Reality vs. Imagination in Emma Bovary's Predicament

Reality vs. Imagination in Emma Bovary's Predicament

Madame Bovary, a novel by Gustave Flaubert, describes life in the provinces. While depicting the provincial manners, customs, codes and norms, the novel puts great emphasis on its protagonist, Emma Bovary who is a representative of a provincial woman. Concerning the fundamental typicality in Emma Bovary’s story, Flaubert points out: “My poor Bovary is no doubt suffering and weeping at this very moment in twenty French villages at once.” (Heath, 54). Yet, Emma Bovary’s story emerges as a result of her difference from the rest of the society she lives in. She is in conflict with her mediocre and tedious surroundings in respect of the responses she makes to the world she lives in. Among the three basic responses made by human beings, Emma’s response is “dreaming of an impossible absolute” while others around her “unquestionably accept things as they are” or “coldly and practically profiteer from whatever circumstances they meet.” (Fairlie, 33). However, Emma’s pursuit of ideals which leads to the imagining of passion, luxury and ecstasy prevents her from seeing the world in a realistic perspective or causes her to confuse reality and imagination with each other.

Bourgeois reality with its mediocre, imbecile, foul aspects which all build the real surroundings around Emma is reflected in her illusory conceptions and ideals. Emma is constantly in revolt against the mediocrity and she escapes into her fantasies which she mainly borrows from the romances she reads. In this respect, the act of reading in Madame Bovary is given great emphasis in the aim of presenting Emma’s illusions about the luxury, romantic love and adventure in the imaginary world she lives in. At that point, it...

... middle of paper ...

...ssions that art exaggerated.” (2/15 p.236), Emma cannot free herself from the vicious circle of imagination and reality. Therefore, confusing the imagination with the reality at some points Emma searches for reality in her imaginations up until her death.

REFERENCES

Fairlie, Alison. Flaubert: Madame Bovary. London . Edward Arnold Press. 1962.

Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. Middlesex. Penguin Popular Classics. 1995.

Heath, Stephen. Landmarks of World Literature Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1992.

Paris, Bernard J. Imagined Human Beings: A Psychological Approach to Character and Conflict in Literature. New York: New York University Press. 1997.

Roe, David. Macmillan Modern Novelists: Gustave Flaubert. Houndmills: Macmillan , 1989