For Lack of a Better Man
Gustave Flaubert presents one extreme side of human life many would very much rather think does not exist. He presents a tale of sensual symbolism within the life of Charles Bovary. Madame Bovary is the story of Emma Bovary, but within the scope of symbolic meaning, the make-up of Charles is addressed. It is representative of deep sadness and a despondent outlook on life whose many symbols are, at times, as deeply embedded in the story line as a thorn in a callous heel. The elements making up the very person of Charles Bovary remain excruciatingly evident, haunting his every move.
Symbolic of his yearning for inner fulfillment, Charles Bovary presents to be a man in search of an unknown sensual satisfaction. It is no wonder, with the detailed writing the French government attempted to censor Flaubert when Madame Bovary was published in 1856. Although the vast majority of theorems penned revolve about the life of Emma, the character of Charles requires examining.
In the opening scenes, Charles Bovary is seen entering a favorite “dive” of escape, an escape from the realities of life. The cafés he frequented appear as “dirty public rooms” (Flaubert 834) housing his passion for the game of dominoes. His obsession and pleasure from this simple entertainment are exposed as Flaubert describes Charles entrance into the den of dominoes. “[His esteem] was beginning to see life, the sweetness of stolen pleasures; and when he entered, he put his hand on the door handle with a joy almost sensual” (Flaubert 834). What, other than a profound uneasiness within his personal life, could bring about so explicit a pleasure from the entering to a dark, dank room?
Charles’ life as a student of medicine is one of avoidance. His lack of sincerity and devotion is shown via the “mother hen” role, which his mother took in excusing his inadequacies. His insincerity and hypocrisy is indicative of one with no foresight. He lives now, exists now, and thinks now, not of what is to come, but of what is now. The author explains how he grew passive toward his presumed goal: medicine. In the beginning, he would miss one lecture in a day. Then, the next day, he would miss all lectures. Eventually, because of his inner thirst for self-satisfaction, he would become idle to the point he would give up work altogether (Flaubert 834).
Throughout Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, the main protagonist, experiences multiple awakenings—the process in which Edna becomes aware of her life and the constraints place on it—through her struggles with interior emotional issues regarding her true identity: the confines of marriage vs. her yearning for intense passion and true love. As Edna begins to experience these awakenings she becomes enlightened of who she truly and of what she wants. As a result, Edna breaks away from what society deems acceptable and becomes awakened to the flaws of the many rules and expected behavior that are considered norms of the time. One could argue that Kate Chopin’s purpose in writing about Edna’s inner struggles and enlightenment was to
Both novels are focused at a time, the nineteenth century, when the woman was unquestionably submissive to the man, otherwise, known as the era of the domestic woman. The settings for both novels give the audience insight as to why the protagonists wanted to liberate themselves from the traditional aspect of the woman. The authors also employ a healthy amount of symbolism in their work. For example, the caged birds who understand each other represent Edna and mademoiselle Reisz who are imprisoned by their communal beliefs. The actions of Edna are only understood by mademoiselle Reisz. In “Madam Bovary”, Emma’s appearance has great symbolic significance in the novel. It shows how her soul deteriorates as her focus on physical things increases. Her disgust on the blind man’s image emphasizes how she has lost herself to the
“I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.” (Ayn Rand). Ayn’s novel lives up to these possibilities by expressing her hope for independence and individuality in the world. Freedom can only be achieved by man’s own ability to think, feel, make choices, and form their own judgement, and that is exactly what the novel is about. In her book Anthem, Ayn Rand presents the philosophy that independence and individuality are very important in a society. This philosophy is true, and can be related to historical and current world events, along with the book Anthem. First, the independence that is gained by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Equality represents the importance of independence in a society. Secondly, the African-American people who were discriminated upon and Equality’s expression of individuality through being different, both show the importance of individuality in a society. Lastly, the Annual Gay Pride Parade in Toronto and Equality’s journey to individuality represents the importance of it for humankind.
Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening expresses the difficulty of finding a woman’s place in society. Edna learns of new ideas such as freedom and independence while vacationing in Grand Isle. Faced with a choice to conform to society’s expectations or to obey personal desires for independence, Edna Pontellier realizes that either option will result in dissatisfaction. Thus, Edna’s awakening in Grand Isle leads to her suicide.
Ayn Rand was not at all shy with her political beliefs in Anthem. Rand’s personal philosophy, Objectivism is very much centered on individuality like Anthem. In Anthem the supporters of the collectivist society had a weak defence most likely due to the author’s position. I will not be defending Anthem’s collectivism, it is labeled as a dystopian written by someone who hated the idea and therefore didn’t give true collectivism a fair shake. In this essay I will try to objectively defend collectivism and it’s potential as a societal system.
