the chapel by way of a long corridor leading from the
dining hall. She played very little during the recreation period and knew her catechism
well. (Flaubert 30.)Footnote1 
The chapter is also filled with images of girls living with in the protective walls of
the convent, the girls sing happily together, assemble to study, and pray. But as the
chapter progresses images of escape start to dominate. But these are merely visual images
and even these images are either religious in nature or of similarly confined people. 
She wished she could have lived in some old manor house, like those chatelaines in low
wasted gowns who spent their days with their elbows on the stone sill of a gothic window
surmounted by trefoil, chin in hand watching a white plumed rider on a black horse
galloping them from far across the country. (Flaubert 32.) 
As the chapter progresses and Emma continues dreaming while in the convent the images she
conjures up are of exotic and foreign lands. No longer are the images of precise people
or event but instead they become more fuzzy and chaotic. The escape technique that she
used to conjure up images of heroines in castles seems to lead inevitably to chaos and
disintegration. 
And there were sultans with long pipes swooning on the arbors on the arms of dancing
girls; there were Giaours, Turkish sabers and fezzes; and above all there were wan
landscapes of fantastic countries: palm trees and pines were often combined in one
picture with tigers on the right a lion on the left. (Flaubert 33.) 
Emma's dreams by this point are chaotic with both palms and pines mixed together with
lions and tigers. These dreams continue and change themselves into a death wish as swans
transform themselves into dying swans, and singing into funeral music. But Emma although
bored with her fantasy refuses to admit it and she starts to revolt against the confines
of the convent until the Mother Superior was glad to see her go. 
The chapter about Emma Bovary's education at the convent is significant not only because
it provides the basis for Emma's character, but also because the progression of images in
this chapter is indicative of the entirety of the novel. The images progress from
confinement to escape to chaos and disintegration. In Madame Bovary Emma changes from a
women content with her marriage, to a women who escapes from the ordinariness of her
everyday life through affairs and novels, to a women whose life is so chaotic that she
disintegrates and kills herself. Indeed, Madame Bovary is like a poem comprised of a
progression of repeating images. 
Emma Bovary found interest in the things around her which prevent her boredom in her
early education it was the novels she read, They were filled with love affairs, lovers,
mistresses, persecuted ladies fainting in lonely country houses. She also found interest
in the sea but only because it was stormy. But all the things that Emma found interest in
she soon became board of from Charles to Leon. This cyc 
During the time in which the play took place society frowned upon women asserting
themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands,
took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work,
politics, and decisions were left to the males. Nora's first secession from society was
when she broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husbands treatment. By
doing this, she not only broke the law but she stepped away from the role society had
placed on her of being totally dependent on her husband. She proved herself not to be
helpless like Torvald implied: you poor helpless little creature! 
Nora's second secession from society was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her
children. Society demanded that she take a place under her husband. This is shown in the
way Torvald spoke down to her saying things like: worries that you couldn't possibly help
me with, and Nora, Nora, just like a woman. She is almost considered to be property of
his: Mayn't I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but
me -that's all my very own? By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and
brakes society's expectations. Nora also brakes society's expectations of staying in a
marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era. Her decision was a secession
from all expectations put on a woman and a wife by society. 
Nora secessions are very deliberate and thought out. She knows what society expects of
her and continues to do what she feels is right despite them. Her secessions are used by
Ibsen to show faults of society. In the first secession Ibsen illustrates that despite
Nora doing the right thing it is deemed wrong and not allowed by society because she is a
woman. While the forgery can be considered wrong, Ibsen is critical of the fact that Nora
is forced to forge. Ibsen is also critical of society's expectations of a marriage. He
illustrates this by showing how Nora is forced to play a role than be herself and the
eventual deterioration of the marriage. Throughout the play Nora is looked down upon and
treated as a possession by her husband. She is something to please him and used for show.
He is looked upon as the provider and the decision-maker. Society would have deemed it a
perfect marriage. Ibsen is critical of the fact that a marriage lacked love and
understanding, as shown by Torvald becoming angry with Nora for taking the loan and
saving him, would be consider as perfect. 
A Doll's House's central theme of secession from society was made to be critical of
society's view on women and marriage. Ibsen used Nora's secessions as an example to
illustrate that society's expectations of a woman's role in society and marriage were
incorrect. Her decision to leave was the exclamation point on his critical view of
society.