Ayn Rand’s strong opinion of individualism is exaggerated in a most extreme way in her world famous novel Anthem. Her book focuses on “we” rather than “I,” and about the community rather than individuals. She magnifies communism to every possible extreme. Though her book may only be an extended hyperbole, Rand was wrong to go that far into her distorted “future” reality. She should not have gone that far because we could never come to a point where the following things aren’t valued. Communism could never take away the importance of: names and families, learning and individual beliefs, and friendship. We will never have to recite to ourselves, “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the greater WE, One indivisible forever,”
Madam Bovary is a novel written by Gustave Flaubert in 1856. It takes us through the journey and the life of an extremely complex character Emma Bovary, who was a doctor’s wife. Emma had adulterous relationships and lived beyond her means in order to get away from the ordinariness and emptiness of her life. Madam Bovary was later turned a romance and drama film in 1949. It was written by Robert Ardrey and directed by Vincente Minnelli. In the film, the figure of Emma Bovary as a character in the novel causes cheers of approval and howls of outrage as Gustave Flaubert is tried to prove that he did not write an indecent novel. In order to prove that that he wrote a moral tale, he decides to narrate a story about the beautiful Emma Bovary an adulteress who destroyed the lives of all the people she came in contact with.
Gustave Flaubert incorporates and composes a realistic piece of literature using realistic literature techniques in his short story, “A Simple Heart.” Flaubert accomplishes this through telling a story that mimics the real life of Félicité, and writing fiction that deliberately cuts across different class hierarchies; through this method, Flaubert
...rization and perception in this story leads the reader to dissect the underground man’s thinking. Flaubert’s approach to “A Simple Heart” lends the reader to feels sorry for Felicite not having a life of her own yet giving it all to the family. Even though she lived her life for the family she had a life of caring for someone she loved as it is will lives of everyday people.
Edna’s societal awakening first begins when she almost drowns when she swims too far out into the ocean, and returns to land, chich represents society. This allegorical scene serves the purpose of showing that Edna is still early in her awakening and needs to experience more in order to become fully awakened. The notion; however, that the path to awakening is tumultuous and difficult is reinforced when Mademoiselle Reisz states “‘ The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth,’” (89) displaying how becoming independent from society is hard and is often met with failure. Edna does not fully recognize what is required to become free, but it becomes more clear when Madame Ratignolle tells Edna, while she is giving birth, to “‘Think of the children, Edna. Oh think of the children! Remember them,’” (120) which reminds Edna that society is still constraining her individuality by utilizing her kids. Edna’s realization that society will not allow her to become a independent being is seen when Robert writes “‘ I love you. Good-by--because I love you,” (122) which exemplifies that even Edna’s lover is still constrained by society, and therefore will not have an affair with Edna because as Robert states “you were not free; you were Leonce Pontellier’s wife,” (116) displaying to Edna that Robert still views her as Leonce’s possession, due to their marriage. Edna due to these events progresses through her societal awakening by having the revelation that society in its current state does not allow for women to become individuals, and so she returns to grand isle to go on a swim where, without fear or intention of returning, she
Madness is subjective, especially so in a time period where women’s emotions and thoughts were brushed off as unimportant. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin explores the inner life of a woman, lost in the patriarchal world and without anyone who truly understands her. Edna Pontellier’s supposed madness plays a large part in her characterization as a woman who has lost her way. However, Edna’s madness is not truly madness; it stems from a neglectful husband, crushing responsibility to society, and a sense of the complete isolation.
Gustave Flaubert incorporates and composes a realistic piece of literature using realistic literary techniques in his short story, “A Simple Heart.” Flaubert accomplishes this through telling a story that mimics the real life of Félicité, and writing fiction that deliberately cuts across different class hierarchies; through this method, Flaubert is able to give the reader a clear understanding of the whole society. Flaubert makes the unvarnished truth about simple hearts clear by exposing a clear replica of a realistic story, therefore, allowing the reader to clearly understand the society and the different classes of characters. The story, “A Simple Heart” focuses on the life of a naive, simple-minded underclass maid, Félicité, and her encounters with those around her.
to abide by it. In the novel, Emma meets a pitiful doctor named Charles Bovary.
The novel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert has numerous lessons hidden in seemingly ordinary dialogue. One of the most memorable and powerful passages contains what is a veritable moral of the novel. In the last third of the book, Emma Bovary's life goes on a rapid downward spiral, and in one significant scene, she reflects on her life, past, and what she has learned from her affairs. On page 200, one line strikes the reader: "everything was a lie!" This avowal can be applied to many different situations in the novel, and can be said to be the chief lesson Flaubert wishes to exploit.
Madame Bovary is a novel in which the personal, provincial, and emotional landscape of human relationships form a critique of humanity that supersedes individuals with their society as a whole. Though Emma Bovary belongs to a specific moment in time and space the struggles which she faces and overcomes are universal. The actions of Emma Bovary are representative of underrepresented, dissatisfied, and deprived peoples who must find ways to overcome oppressive social conventions and dismantle them in the process. Through the narrative format of Madame Bovary Flaubert explores the complexity of human physical, emotional, and psychological desires and satirizes the inhumanity of modern materialistic cultures.